September 3rd, 2021 - A Double Dark Dose Of Anthropophagy

 

Hey there evil-doers and craft beer freaks!  Happy Friday!  The Meista here today excited for a long holiday weekend and enjoying some metal and craft beer pairings.  Let's start it off with a pairing of Aura Surreal's latest kickass album, "Anthropophagy" and a bold and complex Anthropophagy Dark Baltic Porter from SaltFire Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!!  

Album Info: 

• Artist: Aura Surreal
• Title: "Anthropophagy"
• Recorded: Late 2020 through early 2021 at Hit Track Studios in St. George, Utah
• Release date: 2021 (4th full-length studio album by Aura Surreal)
• Record company: Independent
• Production: Steven Lee McLaughlin and Aura Surreal 
• Album cover art: Chad Keith 
• Personnel: Gerry Holzapfel (drums), Steven Lee McLaughlin (bass and vocals), Justin Vogel (guitars) 
• Guest musician: Gerrick Dastrup (vocals on "Tidal Lock") and John Jarvis (vocals on "Man Myth, Made Legend")
• Musical style: Death metal, groove metal, nu metal 
• Sound: ! 
• Major themes: Darkness, pain, suffering, misery, evil, mythology, rebellion, rage, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Anthropophagy"
2. "Man Myth, Made Legend"
3. "TUBOHS (Red)"
4. "TUBOHS (Gold)"
5. "TUBOHS (Titanium)"
6. "We The Protagonist"
7. "Remember The Misery"
8. "L'appel Du Vide"
9. "Eternal Monotony"
10. "Tidal Lock" (bonus track)
11. "Locomotive Breathe" (Jethro Tull cover bonus track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: SaltFire Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.saltfirebrewing.com/
• Brew: Anthropophagy Dark Baltic Porter 
• Style: Baltic Porter 
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 9.6%
• Pour: The Anthropophagy pours an opaque, ink black with a thin mocha head that dissipates very quickly leaving virtually no lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by dark fruit, nutty, sweet malt, and earthy aromas.  There are notes of plum, dates, raisin, black cherry, sweet caramel, dark chocolate, dark toasted bread, roasted almonds, light coffee bean, light booze, vanilla bean, and a hint of smokiness.
• Taste: The taste of the Anthropophagy is malty, sweet, fruity, earthy, and slightly bitter.  There are notes of roasted malts, toasted hearty raisin bread, plum, fig, dates, black licorice, molasses, brown sugar, roasted walnuts, a hint of spiced rum or bourbon, and sweet caramel/burnt toffee.  
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is with a very dry, slightly bitter, yet fairly clean finish.

Overall pairing: I love the initiative Aura Surreal took to connect with SaltFire Brewing to create a beer unique to their sound!  The SaltFire Anthropophagy's bold and intricate flavors and aromas go so great with the aggression and intensity of "Anthropophagy"!  The fiery and soaring guitar work of Vogel shines even brighter with the sweeter notes of the brew, while that bitter and boozy punch is right in line with the guttural vocals of  McLaughlin and the sweet and hearty malt backbone is great for Holzapfel's thunderous drumming and McLaughlin's bass work!

Cheers and hails!!