November 28th, 2018 - An Anniversary Ale For The Decades!

Hyvää iltaa rockers and craft brew lovers!  Your pal, the Meista here tonight pairing the wonderful "Decades", an anthology album by Finnish symphony metal monsters Nightwish along with a deliciously complex 2018 Anniversary Ale from Talisman Brewing Company!  This pairing goes out to my buddy Ian... cheers man!

Album Info:

• Artist: Nightwish
• Title: "Decades"
• Recorded: 1996 through 2014
• Release date: March 9th, 2018 (7th compilation album by Nightwish)
• Record company: Nuclear Blast Records
• Production: Tuomas Holopainen, Tero Kinnunen, Mikko Karmila, and Nightwish; anthology remastered by Mika Jussila
• Album cover art: Janne Pitkänen
• Personnel: Troy Donockley (Uilleann pipes, low whistle, bodhran, bouzouki, and vocals), Kai Hahto (drums), Marco Hietala (bass guitar, and lead and backing vocals), Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards and vocals), Floor Jansen (lead vocals), Jukka Nevalainen (drums), Anette Olzon (lead vocals), Tarja Turunen (lead vocals), Sami Vänskä (bass guitar), and Emppu Vuorinen (lead guitars and bass guitar)
• Guest: Dr. Richard Dawkins (spoken word on "The Greatest Show On Earth")
• Musical style: Symphonic metal, progressive metal, power metal, gothic metal
• Sound: How does one describe 20 years of Nightwish songs?  Mastery?  Genius? Inspiration?  No simple task to be sure.  What I can say is that if you are a fan of symphonic metal, then you know that Nightwish is seminal, definitive, and probably more important than any other band in the genre... and this wonderful album (though missing some key pieces in my opinion) perfectly captures the brilliance that was, is, and ever shall be Nightwish!  Each track alone is pure magic!
• Major themes: Life and death, love, hate, power, relationships, loss, history, mythology, folklore, fantasy, science and reason, nature, evolution, metaphysics, wonder, etc.
• Tracks:   

Disc 1:

1. "The Greatest Show On Earth"
2. "Élan"
3. "My Walden"
4. "Storytime"
5. "I Want My Tears Back"
6. "Amaranth"
7. "The Poet And The Pendulum"
8. "Nemo"
9. "With I Had An Angel"

Disc 2:

1. "Ghost Love Score"
2. "Slaying The Dreamer"
3. "End Of All Hope"
4. "10th Man Down"
5. "The Kinslayer"
6. "Dead Boy's Poem"
7. "Gethsemane"
8. "Devil & The Deep Dark Ocean"
9. "Sacrament Of Wilderness"
10. "Sleeping Sun"
11. "Elvenpath"
12. "The Carpenter"
13. "Nightwish" (demo)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Talisman Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://www.talismanbrewingco.com/
• Brew: 2018 Anniversary Ale
• Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 9.5%
• Pour: The 2018 Anniversary Ale pours a clear, but deep mahogany red with a thin, white head that dissipates quickly and leaves very little lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, sweet, earthy, spicy and oaky.  There are big aromas of Pinot Noir wine, dark fruits (black cherry, raisin, plum), soft banana, lemon, pear, cloves, hints of cocoa and caramel, and woody oak.
• Taste: The taste of the Talisman 2018 Anniversary Ale follows the nose with lots of fruity, earthy, spicy, and woody flavors.  There are notes of Pinot Noir wine, toffee, plum, pear, banana, cherry, nutmeg, clove, and woody oak.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the 2018 Anniversay Ale is with an oaky, slightly tart finish.

Overall pairing: The Talisman 2018 Anniversary Ale is a very bold and very complex brew with loads of flavor and rich character, which is perfect for the depth, passion, musical prowess, and beauty of Nightwish!  Need I say more?

Kippis and hails!!