March 1st, 2018 - A Saison Avec Brett Deux In The Garden Of The Titans

God morgon, hails, and happy Friday!  Today I'm starting the weekend and the month off right with a pairing of the wonderful "Garden Of The Titans: Live At Red Rocks Amphitheater", the latest live album by Swedish progressive death metal and progressive metal/rock band Opeth and a delightful Saison Avec Brett Deux from Barbarian Brewing Company!

 

Album Info:

• Artist: Opeth
• Title: "Garden Of The Titans: Live At Red Rocks Amphitheater"
• Recorded: 2018 at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado
• Release date: November 2nd, 2018 (4th live release by Opeth)
• Record company: Moderbolaget Records / Nuclear Blast
• Production: Michael Manasseri
• Album cover art: Travis Smith
• Personnel: Mikael Åkerfeldt (lead vocals and guitar), Fredrik Åkesson (guitar and backing vocals), Martin Axenrot (drums and percussion), Martín Méndez (bass guitar), Joakim Svalberg (piano, keyboards, and Mellotron)  
• Musical style: Progressive metal/rock, progressive death metal
• Sound: Paying homage to bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, ELP, early Genesis, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd, yet with some brutal death metal mixed in, the sound on Opeth's latest live album is bold, bombastic, and heavy.  As always with Opeth, the musicianship is impeccable... richly textured, imaginative, and compelling.  Åkerfeldt's vocals are warm, honest, brutal, and powerful.   
• Major themes: Mythology, magic, power, darkness, death, the occult, deception, life, isolation, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Sorceress"
2. "Ghost Of Perdition"
3. "Demon of The Fall"
4. "The Wilde Flowers"
5. "In My Time Of Need"
6. "The Devil's Orchard"
7. "Cusp Of Eternity"
8. "Heir Apparent"
9. "Era"
10. "Deliverance"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Barbarian Brewing Company (Boise, ID)
• Website: https://barbarianbrewing.com/
• Brew: Saison Avec Brett Deux
• Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale
• Serving: 16 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.0%
• IBUs: 15
• Ingredients: "We used family grown alfalfa hay and buckwheat husks as a filter in our mash tun for the wheat heavy grain bill from Mecca Grade Estate Malt. The beer was then fermented with a blend of Saison yeast and Brettanomyces, then fermented in red wine barrels. We finished the Saison Avec Brett Deux with a touch of strawberries and a bit of lavender."
• Pour: The Saison Avec Brett Deux pours a very cloudy, hazy peach hue with a thin, but frothy bright white head that dissipates quickly, leaving virtually no lacing behind.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, floral, earthy, peppery, and funky.  There are aromas of dried fruit, tart strawberries, pear, lemon zest, white grape juice, a hint of lavender, wild flowers, oak, and subtle wet leather and horse blanket.
• Taste: The taste of the Saison Avec Brett Deux is very fruity, funky, sharp, and dry.  There are flavors of dried apricot, fruit leather, fresh strawberry, Chardonnay, wheat bread, and funky Brett.
• Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp and sharp, yet smooth and very drinkable with a dry finish.

Overall pairing: The Barbarian Saison Avec Brett Deux is a very complex and flavorful, yet drinkable brew... much like the depth, darkness, intensity, and beauty of Opeth's music!  'Nuff said!!

Skål and hails!!