February 10th, 2024 - Teeth of the Hydra Hostility in the Year of the Dragon

 

Hello metal maniacs and beer freaks of all ages!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here on this, the first day of the lunar new year (the year of the dragon) getting a little wild and a little aggressive with a fruity and delicious Hydra Hostility from the fine folks at Mortalis Brewing Company in collaboration with Ill Will Brewing and "The Best Of Omen: Teeth Of The Hydra", the kick-ass compilation album by the mighty Omen!  Hell yeah!!  This pairing goes out to my buddy Josh Sparrow... thanks very much for the beers my friend!!  Great seeing you!!  Cheers!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Omen
• Title: "The Best Of Omen: Teeth Of The Hydra"
• Recorded: 1984 through 1988
• Release date: November 1989 (1st compilation album by Omen)
• Record company: Metal Blade Records
• Production: Brian Slagel and Omen
• Album cover art: Voodoo 
• Personnel: Camil Daigneault (drums on "Thorn In Your Flesh"), Jody Henry (bass), J.D. Kimball (vocals), Coburn Pharr (vocals on "Thorn In Your Flesh"), Kenny Powell (guitars), and Steve Wittig (drums)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, power metal with elements of speed metal
• Sound: Aggressive, fast, powerful, just a few words to describe the heavy metal intensity that is Omen's brilliant music!  Along with bands such as Jag Panzer, Manilla Road, and Virgin Steele, Omen is definitive U.S. power metal at its best!  It is bold, inventive, unapologetic, and always a joy to hear at maximum volume!
• Major themes: Danger, death, aggression, power, war, violence, mythology, evil, darkness, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Holy Martyr"
2. "Termination"
3. "Dragon's Breath"
4. "Teeth Of The Hydra"
5. "Battle Cry"
6. "The Curse"
7. "Nightmares"
8. "Bounty Hunter"
9. "Thorn In Your Flesh"
10. "Die By The Blade"
11. "Hell's Gate"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Mortalis Brewing Company (Avon, New York) in collaboration with Ill Will Brewing (Columbiana, Ohio)
• Website: https://www.mortalisbrewing.com/ and  https://www.illwillbrewing.com/brewery-1
• Brew: Hydra Hostility 
• Style: Fruited Sour Ale / Slushie Sour / Smoothie Ale
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.0%
• Ingredients: Sour ale brewed with cantaloupe, banana, pineapple, and pistachio 
• Pour: The Hydra Hostility pours a very murky, pale yellow-orange hue with no real head, but it does leave lots of pulpy residue.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, sweet, slightly tart, and maybe a little nutty.  There are big aromas of ripe banana, freshly cut pineapple, freshly cut cantaloupe chunks and rind, lime juice, lemon zest, wet oak, and a very subtle hint of pistachio.
• Taste: This thing tastes like a freshly made fruit smoothie!  The taste of the Hydra Hostility follows the nose with lots of tropical, fruity, slightly tart, and sweet flavors.  There are big notes of sweet banana, punchy pineapple juice, zesty lemon, and more subtle notes of bright cantaloupe, and a hint of pistachio ice cream.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with lower carbonation, the 's mouthfeel is very creamy and thick, and slightly tart with a juicy, sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The unique, fruity, and complex flavors and aromas of the Hydra Hostility is sure to get you all charged up for the pit!  And that my friends is exactly the kind of beer you want when blasting the highly intense, powerfully rockin' sonic punch that is Omen's "The Best Of Omen: Teeth Of The Hydra"!  I also think the album artwork and the can label work really well together.  'Nuff said!

Cheers and hails!!