September 26th, 2026 - Odin's Ally, Tyr

 

Hello and happy Saturday headbangers and artisan brew fans!  The Meista here today pairing Black Sabbath's very underrated, excellent "Tyr" and a very delicious, hoppy, and crushable Odin's Ally Hazy IPA from the fine folks at Mother Earth Brew Company!  

Album Info:

• Artist: Black Sabbath
• Title: "Tyr" 
• Recorded: February through June 1990 at Monnow Valley Studios in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales and Woodcray Studios in Wokingham, Berkshire, England 
• Release date: August 20th, 1990 (15th studio album by Black Sabbath)
• Record company: I.R.S. Records
• Production: Tony Iommi and Cozy Powell
• Album cover art: Andie Airfix aka Satori 
• Personnel: Tony Iommi (guitar), Tony Martin (vocals), Neil Murray (bass), Geoff Nicholls (keyboards), and Cozy Powell (drums) 
• Musical style: Heavy metal, doom metal
• Sound: A criminally underrated album, the sound on "Tyr" follows a similar pattern to the Sabbath vibe in the late '80s and early '90s with Martin's powerful vocals masterfully blended with a compelling heavy metal tapestry.  Iommi's riffs are as stellar as ever and Murray and Powell lay down a face-melting and thunderous rhythm!
• Major themes: Power and might, good vs. evil, darkness, mythology, the occult, paganism, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Anno Mundi (The Vision)"
2. "The Law Maker"
3. "Jerusalem"
4. "The Sabbath Stones"
5. "The Battle Of Tyr"
6. "Odin's Court"
7. "Valhalla"
8. "Feels Good To Me"
9. "Heaven In Black"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Mother Earth Brewing Company (Vista, California and Nampa, Idaho)
• Website: https://www.motherearthbrewco.com/
• Brew: Odin's Ally Hazy IPA 
• Style: New England-style Hazy India Pale Ale (NEIPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.2%
• IBUs: 25
• Ingredients: Elani, Nelson, Strata, and Citra Cryo hops 
• Pour: The Odin's Ally Hazy IPA pours a very hazy, pale golden-yellow hue with a frothy, bright white, 1-finger head with good retention and sudsy, sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very citrusy and tropical with more subtle floral and malt elements.  There are aromas of tangerine, freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, lemon zest, lime juice and zest, grapefruit rind, bright mango, stone fruit (soft peach and dried apricot), light pine, wildflowers, freshly picked and cut strawberries, grassy hay, and light caramel/toffee.
• Taste: Fruit-forward and very juicy, the taste of the Odin's Ally Hazy IPA is citrusy, fruity, and slightly sweet.  There are notes of tangerine, orange juice, orange pith, juicy lime, Sprite, mango, passion fruit, guava, a hint of pineapple, sweet peach, ripe strawberries, a hint of pine resin, and light honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp and very juicy, yet smooth and creamy with a dry, slightly sweet, slightly boozy, pillowy-soft finish.

Overall pairing: Those intricate and bold, yet very drinkable flavors of Odin's Ally are perfect for the complex sound, depth of songwriting, and musical prowess of the mighty Sabbath boys!  The boldness and complexity of the brew is a wonderful companion the power of each member of Black Sabbath and their amazing performances on "Tyr"!  'Nuff said!

Cheers and hails!!

September 25th, 2026 - The Big Bad Baptist's Sermon Ov Wrath

 

Hallo evil-doers, metal maniacs, and craft brew lovers!  Happy Friday!  The Meista here this evening getting the weekend off to the right start with a pairing of "Sermon Ov Wrath", the hard-hitting 4th album by Dutch death metal band Antropomorphia and a boldly dark and boozy Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout from Epic Brewing!  Hells yes!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Antropomorphia
• Title: "Sermon Ov Wrath"
• Recorded: 2016 at Aftermath Studio in Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands
• Release date: February 24th, 2017 (4th studio album by Antropomorphia)
• Record company: Metal Blade Records
• Production: Marco Stubbe
• Album cover art: Madeleine Hoogkamer
• Personnel: Jos vd Brand (guitars), Ferry Damen (vocals and guitars), Marc v Stiphout (bass), and Marco Stubbe (drums)
• Guest musicians: Michelle Mabelle (narration on "Sinful Rapture") and Raven van Dorst (vocals on "Crown Ov The Dead")
• Musical style: Death metal 
• Sound: With an uncompromising approach, Antropomorphia sounds as intense and aggressive as their early works from 3 decades ago!  Along with their European death metal attack, they blend elements of black metal and doom with a healthy dose of sexual perversion and occultism!
• Major themes: Death, gore, perversion, ritual, the occult, necrophilia, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Sermon Ov Wrath"
2. "Suspiria De Profundis"
3. "Murmur Ov The Dead"
4. "Ad Me Venite Mortui"
5. "Crown Ov The Dead"
6. "Sinful Rapture"
7. "Within Her Pale Tomb Ov Putrid Lust"
8. "The Blistering Splendour Ov Darkness"
9. "In Bestial Decadence"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Epic Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Brew: Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout
• Style: Imperial Stout
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 12.3%
• Ingredients: Barrel-aged in whiskey casks: Maris Otter Malt, 2-Row Brewer Malt, Crystal, Light Munich Malt T1, 2-Row chocolate malt, 2-row black malt, roasted barley, Nugget, Chinook, and Cascade hops, and Caffe Ibis coffee and Cocoa Nibs
• Pour: The Big Bad Baptist pours a beautiful black... black as hell, black as the night sky, black as mud with a frothy, 1+finger mocha head with good retention and lots of sticky, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is bittersweet cooking chocolate, rich planting soil, and black licorice. 
• Taste: The flavor is huge chocolate, huge black coffee, huge bourbon, vanilla bean, and molasses.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with minimal carbonation, the mouthfeel is sticky, velvety, and chunky.  The finish is nice and chewy and with dry mocha goodness that lingers.

