October 31st, 2015 - No Rest For The Wicked Pumpkinhead

Hello and happy All Hallow's Eve evil-doers!  The Meista here pairing the excellent "No Rest For The Wicked" by the prince of darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne and a Pumpkinhead Ale from Shipyard Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Ozzy Osbourne
• Title: "No Rest For The Wicked"
• Recorded: 1988
  Release date: September 28th, 1988 (5th solo studio album by Ozzy)
• Record company: Epic / CBS
• Production: Keith Olsen and Roy Thomas Baker
• Album cover art: The Leisure Process (photography by Bob Carlos Clarke)
• Personnel: Ozzy Osbourne (lead vocals) with the late, great Randy Castillo (drums), Bob Daisley (bass), John Sinclair (keyboards), and Zakk Wylde (guitars)
• Additional musicians: Michael Sadler (background vocals)
• Musical style: Heavy metal / hard rock
• Sound: One of my favorite's by Ozzy, "No Rest For The Wicked" is that classic Ozzy sound, but with some "new" guitar tones from Wylde.
• Major themes: With songs about televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, Charles Manson, and alcoholism, themes on the album include hypocrisy, vengeance, murder, the battle of good and evil, lust, rebellion, and states of sanity / insanity.
• Tracks: 

1. "Miracle Man"
2. "Devil's Daughter"
3. "Crazy Babies"
4. "Breaking All The Rules"
5. "Bloodbath In Paradise"
6. "Fire In The Sky"
7. "Tattooed Dancer"
8. "Demon Alcohol"
9. "Hero" (hidden track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Shipyard Brewing Company (Portland, Maine)
• Website: http://www.shipyard.com/
• Brew: Pumpkinhead Ale
• Style: Pumpkin Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 4.5%
• IBUs: 18
• Ingredients: Top-Fermenting English yeast; Pale Ale, Whole Wheat, and Munich Light malts; Willamette and Saphir hops
• Pour: Slightly hazy golden amber with lots of tiny effervescent bubbles and a thin white head that dissipates quickly leaving no cap or lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a light blend of fruit esters, citrus, grains, and spices.  There are aromas of banana, lemon, subtle pumpkin pie, floral soap, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
• Taste: With almost lambic characteristics, the flavor is fruity, spicy, and slightly grainy.  There are notes of pumpkin pie filling, soft banana, vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, soft caramel, and wheat bread.
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp and refreshing with a slight frothiness and a spicy finish.

Overall pairing: Those spiced pumpkin flavors of the Pumpkinhead Ale from Shipyard Brewing Company are perfect for the heavy duty goodness of Ozzy's rich vocals, Wylde's vibrato, Castillo's thunderous drumming, and Daisley's bold bass work, while the smooth drinkability is great for the rockin' accessibility of the album!  (I only wish the Pumpkinhead had a little more ABV to match the heaviness of the album!)

Cheers, hails, and happy Halloween!!  Be safe out there kids!!