September 17th, 2021 - Drink The Batch #4 And Do Unto Others

 

Hello and happy Friday thrashers, metal maniacs, and hop lovers!  The Meista here today pairing the wonderful "Do Unto Others" by thrash metal band Mindwars with a juicy and delicious Haze Series Batch #4 Imperial India Pale Ale from T.F. Brewing (the beer I was dinking when I interviewed Mike Alvord*)!  Special thanks to my buddy Jeff for the tasty brew! Cheers brother! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Mindwars
• Title: "Do Unto Others"
• Recorded: May 2017 at Number 8 Studios in Turin, Italy and July 2017 at Lockout Studios in Santa Ana, California
• Release date: April 13th, 2018 (3rd studio album by Mindwars)
• Record company: Dissonance Productions 
• Production: Mindwars and Chris Pett
• Album cover art: Mike Alvord (concept, design) and Dissonance Productions Art Department (artwork) 
• Personnel: Mike Alvord (guitars and vocals), Danny "Z" Pizzi (bass), and Roby Vitari (drums) 
• Musical style: Thrash metal
• Sound: Channeling the raw thrash aggression of Alvord's old band Holy Terror, but with today's production capabilities, the sound on "Do Unto Others" is pure California thrash metal!
• Major themes: Socio-politically charged, lyrical themes on the album include deception, violence, death, religion, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "The Fourth Turning"
2. "I Am The One"
3. "Blacklisted"
4. "Conspiracy"
5. "In God's Name"
6. "Allegiance To Death"
7. "Wall Of Fire"
8. "Kill Or Be Killed"
9. "Peace Through Violence"
10. "New World Order"
11. "Take It All Away"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: T.F. Brewing (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.tfbrewing.com/ 
• Brew: Haze Series Batch #4 Imperial India Pale Ale 
• Style: Imperial India Pale Ale (IIPA) / Double IPA (DIPA) / New England IPA
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.44%
• Ingredients: Nelson hops (triple hopped)
• Pour: The Haze Series Batch #4 pours a very hazy, bright yellow-orange hue with a bright white, very frothy, 2-finger head with great retention and lots of sticky, soapy, intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, fruity, and grainy.  There are aromas of sharp orange juice, tangerine, grapefruit rind, mango, pineapple, lemon zest, lemongrass, wild flowers, cracked wheat, and soft caramel.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Haze Series Batch #4 is characterized by citrusy, fruity, and grainy flavors. There are notes of orange juice, orange pith, tangerine, pink grapefruit juice, pineapple, mango, crackery biscuit, and light honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp and juicy with a dry, mildly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: Those hoppy, punchy, and complex flavors of T.F. Brewing's tasty Haze Series Batch #4 Imperial India Pale Ale go great with the thrash metal assault of Mindwars' killer "Do Unto Others" album!  The bright juiciness is a nice foil to the band's aggression and Alvord's vocals while the bolder flavors go great with the crunch of guitars, rolling thunder bass, and machine gun fire drumming!

*If you haven't done so already, check out my interview with Mike Alvord here: https://youtu.be/lalanROeddI 

To your health and happiness... cheers!!