Overall pairing: Those bold, earthy, boozy notes of the Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout are a great companion to the death metal assault of the infernal Antropomorphia!  The boozy kick works well with the band's aggression and the brutal vocals, while the earthy and dark chocolaty flavors go great with the crunch of the fiery guitars, the thunderous and intricate bass lines, and the hard-hitting, machine gun fire drumming!  'Nuff said!

Hails and prosit!!

September 20th, 2026 - A Czech-uered Past

 

Can you think of anything better on a sunny Sunday than a delicious, ice-cold craft brew and a kick-ass, classic rock album?  Hallo!  Your buddy the Meista here today pairing "ill-fated" supergroup, Chequered Past and their underrated, debut, self-titled (and only) album with a crisp and delicious Czech Pilsner from the good folks at Helper Beer!  Oh, yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Chequered Past
• Title: "Chequered Past"
• Recorded: 1984 at Clover Recorders in Hollywood, California, Lion Share Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, Ocean Way Recorders in Hollywood, California, Record One in Los Angeles, California, and The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California 
  Release date: 1984 (1st and only album released by Chequered Past)
• Record company: EMI Records / Capitol Records 
• Production: Michael James Jackson 
• Album cover art:  Moshe Brakha (photography)
• Personnel: Clem Burke (drums), Michael Des Barres (lead vocals), Nigel Harrison (bass), Steve Jones (rhythm and lead guitars, and backing vocals), and Tony Fox Sales (rhythm and lead guitars, and backing vocals)
• Additional musician: Lawrence Juber (acoustic guitar) 
• Musical style: Rock, hard rock, heavy metal, punk rock
• Sound: Straight-forward, heavy-duty rock and roll with elements of heavy metal and punk rock, the sound on "Chequered Past" is fun, fist-pumping hard rock with killer guitar hooks, solos, vocals, and rhythms!  Nothing fancy... just great stuff!
• Major themes: Rebellion, rock and roll, survival, heartbreak, life, love, sex, etc.
• Note: Sadly, this band didn't last long.  Des Barres was hired by Power Station shortly after the release and the band basically fell apart.  Sales went on to play with David Bowie a few years later in Tin Machine.
• Tracks: 

1. "A World Gone Wild" 
2. "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way"
3. "Let Me Rock"
4. "Never In A Million Years"
5. "How Much Is Too Much"
   
6. "Only The Strong (Will Survive)"
7. "Underworld"
8. "No Knife"
9. "Tonight And Every Night"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Helper Beer (Helper, Utah)
• Website: https://www.helperbeer.com/
• Brew: Czech Pilsner
• Style: Czech-style Pilsner
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Ingredients: Czech Pilsner malt and Czech Saaz hops
• Pour: The Czech Pilsner pours a crystal clear, golden-yellow hue with a billowy, 2+ finger, bright white head with good retention and soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a blend of very mellow grainy, slightly musty, and grassy aromas.  There are notes of pale grains, very light cereal grains, crackery biscuit, a hint of summer grass, and a touch of flowers. 
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Czech Pilsner is grainy, slightly grassy, and crackery.  There are notes of pale malts, toasted white bread, grassy hops, Saltine crackers, and a hint of lemongrass.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium in body with lots of bubbly carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp and smooth with a very clean, very dry finish.

Overall pairing: The wonderfully honest and masterful rock and roll stylings of  Chequered Past deserve nothing short of a perfectly balanced and very drinkable brew... which is exactly what you get in a tall glass of the delicious Czech Pilsner from the great folks at Helper Beer!  Those crisp malt flavors and crackery grain notes along with the smoothness are perfect for the straight-ahead rock and roll punch of Chequered Past!

Cheers and rock on!!!

