May 30th, 2015 - A Witch's Victory At Sea

Good afternoon!  The Meista here for ya pairing the eponymous debut album "Witch" by stoner/doom metal band Witch and an incredible Victory At Sea Imperial Porter With Coffee And Vanilla from Ballast Point Brewing Company!  This one goes out to my metal sista Stephanie... cheers Steph!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Witch
• Title: "Witch"
• Recorded: 2006
• Release date: March 7th, 2006
• Record company: Tee Pee Records
• Production: John Agnello
• Personnel: Graham Clise (drums), J. Mascis (drums), Dave Sweetapple (bass), and Kyle Thomas (guitars and vocals)
• Musical style: Stoner rock/doom metal with elements of  neo-psychedelia and punk/post-punk
• Sound: With a low-fi approach, Witch combines elements of Black Sabbath, Black Flag, The Wipers, and Saint Vitus.  With chunky guitars and bass, thunderous drums, and Thomas' Avant-folk/punk vocal approach,
• Major themes: Lots of doomy themes of mysticism, darkness, foreboding, pain and suffering, mythology, etc.
• Notes: Witch was formed in 2005 by guitarist/vocalist Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. and his long-time friend Dave Sweetapple.  However, Mascis doesn't sing or play guitar with Witch.  Instead, he returns to his original instrument... drums! 
• Tracks:   

1. "Seer"
2. "Soul Of Fire"
3. "Black Saint"
4. "Changing"
5. "Rip Van Winkle"
6. "Hand Of Glory"
7. "Isadora"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company (San Diego, California)
• Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com/
• Brew: Victory At Sea Imperial Porter With Coffee And Vanilla
• Style: Imperial Porter
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 10%
• IBUs: 60
• Ingredients: Infused with ¾ ounce cold brewed coffee beans per pint from Caffe Calabria
• Pour: Black as night, black as a witch's heart with a firm, dark mocha head that dissipates quickly and leaves only trace lacing.
• Nose: Characterized by dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee, vanilla, and caramel, the Victory At Sea is loaded with huge, rich, and earthy aromas.  There are aromas of cocoa, baker's bittersweet dark chocolate, black coffee, vanilla bean, caramel and toffee with hints of molasses, nutmeg, and light smokiness.
• Taste: The taste of the Victory At Sea is a bold, rich, complex blend of hearty malts, bitter and coffee, and sweet vanilla, chocolate, and caramel.  There are big notes of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, dark roasted coffee, burnt toffee, rum, and vanilla, along with softer notes of cream, marshmallow, anise, spices (nutmeg and cinnamon), molasses, and brown sugar.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied, dense, and with low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Victory At Sea is velvety smooth, creamy, and very thick, sticky, and chunky.  The 10% ABV gives it a boozy kick, but it isn't overpowering.  The finish is dry and slightly bitter.  "It's a sipper!"

Overall pairing: The sludgy, somewhat swampy, very heavy, and very doomy sound of "Witch" is perfect for the thick, rich, muddy, and semi-sweet bold flavor Ballast Point's amazing Victory At Sea Imperial Porter With Coffee And Vanilla (one of the best porters I've had the pleasure of experiencing to date)!! 

CHEERS!!