December 31st, 2018 - The Prequelle To Rose City Sour

Good afternoon and happy New Year's Eve!  The Meista here today on this cold day here in O-Town getting a little evil with a pairing of Ghost's latest album, "Prequelle" and a Rose City Sour from Cascade Brewing!

Album Info:

• Artist: Ghost
• Title: "Prequelle"
• Recorded: 2017 at Artery Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, Psalm Studio in Bath, England, and Westlake Studios in Los Angeles, California
• Release date: June 1st, 2018 (4th studio album by Ghost)
• Record company: Loma Vista
• Production: Tom Dalgety
• Album cover art: Zbigniew Bielak
• Personnel: Tobias Forge aka Cardinal Copia and Papa Nihil (vocals, guitars, bass, and drums) and A Group of Nameless Ghouls (guitars, bass, drums, keyboards)
• Additional musicians: Mikael Åkerfeldt (acoustic guitar on "Helvetesfönster"), Salem Al Fakir (piano and keyboards), Gavin Fitzjohn (saxophone on "Miasma"), Deryn Edwards (choir vocals), Minou Forge (vocals on "Ashes"), Ludvig Kennberg (drums), Christopher May (choir vocals), Steve Moore (synthesizers), Vincent Pontare (choir vocals), Davide Rossi (orchestration), and Mark Williams (choir vocals) 
• Musical style: Hard rock with elements of heavy metal, progressive rock/metal, doom metal, and pop
• Sound: Dark and dramatic, yet catchy and upbeat, "Prequelle" is a wonderfully rocking and melodic album with lots of influence from Blue Öyster Cult, Queen, Boston, and even a little ABBA!  The music is complex, guitar driven, very 1970s!   
• Major themes: With songs about medieval times, the Black Death, and the Plague, themes on the album include death, destruction, doom, "survival through a tumultuous time of your existence basically being threatened", the occult, Satan, carpe diem, mortality, immortality, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Ashes"
2. "Rats"
3. "Faith"
4. "See The Light"
5. "Miasma"
6. "Dance Macabre"
7. "Pro Memoria"
8. "Witch Image"
9. "Helvetesfönster"
10. "Life Eternal"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Cascade Brewing (Portland, Oregon)
• Website: http://www.cascadebrewing.com/
• Brew: Rose City Sour 2016 
• Style: American Wild Ale / Farmhouse Ale
• Serving: 25 ounce bottle
• ABV: 7.0%      
• Ingredients: Barrel aged wheat and blond ales with rose petals, rose hips, and hibiscus tea
• Pour: The Rose City Sour pours a bubbly pinkish rose-brown with a frothy, 1-finger white head that dissipates fairly quickly and leaves only trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose is floral, fruity, tart, grainy, and a little funky.  There are aromas of fresh cut roses, cherry juice, lemon, hibiscus tea, dried apricot, watermelon Jolly Ranchers, light wheat grain, and hints of wet leather.
• Taste: The taste of the Rose City Sour follows the nose with lots of tart, floral, funky flavors.  There are notes of lemon, cranberry, pomegranate, tart wheat, rose petals, hibiscus tea, and hints of white pepper.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Rose City Sour is tart, crisp, mildly acidic, and slightly sweet with a dry finish.

Overall pairing: In the complex, floral, and fruity aromas and flavors of the Cascade Rose City Sour 2016, there are fantastic melodies, making it the perfect brew for the wonderfully entertaining and imaginative "Prequelle" by Ghost!  

Cheers!!  Hails!!