November 9th, 2018 - Volume 4 Of The Iron Age

Good evening evildoers!  The Meista here getting heavy with Black Sabbath's classic masterpiece "Vol 4" and a delicious Iron Age Oatmeal Stout from Talisman Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Black Sabbath
• Title: "Vol 4"
• Recorded: May 1972 at the Record Plant in Los Angeles, California
• Release date: September 25th, 1972 (4th studio album by Black Sabbath)
• Record company: Vertigo Records
• Production: Tony Iommi and Patrick Meehan
• Album cover art: ?
• Personnel: Geezer Butler (bass guitar and mellotron), Tony Iommi (guitars, piano, and mellotron), Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), and Bill Ward (drums and percussion)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, hard rock
• Sound: More experimental and more melancholy in both the lyrical content and the overall feel of the album, "Vol 4" is a wonderfully rich, diverse, and compelling musical journey!  The signature heavy, doomy sound is there ("Tomorrow's Dream", "Snowblind", "Supernaut", etc.), but there is also some wonderfully mellow and vulnerable pieces ("Laguna Sunrise", "Changes").
• Major themes: Isolation, loss, divorce, pain, cocaine, darkness, alienation, confusion, reality vs. illusion, etc.
• Notes: The album's original title was "Snowblind", but Vertigo's executives were nervous about the obvious drug reference and convinced the band to change the title.
• Tracks:   

1. "Wheels of Confusion" (including "The Straightener")
2. "Tomorrow's Dream"
3. "Changes"
4. "FX"
5. "Supernaut"
6. "Snowblind"
7. "Cornucopia"
8. "Laguna Sunrise"
9. "St. Vitus Dance"
10. "Under The Sun" (including "Every Day Comes And Goes")

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Talisman Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://www.talismanbrewingco.com/
• Brew: Iron Age Oatmeal Stout
• Style: Oatmeal Stout
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.0%
• IBUs: 35
• Pour: The Iron Age pours a deep mahogany brown (almost black) with a creamy and thick light mocha head with great retention and lots of sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is roasty, chocolatey, earthy, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of roasted coffee beans, fresh cream, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, cocoa, oatmeal, and light toffee.
• Taste: The taste of the Iron Age is roasty, toasty, sweet, chocolatey, nutty, and rich.  There are notes of creamy oats, dark and milk chocolate, fresh brewed coffee, cream, light marshmallow, walnut, hazelnut, and caramel/toffee.  
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel is thick, creamy, velvety smooth, and with a dry, slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The classic sound of Black Sabbath's "Vol 4" requires a brew with depth, complexity, and something rather dark!  The Iron Age Oatmeal Stout from Talisman Brewing Company definitely fits that bill!  With its rich texture and earthy aromas and flavors, the Iron Age is perfect for the heaviness, melancholia, and dark beauty of "Vol 4"!

    

Cheers!!  HAILS!!