July 8th, 2018 - Picking Blood Oranges On Blood Mountain

Good evening!  The Meista here tonight pairing Mastodon's amazing "Blood Mountain" with a Blood Orange India Pale Ale from Latitude 33!

 

Album Info:

• Artist: Mastodon
• Title: "Blood Mountain"
• Recorded: December 2005 through April 2006 at Robert Lang Studios, Studio Litho, and EK Studios in Seattle, Washington
• Release date: September 6th, 2006 (3rd full-length studio album by Mastodon)
• Record company: Warner Bros. / Reprise Records
• Production: Matt Bayles and Mastodon
• Album cover art: Paul Romano
• Personnel: Brann Dailor (drums and vocals), Brent Hinds (lead guitars, rhythm guitar on "Sleeping Giant", and vocals), Bill Kelliher (rhythm guitars and lead guitar on "Sleeping Giant") and Troy Sanders (bass and vocals)
• Additional musicians: Cedric Bixler-Zavala (guest vocals on "Siberian Divide"), Jennifer Ellison (cello), Josh Homme (guest vocals on "Colony Of Birchmen" and "Pendulous Skin"), Scott Kelly (guest vocals on "Crystal Skull"), and Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (keyboards on "Pendulous Skin")
• Musical style: Progressive metal, sludge metal, doom metal
• Sound: Bold, heavy, and aggressive, yet wonderfully melodic, "Blood Mountain" is probably my favorite album by Mastodon!  It demands your complete attention from the opening notes of "The Wolf Is Loose" (my favorite!) to the final hidden vocals of Homme on "Pendulous Skin".  Everything about this album is perfection!
• Major themes: A concept album, "Blood Mountain" examines fables, fantasy, mythology, and heroism.  According to Sanders, the album is about "climbing up a mountain and the different things that can happen to you when you're stranded on a mountain, in the woods, and you're lost. You're starving, hallucinating, running into strange creatures. You're being hunted. It's about that whole struggle."
• Tracks:   

1. "The Wolf Is Loose"
2. "Crystal Skull"
3. "Sleeping Giant"
4. "Capillarian Crest"
5. "Circle of Cysquatch"
6. "Bladecatcher"
7. "Colony Of Birchmen"
8. "Hunters Of The Sky"
9. "Hand Of Stone"
10. "This Mortal Soil"
11. "Siberian Divide"
12. "Pendulous Skin"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Latitude 33 Brewing Company (Vista, California)
• Website: http://lat33brew.com/
• Brew: Blood Orange India Pale Ale
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 7.2%
• IBUs: 61
• Pour: The Blood Orange pours a very hazy copper hue with a 1+ finger, bright white head with good retention and soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, earthy, and hoppy.  There are aromas of citrus (orange juice, tangerine, lemon zest, and grapefruit rind), tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, papaya, guava), herbal tea, light pine resin, summer grass, and a hint of caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the Blood Orange is fruity (tropical fruit and citrus), hoppy, herbal, and slightly sweet.  There are big notes of blood orange and pink grapefruit with lighter notes of apricot, peach, mango, and pineapple along with pine, orange soda, grassy hops, herbs, and very soft caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, yet sticky and oily with a dry, sweet finish. 

Overall pairing: The Blood Orange India Pale Ale from Latitude 33 is a sweet and tangy, yet wonderfully complex IPA!  Those big orange flavors are what really work well with Mastodon's "Blood Mountain".  There's all the bitterness of the rind, yet the intricate sweetness and juiciness of the meat!

Cheers and hails!!