July 12th, 2026 - Cryptopsy Vs. the Whalefishers

 

Greetings headbangers, evil-doers, and craft beer freaks!  Happy Sunday!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here rocking the hell out with a pairing of the kick-ass, self-titled death metal beast of an album by the mighty Cryptopsy and a tasty, juicy, and crisp Salt Lake Whalefishers Hazy IPA from the Roha Brewing Project!  Hell yeah!  Note: Apparently, the Salt Lake Whalefishers are a band from Salt Lake City, Utah and this beer is named for them... but I've never heard or heard of them, so I'm pairing Cryptopsy.  It's my page and I do whatever the hell I want!  Ha!

Album Info:

• Artist: Cryptopsy
• Title: "Cryptopsy"
• Recorded: 2012 at Garage Studio and Flo's studio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Release date: September 11th, 2012 (6th album by Cryptopsy)
• Record company: Season of Mist / Defen Society / Revolution Harmony / Candlelight Records.
• Production: Christian Donaldson and Cryptopsy
• Album cover art: Mircea Gabriel Eftemie (design and artwork) and Flo Mounier (logo design) 
• Personnel: Christian Donaldson (guitars), Jon Levasseur (guitars), Matt McGachy (vocals), Flo Mounier (drums and backing vocals), and Olivier Pinard (bass)
• Musical style: Brutal death metal, technical death metal
• Sound: Aggressive, fiery fast, heavy as hell, and wonderfully brutal, the sound on "Cryptopsy" is classic Cryptopsy death metal, yet fresh and bold.  From the opening notes of "Two-Pound Torch" to the final notes of "Cleansing The Hosts", this album grabs you by the collar, slams you against the wall, and demands your full, unfettered attention!
• Major themes: Death, betrayal, alien visitors, racism, murder, evil, darkness, history, suffering, misery, insanity, violence, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Two-Pound Torch"
2. "Shag Harbour's Visitors"
3. "Red-Skinned Scapegoat"
4. "Damned Draft Dodgers"
5. "Amputated Enigma"
6. "The Golden Square Mile"
7. "Ominous"
8. "Cleansing The Hosts"

 Brew Info:

• Brewery: Roha Brewing Project (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://rohabrewing.com/
• Brew: Salt Lake Whalefishers Hazy IPA
• Style: New England India Pale Ale (NEIPA) 
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.4%
• Ingredients: Cascade, Citra, and Simcoe hops
• Pour: The Salt Lake Whalefishers Hazy IPA pours a very hazy, pale straw yellow hue with a billowy, bright white, 2+ finger head with great retention and lots of sudsy, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, fruity, malty, herbal, and somewhat dank.  There are aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, fresh squeezed orange juice, lime zest, freshly cut cantaloupe, pineapple, herbal tea, wildflowers, light-toasted malts, and soft caramel/toffee.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Salt Lake Whalefishers Hazy IPA is a well-balanced blend of pronounced juicy and citrusy hop flavors along with more subtle malty flavors.  There are notes of orange juice and pith, tangerine, a splash of pineapple, sweet cantaloupe, soft peach, pink grapefruit juice, light malts, and soft caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp, yet smooth with a dry, pillow soft finish.

Overall pairing: The Salt Lake Whalefishers Hazy IPA is a very crushable brew with lots of bright, citrusy, and juicy hop flavors, which makes it a great beer to throw back to the complex intensity of the fiery riffs, brutally growling vocals, and thunderous rhythm section on the mighty Cryptopsy's self-titled 6th album!  'Nuff said! 

Make sure to check out my interview with Cryptopsy vocalist Matt McGachy here: https://youtu.be/OVxRheCol7s 

Cheers and hails!!