April 9th, 2017 - Surrounded By Thieving Yetis

Good evening!  The Meista here tonight with one final pairing for the weekend... "Surrounded By Thieves", High On Fire's sophomore album and a Yeti Imperial Stout from Great Divide Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: High On Fire
• Title: "Surrounded By Thieves"
• Recorded: 2002
• Release date: May 28th, 2002 (2nd album by High On Fire)
• Record company: Relapse Records
• Production: Billy Anderson and High On Fire
• Album cover art: Orion Landau
• Personnel: Des Kensel (drums), Matt Pike (guitar and vocals), and George Rice (bass)
• Musical style: Stoner metal, sludge metal, thrash metal, power metal
• Sound: More on the low-fi end of production, "Surrounded By Thieves" is an intense and aggressive combination of power and heaviness.   
• Major themes: Nihilism, despair, mythology, darkness, evil, death, power, destruction, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Eyes And Teeth"
2. "Hung, Drawn And Quartered"
3. "Speedwolf"
4. "The Yeti"
5. "Nemesis"
6. "Thraft Of Caanan"
7. "Surrounded By Thieves"
8. "Razor Hoof"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company (Denver, Colorado)
• Website: http://greatdivide.com/
• Brew: Yeti Imperial Stout
• Style: Russian Imperial Stout
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 9.5%
• IBUs: 75
• Pour: The Yeti pours ink black with a thick and massive 2+ finger, dark mocha head with great sustain and intricate lacing throughout.
• Nose: The nose is rich, earthy, chocolaty, and hoppy.  There are aromas of dark roasted coffee, chicory, bittersweet baker's chocolate, cocoa, vanilla bean, smoked grains, caramel, and piney hops.
• Taste: The taste is a wonderful blend of roasty, rich, sweet, and hoppy flavors.  There are notes of  licorice, dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee, vanilla, roasted malt, toffee, and pine. 
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Yeti is thick, slick, somewhat oily, creamy and very smooth with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The rich, bold, aggressive, yet very tasty flavors and aromas of Great Divide's Yeti Imperial Stout is perfect for the intense aggression and heaviness of High On Fire's wonderful "Surrounded By Thieves"!  The bold coffee and chocolate flavors seem to have been brewed specifically for the punch to the eardrums that High On Fire presents with each track on this album!  And the hoppy bitterness is right in line with Pike's lyrics and aggressive vocals!

Cheers!!  Hails!!