December 3rd, 2015 - In The Pursuit Of A Better Cutthroat

God kväll!  The Meista here tonight pairing Ghost's "Meliora" and a Cutthroat Wet Hopped Pale Ale from Uinta Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Ghost
• Title: "Meliora"
• Recorded: January 2015
• Release date: August 21st, 2015 (3rd studio album by Ghost)
• Record company: Loma Vista Recordings
• Production: Klas Åhlund
• Album cover art: Necropolitus Cracoviensis Zbigniew M. Bielak
• Personnel: Papa Emeritus III (vocals), Nameless Ghouls (lead guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, drummer, and rhythm guitarist )
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock/metal
• Sound: Steeped in the sound 1970s hard rock like Blue Öyster Cult, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin, the sound of "Meliora" is rich, foot-stomping, spacey, riff-based rockin' goodness!  The guitar work is top-notch heavy duty rock and roll with great hooks and melodies while the rhythm section is a power house of driving grooves.  And I think Papa Emeritus III might be my favorite vocalist of Ghost thus far.
• Major themes: The main themes of the album is the absence of a deity, the occult, Satan, death, darkness, life, etc.  One band member stated, "The lyrics deal with the void that happens when there is no god, when there is no one there to help you.  But even then, there will always be some fucker there to give you guidance.  And the band is basically portrayed as the religious party that comes in there with a guiding hand. We offer the one place in the world that is spiritual."  A member of the band also said it was "more about the modern man and woman in their pursuit of purpose in life.  It's hard to live in a society if you're not willing to buy that you are in a collective, yet usually in the Western world, there is a big disregard for individual responsibility."  The album's title, "Meliora" is Latin for the pursuit of something better and basically is "the backdrop that we wanted to paint in front of which we're playing these songs, basically, which was supposed to be, or is supposed to be, a super-urban, metropolitan, pre-apocalyptic, dystopic futuristic thing." 
• Tracks:  

1. "Spirit"
2. "From The Pinnacle To The Pit"
3. "Cirice"
4. "Spöksonat"
5. "He Is"
6. "Mummy Dust"
7. "Majesty"
8. "Devil Church"
9. "Absolution"
10. "Deus In Absentia"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.uintabrewing.com/
• Brew: Cutthroat Wet Hopped Pale Ale
• Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 4.0%
• Pour: It pours deep copper-amber with a frothy off-white head that slowly settles to a light ring with intricate, spider web lacing.
• Nose: The nose of the Cutthroat Wet Hopped Pale Ale is grassy, herbal, dank, and citrusy with a malty backbone.  There are aromas of fresh, grassy Cascade hops, pine resin, lemon, grapefruit, and soft caramel.
• Taste: Like the nose, the taste of the Cutthroat is characterized by delicious and refreshing Cascade hops right up front, bursting with grassy, floral, and citrus flavors, lemongrass, light pine, soft caramel, and fresh, hearty bread.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, refreshing, and smooth with a dry and slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Cutthroat Wet Hopped Pale Ale is the first in a new series of experiments with Uinta's signature Cutthroat Pale Ale.  (Look for more pairings with their other new Cutthroat flavors coming soon!)  As such, I thought it would be fitting to go with the latest Ghost album's title, "Meliora".  Also, the smooth and crisp drinkability of the brew goes great with the hard rockin' grooves of Papa Emeritus III and the Nameless Ghouls!

Skål... hails!!  Cheers!!