August 3rd, 2024 - The Polotmavy is the Key

 

Hey there rockers, rollers, metalheads, and craft brew lovers!  Your pal the Meista is here today with a pairing of a tasty Polotmavy Czech Style Amber Lager from Offset Bier Company and "The Key", the debut album by Operation: Mindcrime!  Hell yeah!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Operation: Mindcrime
• Title: "The Key"
• Recorded: 2015 at London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington
  Release date: September 18th, 2015 (1st album by Operation: Mindcrime)
• Record company: Frontiers Records
• Production: Operation: Mindcrime
• Album cover art: Anthony Clarkson (artwork and layout) and Ronnie Yonker (photography)
• Personnel: Randy Gane (keyboards), Kelly Gray (rhythm guitars and vocals), Scott Moughton (lead guitars and backing vocals), John Moyer (bass), Geoff Tate (lead vocals, keyboards, and saxophone), Brin Tichy (drums), and Simon Wright (drums)
• Guest musician: Mark Daly (vocals on "Life Or Death?"), David Ellefson (bass), and Scott Mercado (drums and Dulcimer)
• Musical style: Progressive metal /rock with elements of rock, pop, and even a little jazz
• Sound: Richly textured and wonderfully executed, the sound on "The Key" is bold, inventive, dark, brooding, and progressive.  Elements harken back to Tate's days with Queensryche, yet the sound is fresh and new.  Along with Tate's distinctive and powerful voice, the musicianship of the band is excellent!
• Major themes: Life, death, choices, the future, loss, mystery, sorrow, isolation, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Choices"
2. "Burn"
3. "Re-Inventing The Future"
4. "Ready To Fly"
5. "Discussions In A Smoke Filled Room"
6. "Life Or Death?"
7. "The Stranger"
8. "Hearing Voice"
9. "On Queue"
10. "An Ambush Of Sadness"
11. "Kicking In The Door"
12. "The Fall"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Offset Bier Company (Park City, Utah)
• Website: https://offsetbier.com/
• Brew: Polotmavy
• Style: Czech Style Amber Lager
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.4%
• Ingredients: Czech Saaz and Most hops
• Pour: The Polotmavy pours a somewhat clear, deep mahogany amber color with a frothy, off-white, 1+ finger head with good retention and soapy, sudsy lacing. 
• Nose: The nose is malty, toasty, and slightly fruity.  There are aromas of toasted bread, barley, light apple, hay, and burnt toffee.
• Taste: The taste is like the nose: malty, toasty, spicy, and slightly fruity.  There are notes of toasted bread crust, crackery biscuit, light apple, a hint of black pepper, and sweet toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel of the crisp and dry, yet smooth with a fairly clean finish.

Overall pairing: The Offset Polotmavy is a very good offering of the style... malty and bready, yet crisp and crushable... great to pair with the emotional intensity and musical prowess of Operation: Mindcrime's "The Key"!  The rich maltiness goes great with the darker lyrics and emotive vocals, while the crushable light character is a great foil for the overall heaviness of the album! 

And make sure to check out my interview with Greg Tate's guitarist Dario Parente here: https://youtu.be/LLYph67BwTw

Cheers and hails!!