February 29th, 2024 - The Timpanator is Rattling the Cage

 

Hello and happy Thursday my rocking and craft beer drinking friends!  The Meista here with another killer pairing for ya!  This one is with "Rattle The Cage", the latest killer album from legendary rockers The Rods and a tasty and bold Timpanator Barrel-Aged Doppelbock Lager from the fine folks at Level Crossing Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: The Rods
• Title: "Rattle The Cage"
• Recorded: 2023 
• Release date: January 19th, 2024 (10th full-length studio album by The Rods)
• Record company: Massacre Records
• Production: The Rods
• Album cover art: Mark Rizzo
• Personnel: Carl Canedy (drums and backing vocals), David "Rock" Feinstein (guitars and lead vocals), and Freddy Villano (bass)
• Guest musician: Lonnie Park (keyboards)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, hard rock
• Sound: Straight-forward, heavy-hitting rockin' metal, the sound on "Rattle The Cage" is pure, high adrenaline, classic The Rods!  Nothing flashy... just ass-kicking metal!  These guys know how to rock and rock... hard!  This album will get your heartrate up, your fists pumping, and your head banging!
• Major themes: Rock and roll, heavy metal, life, rebellion, perseverance, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Now And Forever"
2. "Wolves At The Door"
3. "Cry Out Loud"
4. "Rattle The Cage"
5. "Can't Slow Down"
6. "Metal Highways"
7. "Hell Or High Water"
8. "Play It Loud"
9. "Shockwave"
10. "Hearts Of Steel"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Level Crossing Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.levelcrossingbrewing.com/
• Brew: Timpanator Barrel-Aged Doppelbock Lager
• Style: German Doppelbock Lager
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 9.3%
• IBUs: 22
• Pour: The Timpanator pours a deep mahogany amber with a thin, yet firm off-white head with good retention and lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by sweet, malty, and richly boozy aromas.  There are aromas of toasted breads, raisin, fig, black cherry juice, rich bourbon, oak, and sweet, burnt toffee.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Timpanator is characterized by roasty, toasty, malt-forward, sweet, and fruity flavors.  There are notes of bready malts, toasted bread, light chocolate, sweet and rich caramel/toffee, dark cherries, boiled raisins, and rich bourbon.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very smooth with a dry, boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The Level Crossing Timpanator Doppelbock is wonderfully complex and bold brew with a hearty backbone and loads of intense flavors that go great with the hard rockin' metal stylings of The Rods!  Those sweeter flavors go well with the soaring guitars, and the maltiness lends itself well to the thunderous bass riffs, while the boozy bite is right in line with the intense drumming, vocals, and lyrical content!

Cheers and hails!!