September 19th, 2026 - A Big Dumb Beer for A Big Amazing Album

 

God morgon, hails, and happy Saturday!  Today I'm celebrating the history and legacy of Swedish death metal with "Swedish Death Metal", an impressive 3-disc collection of demos, EP tracks, and album tracks from the bands that shaped death metal in Sweden in the 1980s and 1990s.  I'm pairing this wonderful album with a delightfully bold, boozy, and dangerously drinkable Big Dumb Beer Imperial Stout from the folks at Bombastic Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Various
• Title: "Swedish Death Metal"
• Recorded: Various studios in the late 1980s and early 1990s
• Release date: February 27th, 2009 
• Record company: Index Verlag 
• Production: Martin Koller
• Album cover art: Nicke Andersson
• Personnel: Too many individual artists to list; see track listings for specific band names.
• Musical style: Death metal with elements of thrash metal, black metal, hardcore punk, and crust punk
• Sound: Raw, aggressive, seminal, brilliant... this collection embodies the revolutionary sound of Swedish extreme metal in the 1980s and 1990s.  It is groundbreaking, inspiring, and totally immersive... an absolutely fan-fucking-tastic collection!!
• Major themes: Death, destruction, sorrow, oblivion, gore, horror, terror, insanity, zombies, politics, rebellion, violence, war, evil, anti-religion, the occult, Satanism, paganism, medical procedures, science fiction, etc.
• Note: The music was compiled by Stefan Belda, Daniel Ekeroth, and Martin Koller as an accompanying musical journey to Daniel Ekeroth's brilliant book of the same name.
• Tracks:  

CD 1:

1. "Betrayed Truth" by Mefisto
2. "Demented" by Obscurity
3. "Rise Again" by Corpse
4. "Souls Of The Dead" by Merciless
5. "Wings Of Funeral" by Morbid
6. "Abnormally Deceased" by Nihilist
7. "Putrefaction Remains" by Putrefaction
8. "Torn Apart" by Carnage
9. "Megalomania" by Therion
10. "Final Chapter" by Carbonized
11. "Darkside" by Expulsion
12. "Brutally Deceased" by Grave
13. "Descend To The Ashes" by Sorcery
14. "Irrevocable Act" by Tribulation
15. "Consumed In Flames" by Afflicted Convulsion
16. "Dismembered" by Dismember
17. "The Chill Within" by Desultory
18. "Submit To Death" by Grotesque

CD 2:

1. "But Life Goes On" by Entombed
2. "Mourning" by Nirvana 2002
3. "Slithering Maceration Of Ulcerous Facial Tissue" by General Surgery
4. "Override The Overture" by Dismember
5. "Into The Grave" by Grave
6. "Before The Creation" by Unleased
7. "Ancient Entity" by Tiamat
8. "Recarbonized" by Carbonized
9. "City Of Screaming Statues" by At The Gates
10. "Bleeding Shrines Of Stone" by Liers In Wait
11. "Enigma" by Edge Of Sanity
12. "Nightmare Lake" by Cemetary
13. "Symphony Of The Dead" by Therion
14. "Tidings From The Blue Sphere" by Afflicted
15. "Still Fucking Dead (Here's No Peace)" by Marduk
16. "Black Horizons" by Dissection

CD 3: 

1. "Through The Darkened Peril" by Evocation
2. "Reincarnage" by Séance
3. "Beyond The Realm" by Toxaemia
4. "Shark Heaven" by Furbowl
5. "Human Flesh" by Suffer
6. "A Perfect Night To Masturbate" by Traumatic
7. "Necrophilicide" by Macrodex
8. "Rather Black" by House Of Usher
9. "The Ancient War" by Crypt Of Kerberos
10. "Psychopath" by Eternal Darkness
11. "Morbid Death" by Intermet
12. "Transportation To The Uncanny" by Uncanny
13. "Die In Agony" by S.G.R.
14. "In Hate..." by Sarcasm
15. "Enshrouded (In The River Of Eternity)" by Crematory
16. "Under The Black Soil" by Necrony
17. "Spawn Of Pure Malevolence" by Repugnant
18. "Mass Genocide Ritual" by Katalysator

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bombastic Brewing (Hayden, Idaho)
• Website: https://www.bombasticbrewing.com/
• Brew: Big Dumb Beer Imperial Stout 
• Style: Imperial Stout
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 15.0%
• Pour: The Big Dumb Beer pours an opaque, deep, dark brown (almost ink black) hue with a billowy and creamy, 2-finger, dark mocha head with great retention and lots of sticky, sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is earthy, malty, roasty, toasty, slightly sweet, and rather boozy.  There are aromas of dark chocolate, burnt toffee, dark roasted malts, a hint of vanilla bean, rich espresso, woody oak, and rich bourbon. 
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Big Dumb Beer is rich, roasty, toasty, malty, chocolaty, and very boozy.  There are notes of bittersweet dark chocolate, burnt toffee, creamy vanilla, roasted walnuts, dark toasted bread, dark roasted coffee, and lots of rich bourbon.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel is silky, velvety, and thick and chewy with a dry, bittersweet, and very boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The Bombastic Big Dumb Beer is a very bold and very complex brew with loads of flavor and a boozy punch, which is perfect for the depth, passion, musical prowess, and intense rage of this brilliant collection of Swedish death metal forefathers and innovators!  Need I say more?

