February 4th, 2020 - Hey Apex Predator, Check The Top Shelf For Easy Meat

Good afternoon metal maniacs and craft beer fanatics!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here today pairing "Apex Predator - Easy Meat" by grindcore legends Napalm Death and a Top Shelf IPA from UTOG Brewing Company!  Hell yes!! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Napalm Death
• Title: "Apex Predator - Easy Meat"
• Recorded: April through October 2014 at Parlour Studios in Kettering, England (with some backing vocals recorded in Studio Hostivař in Prague, Czech Republic and Griffin Studios in Las Vegas)
• Release date: January 27th, 2015 (15th studio album by Napalm Death)
• Record company: Century Media Records
• Production: Russ Russell
• Album cover art: Frode Sylthe
• Personnel: Shane Embury (bass, percussion on "Apex Predator - Easy Meat", and vocals), Mark "Barney" Greenway (lead vocals), Mitch Harris (guitars and vocals), and Danny Herrera (drums)
• Additional musicians: John "Bilbo" Cooke (guitar on "Hierarchies")
• Musical style: Grindcore, death metal
• Sound: Brutal, unforgiving, unapologetic, and wonderfully intense, the sound on "Apex Predator - Easy Meat" is classic Napalm Death!  With fiery and vicious buzzsaw guitars and bass, machine gun fire blast beats, and Barney's brutal growls, "Apex Predator - Easy Meat" proves that this band is once again king when it comes to grindcore!
• Major themes: With politically charged songs fueled by anger, themes on the album include social injustice, capitalism, greed, violence, aggression, anger, seeking truth, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Apex Predator - Easy Meat"
2. "Smash A Single Digit"
3. "Metaphorically Screw You"
4. "How The Years Condemn"
5. "Stubborn Stains"
6. "Timeless Flogging"
7. "Dear Slum Landlord..."
8. "Cesspits"
9. "Bloodless Coup"
10. "Beyond The Pale"
11. "Stunt Your Growth"
12. "Hierarchies"
13. "One-Eyed"
14. "Adversarial / Copulating Snakes"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: UTOG Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://www.utogbrewing.com/
• Brew: Top Shelf IPA
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.5%
• IBUs: 71.3
• Ingredients: Pilsner, Carmel, and Wheat Malts with Summit and Idaho 7 hops
• Pour: The Top Shelf pours a clear, golden-yellow with a frothy and firm, bright-white 2+ finger head with great retention and lots of sticky, intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrus, tropical fruit, and crackery malt.  There are aromas of grapefruit rind, orange and lemon zest, tangerine, freshly cut pineapple, mango, pine resin, fresh herbs, black tea, and light toffee.
• Taste: The taste of the Top Shelf follows the nose with citrusy, tropical, and malty flavors.  There are notes of pink grapefruit juice, orange, tangerine, pineapple, soft mango, melon, stone fruit, herbal tea, a hint of pine, crackery biscuit, and soft caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the Top Shelf is with a crisp, dry finish. 

Overall pairing: The UTOG Top Shelf's crushability along with the intensely hoppy and complex flavors are perfect for the extreme brutality and artistic integrity of Napalm Death's "Apex Predator - Easy Meat"!  'Nuff said!

Cheers and hails!!