November 13th, 2015 - The Legacy Of The West Coast IPA

Good afternoon thrashers and hop-heads!  The Meista here feeling a little angry and aggressive... so today I'm pairing "The Legacy", the debut album by thrash gods Testament and a West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Testament
• Title: "The Legacy"
• Recorded: 1986 at Pyramid Sound Studios, Ithaca, New York
  Release date: April 21st, 1987 (debut album by Testament)
• Record company: Atlantic / Megaforce
• Production: Alex Perialas and Jon and Marsha Zazula
• Album cover art: Alexis Olson (cover concept) and Dan Muro (cover photography and special effects)
• Personnel: Chuck Billy (vocals), Greg Christian (bass), Louie Clemente (drums), Eric Peterson (guitars), and Alex Skolnick (guitars)
• Musical style: Thrash metal
• Sound: Raw, aggressive, brutal, fast-paced, and cutting-edge, everything about "The Legacy" is thrash metal perfection!  Chuck Billy's vocals are aggressive, brutal, and honest!  The dual guitar work of Peterson and Skolnick is awe-inspiring!  And the rhythm section of Christian and Clemente is a thunderous juggernaut!  This is how thrash is supposed to sound!!
• Major themes: Themes include the occult and witchcraft, aggression, death, nuclear war, and global destruction.
• Tracks: 

1. "Over The Wall"
2. "The Haunting"
3. "Burnt Offerings"
4. "Raging Waters"
5. "C.O.T.L.O.D" (Curse Of The Legions Of Death)
6. "First Strike Is Deadly"
7. "Do Or Die"
8. "Alone In The Dark"
9. "Apocalyptic City"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Company (San Diego, California)
• Website: http://www.greenflashbrew.com/
• Brew: West Coast IPA
• Style: American Double / Imperial India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.1%
• IBUs: 95
• Ingredients: British Crystal malt with Centennial, Citra, Columbus, and Simcoe hops
• Pour: Hazy orange-copper hue with a bright, white 1-finger, bubbly head
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrus, tropical fruit, and dank earthy notes.  There are aromas of passion fruit, mango, grapefruit, tangerine, pine resin, and a malty backbone.
• Taste: The flavor is assertive, aggressive, fruity, bitter, floral, and sweet.  There are big notes of freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice, tangerine juice, mango, light melon, lemon zest, pine, cedar, sweet caramel, burnt toffee, black tea, and herbs.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is smooth, sticky, and slightly oily, but also crisp with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The assertive, bold, and brilliant flavors of the West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing Company is perfect for that West Coast thrash sound from the 1980s... and especially Testament's seminal album "The Legacy"!   The amazingly fast and precise guitar work of Peterson and Skolnick is doubly enhanced by those citrus and tropical fruit flavors while the more aggressive and bitter hop notes work perfectly with the rhythm barrage from Christian and Clemente and Chuck Billy's brutal vocal delivery!!

HAILS!!  Keep it metal... and keep it craft!!