September 26th, 2021 - The Fourth Turning Is An Oat Face Killah

 

Hello thrashers, metal maniacs, and hop lovers!  The Meista here today pairing "The Fourth Turning", the wonderful 4th album (that turned 1-year old yesterday!) by thrash metal band Mindwars with a juicy and delicious Oat Face Killah Hazy India Pale Ale with Oats from Proper Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Mindwars
• Title: "The Fourth Turning"
• Recorded: May 2017 at Number 8 Studios in Turin, Italy and July 2017 at Lockout Studios in Santa Ana, California
• Release date: September 25th, 2020 (4th studio album by Mindwars)
• Record company: Dissonance Productions 
• Production: Cris Copat and Mindwars
• Album cover art: Mike Alvord (concept, design) and CadiesArt - Digital Artwork (artwork) 
• Personnel: Mike Alvord (guitars and vocals), Danny "Z" Pizzi (bass and guitars), Roby Vitari (drums), and Rick Zaccaro (bass) 
• 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 "The Fourth Turning" is pure California thrash metal!
• Major themes: Socio-politically charged, rebellions, and thoughtful, lyrical themes on the album include deception, oppression, darkness, war, violence, life and death, the evils, religion, the passage of time, history, freedom of speech, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "The Awakening"
2. "Fall In Line"
3. "MindWars"
4. "(Who’ll Stop The) Aryan Race"
5. "The System"
6. "Digital Dictatorship"
7. "Marching Of To War"
8. "Black Death"
9. "Blood Red"
10. "Holy Terror"
11. "Criminally Insane" (Slayer cover)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Proper Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.properbrewingco.com/ 
• Brew: Oat Face Killah Hazy India Pale Ale with Oats 
• Style: New England IPA
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.5%
• IBUs: 23
• Ingredients: Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops with Proximity base malt, Proximity malted oats, flaked oats, and Carafoam malt 
• Pour: The Oat Face Killah pours a very hazy, bright yellow-orange hue with a bright white, very frothy,  half 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, light barley, oats, and soft caramel.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Oat Face Killah is characterized by citrusy, fruity, and grainy flavors. There are notes of orange juice, orange pith, tangerine, pink grapefruit juice, pineapple, mango, creamy oats, crackery biscuit, and light honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp and juicy, yet smooth and creamy with a dry, mildly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: Those hoppy, punchy, and complex flavors of Proper's Oat Face Killah go great with the thrash metal assault of Mindwars' killer "The Fourth Turning" 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 Alvord's and Pizzi's guitars, Zaccaro's thunderous bass, and Vitari's machine gun fire drumming!

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

Hails and cheers!!