July 10th, 2015 - The Very Beast Ale For ALS!

Good evening hop heads and head bangers!  The Meista here with a pairing dedicated to the memory of the late Ronnie James Dio (RJD) on this, his birthday... Dio's "The Very Beast Of Dio" and a fresh bottle of the limited edition Ales for ALS Red IPL from Uinta Brewing Company (part of the “Ales for ALS™” Campaign to battle Lou Gehrig’s Disease) I picked up last night at the brewery!
 
Album Info:

• Artist: Dio
• Title: "The Very Beast Of Dio"
• Recorded: 1983 through 1994
• Release date: October 3rd, 2000 (2nd best of compilation release from Dio)
• Record company: Warner Bros. Records/RhinoPhonic
• Production: RJD, Wendy Dio, and David McLees
• Album cover art: the amazing Bill Sienkiewicz
• Personnel: Ronnie James Dio (lead vocals), Vinny Appice (drums), Jimmy Bain (bass guitar), Vivian Campbell (guitars), Teddy Cook (bass guitar), Craig Goldie (guitars), Tracy Grualva (guitars), Jens Johansson (keyboards), Jeff Pilson (bass guitar and keyboards), Rowan Robertson (guitars), Claude Schnell (keyboards), and Simon Wright (drums)
• Musical style: Heavy metal with elements of progressive metal/rock and hard rock
• Sound: Man, how do you describe the sound spanning 11 years of Dio's amazing breadth of work??  Pure metal magic!!  RJD's vocal prowess is unmatched and the various line-ups are some of the best in the business! 
• Tracks: 

1. "Stand Up And Shout"
2. "Holy Diver"
3. "Rainbow In The Dark"
4. "Straight Through The Heart"
5. "We Rock"
6. "The Last In Line"
7. "Mystery"
8. "King Of Rock And Roll"
9. "Sacred Heart"
10. "Hungry For Heaven"
11. "Rock 'N' Roll Children"
12. "Man On The Silver Mountain" (Live)
13. "Dream Evil"
14. "I Could Have Been A Dreamer"
15. "Lock Up The Wolves"
16. "Strange Highways"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.uintabrewing.com/index.php
• Brew: Ales for ALS Red IPL
• Style: Red India Pale Lager (IPL)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.2%
• Ingredients: A blend of Equinox hops, Mosaic hops, and several unnamed (as of yet) experimental hob hybrids from B.T. Loftus Ranches Inc. and Hopunion LLC
• Pour: Clear mahogany-amber with an off-white, 1.5-finger head with good sustain that leaves lots of intricate, briar patch lacing.
• Nose: Lots of citrus and floral notes in the nose of this one!  There are aromas of pungent grapefruit, tangerine, earthy spruce, and some subtle grainy and bready malt notes.
• Taste: As Uinta's facebook page states, the Ales for ALS Red IPL has an "assertive hoppy fruit character backed by caramel malt undertones".  There are notes of hearty barley, floral pine, crisp citrus, crackery and grainy malt, maybe a hint of black tea, and some hazelnut for good measure.  
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very smooth and slightly oily with a dry, bitter, big piney finish.
• Notes: A portion of the proceeds go to ALS Therapy Development Institute.

Overall pairing: I paired the Ales for ALS Red IPL from Uinta Brewing with "The Very Beast Of Dio" for several reasons.  1.) I think RJD would have loved the cause.  He strongly believed in helping others and he was a big fan of beer!  2.) The album is complex and pure heavy duty rock and roll... just like the Ales for ALS Red IPL!  3.) Nothing goes better with RJD's vocal range than a smooth and tasty beer that has a little bite!  And 4.) Because I say so damnit!  :)

Cheers and hails!!  Horns up for Ronnie James!!!

Learn more about Ales for ALS™ here: http://alesforals.com/.