October 22nd, 2016 - The Extra Special Ultimate Sin

Good afternoon!  The Meista here today celebrating a couple 30 year old youngsters... Ozzy Osbourne's "The Ultimate Sin" and a Wasatch 30th Anniversary Special Reserve Extra Special Pale Ale from the Utah Brewers Cooperative! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Ozzy Osbourne
• Title: "The Ultimate Sin"
• Recorded: 1985 at Townhouse Studios and AIR Studios in London, England and at Studio Davout in Paris, France
• Release date: February 22nd, 1986 (4th studio album by Ozzy Osbourne) (1969-04-16)
• Record company: Epic / CBS Records
• Production: Ron Nevison
• Album cover art: Boris Vallejo
• Personnel: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals) with Randy Castillo (drums), Jake E. Lee (guitars), and Phil Soussan (bass)
• Additional musicians: Mike Moran (keyboards)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal, hair metal
• Sound: A bit poppier than most of Ozzy's work, "The Ultimate Sin" is still a very solid and rockin' album.  What really stands out on the album for me is Jake E. Lee's wonderful guitar acrobatics!
• Major themes: Sin, depression, isolation, the threat of nuclear war, destruction, foolishness, rock and roll/heavy metal, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "The Ultimate Sin"
2. "Secret Loser"
3. "Never Know Why"
4. "Thank God For The Bomb"
5. "Never"
6. "Lightning Strikes"
7. "Killer Of Giants"
8. "Fool Like You"
9. "Shot In The Dark"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Utah Brewers Cooperative (Wasatch Brewery) (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: utahbeers.com      
• Brew: Wasatch 30th Anniversary Special Reserve Extra Special Pale Ale
• Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 7.3%
• Pour: The Wasatch 30th Anniversary Special Reserve Extra Special Pale Ale pours a clear dark golden-amber with an off-white 1+ finer head with good sustain and layered sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is malty, toasty, floral, and citrusy.  There are aromas of toasted malts, biscuit, wild flowers, tangerine, lemon zest, orange zest, light pine resin, and herbs.
• Taste: The taste is malty, citrusy, earthy, floral, and herbal.  There are notes of sweet caramel, freshly baked bread, grapefruit, orange, lemon zest, grassy hops, and light spices and herbs.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel is smooth, crisp, and refreshing with a dry, slightly hoppy finish.

Overall pairing: The straightforward and well-balanced flavors of the Utah Brewers Cooperative's celebratory Wasatch 30th Anniversary Special Reserve Extra Special Pale Ale is a really, really solid brew and great for the heavy metal richness of Ozzy's "The Ultimate Sin"!  Those toasty and citrusy flavors work really well with the wonderful musicianship of Ozzy and the band as well as with great songwriting prowess of Bob Daisley!

Cheers and hails metal and hop heads!!