June 1st, 2017 - A Better Than Raw Maibock Spring Lager

Guten abend and happy 1st day of June!  Your pal the Meista here tonight pairing a Maibock Spring Lager from Prost Brewing Company and the amazing and very underrated "Better Than Raw" from Helloween!


Album Info:

• Artist: Helloween
• Title: "Better Than Raw"
• Recorded: 1997 at the Chateau du Pape and Crazy Cat Studios in Hamburg, Germany and Mi Sueño Studio in Tenerife, Spain
• Release date: April 14th, 1998 (8th studio album by Helloween)
• Record company: Castle Communications
• Production: Tommy Hansen and Helloween
• Album cover art: Rainer Laws
• Personnel: Andi Deris (vocals), Roland Grapow (guitars), Markus Grosskopf (bass), Uli Kusch (drums), and Michael Weikath (guitars)
• Additional musicians: Jorn Ellerbrock (keyboards), Christina Hahne (backing vocals), Tommy Hansen (keyboards), Ralf Maurer (backing vocals), and Jutta Weinhold (backing vocals)
• Musical style: Power metal, heavy metal, neo-classical metal, progressive metal
• Sound: Guitar and vocally driven, "Better Than Raw" is probably one of Helloween's most powerful albums!  The band is incredibly tight, the song structure is complex, yet fast and rocking!  And they explore a range of metal styles while still staying true to form.
• Major themes: Life, death, religion, love, sex, loss, heartbreak, power, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Deliberately Limited Preliminary Prelude Period in Z"
2. "Push"
3. "Falling Higher"
4. "Hey Lord!"
5. "Don't Spit On My Mind"
6. "Revelation"
7. "Time"
8. "I Can"
9. "A Handful Of Pain"
10. "Laudate Dominum"
11. "Midnight Sun"
12. "Back On The Ground" (bonus track)
13. "A Game We Shouldn't Play" (bonus track)
14. "Perfect Gentleman" (live bootleg version bonus track)
15. "Moshi Moshi~Shiki No Uta" (live drum solo bonus track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Prost Brewing Company (Denver, Colorado)
• Website: https://prostbrewing.com/
• Brew: Maibock Spring Lager
• Style: Maibock / Helles Bock 
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.8%
• IBUs: 20
• Ingredients: Pils mats and Hallertau Traditional hops
• Pour: The Maibock Spring Lager pours a slightly hazy, bright gold with a thin, but dense head that dissipates and leaves only a thin ring.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by crackery and sweet malt, floral hops, light fruit, and spicy yeast.  There are aromas of toasted biscuit, light pear or apple, honey, and spicy hops.
• Taste: The taste is toasty, hoppy, and slightly sweet.  There are notes of crackery biscuit, noble and grassy hops, zesty yeast, light apple, and light caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of Maibock Spring Lager is crisp, zesty, and slightly bitter with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: The spicy, hoppy, and toasty flavors of Prost's Maibock Spring Lager works great with the complex, yet incredibly fun metal punch of Helloween's wonderful "Better Than Raw"!  The slightly bitter hops go well with the fiery guitars, while the sweeter notes are perfect for Deris' amazing vocals!

PROST!!  HAILS!!