October 9th, 2015 - Demons And Barn Owls?

Evenin' and happy Friday evil-doers!  The Meista here tonight pairing "Demons" (Japanese Deluxe Edition) by Spiritual Beggars and a Barn Owl Imperial Brown Ale from Alameda Brewhouse!

Album Info:

• Artist: Spiritual Beggars
• Title: "Demons" (Japanese Deluxe Edition)
• Recorded: July 2004 at Studio Fredman, Gothenburg, Sweden and vocals, percussion, and guitar solos recorded in August 2004 at Slaughterhouse Studio, Halmstad, Sweden
  Release date: March 23rd, 2005 (6th studio album by Spiritual Beggars)
• Record company: Toy's Factory Records / InsideOut Music
• Production: Fredrik Nordstrom and Michael Amott
• Album cover art: ?
• Personnel: Michael Amott of Arch Enemy and Carcass fame (guitars), JB Christoffersson (vocals), Sharlee D'Angelo (bass), Per Wiberg (keyboards), and Ludwig Witt (drums) 
• Musical style: Stoner rock/metal, hard rock
• Sound: Steeped in early '70s hard rock and metal (Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Mountain, etc.), "Demons" is some heavy duty, down-tuned, hard-rockin' goodness!   
• Major themes: Death, rebellion, rockin', vengeance, self-reliance, etc.
• Tracks: 

Disc 1:

1. "Inner Strength" (Intro)
2. "Throwing Your Life Away"
3. "Salt in Your Wounds" 
4. "One Man Army"
5. "Through the Halls" 
6. "Treading Water" 
7. "Dying Every Day" 
8. "Born to Die" 
9. "Born to Die"  (Reprise)
10. "In My Blood"
11. "Elusive" 
12. "Sleeping with One Eye Open" 
13. "No One Heard"

Disc 2:

1. "Monster Astronauts" (Live at the Shibuya Ax in Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 2003)
2. "Angel of Betrayal" (Live at the Shibuya Ax in Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 2003)
3. "Young Man, Old Soul" (Live at the Shibuya Ax in Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 2003)
4. "Wonderful World" (Live at the Shibuya Ax in Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 2003)
5. "Blind Mountain" (Live at the Shibuya Ax in Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 2003)
6. "Guitar Solo" (Live at the Shibuya Ax in Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 2003)
7. "Look Back" (Live at the Shibuya Ax in Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 2003)
8. "Not Fragile (Jam)" (Live at the Shibuya Ax in Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 2003)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Alameda Brewhouse (Portland, Oregon)
• Website: http://alamedabrewing.com/
• Brew: Barn Owl Imperial Brown Ale
• Style: Imperial Southern English Brown Ale
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 7.9%
• IBUs: 90 
• Ending gravity: 1.022 Plato
• Ingredients: Specialty malts and hops
• Pour: Dark, opaque nut brown color with a thick, mash potato head with great retention that leaves sticky and layered lacing.
• Nose: A really nice mix of nuttiness, bready and sweet malts, chocolate, caramel, and earthy hops.  There are aromas of almonds and hazelnuts, freshly baked multi-grain bread, cocoa, burnt toffee, and rich soil.  The nuttier flavors become more prevalent as the beer warms.
• Taste: Layered notes of chocolate, caramel, and hearty biscuit abound in the Barn Owl Imperial Brown Ale.  There are semi-sweet chocolate, caramel, nut, and roasted malt flavors.
• Mouthfeel: Smooth, velvety, and slightly creamy with low carbonation and a clean, dry finish. 

Overall pairing:  That roasty, toasty, nutty, and hearty flavor of the Barn Owl Imperial Brown Ale from Alameda Brewhouse is perfect for the sludgy, hard-rockin' intensity of Spiritual Beggars' "Demons"!  Like the Barn Owl, the music of Amott and the boys is full of depth, complexity, and power!

Cheers!!