November 26th, 2023 - Cloak And Silver Dagger

 

Good evening hellions, rockers, and craft brew lovers!  Your pal the Meista is here tonight with a pairing of the Silver Dagger New World Lager from Offset Bier Company and rocking out to "Clock And Dagger" by the amazing New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) band Witchfynde!  Hell yeah!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Witchfynde
• Title: "Cloak And Dagger"
• Recorded: 1983 at Pineapple Studios in London, England
  Release date: June 20th, 1983 (3rd studio album by Witchfynde)
• Record company: Expulsion Records 
• Production: Phil Chilton
• Album cover art: Rob Jakeway (artwork) 
• Personnel: Luther Beltz (vocals), Montalo (guitars), Gra Scoresby (drums), Pete "Thud" Surgey (bass)
• Musical style: NWOBHM, heavy metal, hard rock 
• Sound: The songs presented here are wonderfully rich and capture the true essence of the NWOBHM movement... pure English metal!  Tracks like "I'd Rather Go Wild", "Crystal Gazing", "Cloak And Dagger", and "Stay Away" are instant classics and songs that influenced the likes of Jag Panzer, Mercyful Fate, Metallica, etc.
• Major themes: Heavily influenced by the occult and 1970s hard rock bands like Black Sabbath, Budgie, Captain Beyond, and Deep Purple, Witchfynde's lyrics were a bit darker than some of their contemporaries.  Themes include rock and roll, the occult, witchcraft, life and death, darkness, rebellion, Satan, mythology, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "The Devil's Playground"
2. "Crystal Gazing"
3. "I'd Rather Go Wild"
4. "Somewhere To Hide"
5. "Clock And Dagger"
6. "Cry Wolf"
7. "Start Counting"
8. "Living For Memories"
9. "Rock & Roll"
10. "Stay Away"
11. "Fra Diabolo"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Offset Bier Company (Park City, Utah)
• Website: https://offsetbier.com/
• Brew: Silver Dagger New World Lager 
• Style: American Lager
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 4.5%
• Ingredients: North American Pilsner malt with a significant proportion of rice along with Riwaka hops from New Zealand and Saphir hops from Germany
• Pour: The Silver Dagger New World Lager pours a clear, pale, straw yellow hue with a thin, bright white head with good retention and sudsy lacing. 
• Nose: The nose is grassy, floral, and grainy.  There are aromas of summer grass, wildflowers, hay, lemon zest, lime juice, crackery biscuit, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste is like the nose: crackery, grainy, grassy, and slightly hoppy.  There are notes of floral hops, lemon zest, lime, lemongrass, crackery biscuit, minerals, and very light caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Silver Dagger New World Lager is very crisp and dry, yet smooth with a clean, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Offset Silver Dagger New World Lager is a very good offering of the style... great to pair with the NWOBHM intensity and heavy metal punch that is the legendary Witchfynde!  Those grassy notes go great with the darker vibe, while the crushable maltiness is great for the overall metal attack!  

Cheers and hails!!