September 6th, 2015 - A Calm Before The Sea Death

Good afternoon!  The Meista here today pairing "Meredead" by Norwegian/German symphonic metal band Leave's Eyes and a Calm Before The Storm from Ballast Point Brewing Company!  This one goes out to my buddy Mike Sargent who turned me on to this amazing brew... cheers man!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Leave's Eyes
• Title: "Meredead"
• Recorded: 2011 at Mastersound Studios, Steinheim, Germany
• Release date: April 22nd, 2011 (4th studio album by Leave's Eyes)
• Record company: Napalm Records
• Production: Alexander Krull
• Album cover art: Stefan Heilemann
• Personnel: Thorsten Bauer (guitars, bass, and mandolin on tracks 1, 5, and 12), Alexander Krull (lead male vocals, keyboards, programming, and samples), Liv Kristine Espenæs Krull (lead and backing female vocals), Roland Navratil (drums and percussion), and Sander van der Meer (guitars) 
• Additional musicians: Al dente Choir, Carmen Elise Espenæs (vocals), Anette Guldbrandsen (vocals), Maite Itoiz (vocals and baroque guitar), John Kelly (vocals), Janna Kirchhof (fiddle and nyckelharpa), Lingua Mortis Orchestra, and Chirstian Roch (Uilleann pipes and whistles) 
• Musical style: Symphonic metal, folk metal,
• Sound: Bombastic, melodic, and complex compositions coupled by haunting vocals and European folk instruments
• Major themes: Nordic folk tales, history, and lore, Vikings, mythology, death, love, etc.
• Notes: Vocals are sung in both English and Nynorsk (Neo-Norwegian, New Norse or New Norwegian)
• Tracks: 

1. "Spirits' Masquerade"
2. "Étaín"
3. "Velvet Heart"
4. "Kråkevisa"
5. "To France"
6. "Meredead"
7. "Sigrlinn"
8. "Mine tåror er ei grimme"
9. "Empty Horizon"
10. "Veritas"
11. "Nystev"
12. "Tell-Tale Eyes"
13. "Sorhleod"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company (San Diego, California)
• Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com/
• Brew: Calm Before The Storm
• Style: Cream Ale (with coffee and vanilla)
• Serving: 4 ounce sample off the tap at
• ABV: 5.5%
• IBUs: 15
• Ingredients: Cold brewed Caffé Calabria coffee and vanilla
• Pour: Clear golden amber with a frothy eggshell head that leaves spotty lacing
• Nose: The nose is dominated by roasted coffee with cream aromas initially.  Vanilla bean notes come into play as the beer warms along with light hops and biscuity malts.
• Taste:  The taste follows the nose, but interestingly enough, it is in reverse.  Those big, creamy vanilla notes are the most prevalent up front and then the cold brewed coffee notes come into play.  This is followed by mellow hops, lager yeast, and bready malt flavors.
• Mouthfeel:  Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the Calm Before The Storm is exceptionally smooth and creamy with a crisp and slightly dry finish.  Those coffee/vanilla notes linger.

Overall pairing:  Those rich and earthy coffee flavors from the cold brewed Caffé Calabria coffee go great with the complex and symphonic elements of "Meredead" while the sweeter vanilla notes go great with  Liv Kristine's amazing vocal range!

Skål!!