November 20th, 2022 - Holy Diving For Holy Donuts

 

Hello and hails rockers, rollers, and craft beer lovers!  Happy Sunday!  Your pal the Meista here today with a pairing of the unique and tasty Holy Donut Fresh Lemon Glaze from Lone Pine Brewing Company and the amazing debut album by Dio, "Holy Diver"!  Hell yeah!  This pairing is dedicated to my friend Mr. John Jaycee Cuijpers!  Proost, op uw gezondheid!!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Dio
• Title: "Holy Diver" (Super Deluxe Edition)
• Recorded: 1983 at Sound City in Los Angeles, California 
• Release date: May 25th, 1983 (1st studio album by Dio)
• Record company: Mercury Records / Rhino Records (2022 reissue)
• Production: Ronnie James Dio
• Album cover art: Randy Barrett (artwork) and Gene Hunter (original art rendering)
• Personnel: Vinnie Appice (drums), Jimmy Bain (bass and keyboards), Vivian Campbell (guitars), and Ronnie James Dio (lead and backing vocals, and keyboards) 
• Additional musicians: 
• Musical style: Power metal, speed metal with elements of neo-classical metal and progressive metal
• Sound: Musically speaking, it is aggressive, fast-paced power metal with wonderful hooks, beautiful melodies, and jaw-dropping solos!  Every (and I mean EVERY) track on this album is gold!!  From those fiery opening notes on "Stand Up And Shout" to the closing doomy notes of "Shame On The Night", every chord, every vocal, every cymbal crash is perfectly executed metal!
• Major themes: Thematically, the album explores good-versus-evil conflicts, religious and romantic hypocrisy, darkness, and fantasy/science fiction motifs. 
• Tracks: 

1. "Stand Up And Shout"
2. "Holy Diver"
3. "Gypsy"
4. "Caught In The Middle"
5. "Don't Talk To Strangers"
6. "Straight Through The Heart"
7. "Invisible"
8. "Rainbow In The Dark"
9. "Shame On The Night"
10. "Evil Eyes" (bonus track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Lone Pine Brewing Company (Portland, Maine)
• Website: https://lonepinebrewery.com
• Brew: Holy Donut Fresh Lemon Glaze
• Style: Imperial Sour Ale / Fruited Beer
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.5%
• Ingredients: Lemon zest, lemon puree, lactose, vanilla, and Lemon Glaze potato donuts
• Pour: The Holy Donut Fresh Lemon Glaze pours a hazy, orange-yellow hue with a very thin, off-white head that dissipates quickly, leaving virtually no lacing.
• Nose: The nose is tart, sweet, and doughy.  There are aromas of lemon juice and zest, vanilla bean, and light caramel.
• Taste: Like the nose, the taste of the Holy Donut Fresh Lemon Glaze is sweet, tart, and doughy.  There are notes of lemon glaze, tart lemon juice, lemon/lime soda, vanilla, cake donut, and light cream.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Holy Donut Fresh Lemon Glaze is crisp, fizzy, and tart, yet smooth with a dry, lip-puckering, slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The Lone Pine Holy Donut Fresh Lemon Glaze is a unique and complex brew... great for the punch of Dio's wonderful "Holy Diver" album!  The intricate and tart lemon flavors go well with the fiery guitars, while the sweeter notes are perfect for Dio's amazing vocals!

Cheers!  Raise those horns to the memory of Ronnie James Dio!!