Skål and hails!!

September 18th, 2026 - I'm a Man on a Mission to Oktoberfest!

Guten Abend!  With Oktoberfest starting tomorrow in Munich, Germany, I thought I'd pair an Oktoberfest lager with a German metal band, so I'm rocking out with "The Best (Of)" from German power metal monsters Gamma Ray and a tasty, smooth, and crisp Oktoberfest German-Style Lager from the fine folks at Mother Earth Brew Company!  Hell yeah!!  This pairing is dedicated to my friend and fellow Gamma Ray fan, Mr. Carlos Alvarez... prost, brother!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Gamma Ray
• Title: "The Best (Of)"
• Recorded: 1991 through 2014 in various studios
• Release date: January 30th, 2015 (4th compilation album released by Gamma Ray)
• Record company: EarMusic
• Production: various and Gamma Ray (remastered by Eike Freese)
• Album cover art: Alexander Mertsch
• Personnel: Michael Ehré (drums), Kai Hansen (rhythm and lead guitar, and lead and backing vocals), Uli Kusch (drums), Thomas Nack (drums), Henjo Richter (lead and rhythm guitar, and keyboards), Jan Rubach (bass), Ralf Scheepers (lead vocals), Dirk Schlächter (bass, lead and rhythm guitar, keyboards, and piano), Uwe Wessel (bass), and Dan Zimmermann (drums)
• Additional musicians: Tommy Hansen (keyboards), Michael Kiske (vocals), Hansi Kürsch (vocals), Axel Mackenrott (keyboards), Tommy Newton (guitars), Sascha Paeth (keyboards), Piet Sielck (vocals, keyboards, and guitars), and Thomas Stauch (drums)
• Musical style: Power metal, speed metal
• Sound: Fiery fast, bombastic, melodic - all traits of the wonderful over 30-year career of the mighty Gamma Ray!  Highlighting some of their greatest songs and all remastered to perfection, "The Best (Of)" is wonderful metal romp!  Kai Hansen's guitar work alone is worth every penny!!
• Major themes: Good vs. evil, life and death, heavy metal, love, power, might, perseverance, aggression, etc.
• Tracks:

Disc 1: 

1. "Armageddon"
2. "Heaven Can Wait"
3. "Hellbent"
4. "Dream Healer"
5. "Land Of The Free"
6. "To The Metal"
7. "Somewhere Out In Space"
8. "Real World"
9. "Induction"
10. "Dethrone Tyranny"
11. "Rebellion In Dreamland"
12. "Heading For Tomorrow"

Disc 2:

1. "Eagle"
2. "Avalon"
3. "Man On A Mission"
4. "The Spirit"
5. "Tribute To The Past"
6. "Empathy"
7. "Valley Of The Kings"
8. "Lust For Life"
9. "Master Of Confusion"
10. "Blood Religion"
11. "Time To Break Free"
12. "Insurrection"
13. "Send Me A Sign"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Mother Earth Brew Company (Vista, California)
• Website: http://motherearthbrewco.com/
• Brew: Oktoberfest German-Style Lager
• Style: Festbier / Märzen / German Lager
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• IBUs: 24
• Ingredients: German Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich malts with Hallertau Mittelfruh and Tettnanger hops
• Pour: The Oktoberfest pours a clear, golden orange hue with an off-white, frothy, 1-finger head with good retention and lots of sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is grainy, bready, earthy, and floral.  There are aromas of toasted bread, cracked wheat, honey, and light, grassy hops.
• Taste: The taste of the Oktoberfest follows the nose with bready, grainy, malty, and earthy flavors.  There are notes of toasted white bread, earthy honey, crackery biscuit, light floral hops, and light caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation and low bitterness, the mouthfeel of the Oktoberfest is very crisp and smooth with a dry, crackery, and clean finish.

Overall pairing: When you are rocking the hell out to the intense metal prowess of the ass-kickers known as Gamma Ray, you want a brew that goes down easy, but with great flavor... thus the wonderful Oktoberfest German-Style Lager from Mother Earth Brew Company!  Those toasty and malty notes are perfect for the meaty guitars and heavy-duty rhythm section while the sweeter notes go great with those wonderful melodies!

Zum Wohl!!  Hails!!  Cheers To The Metal!!!

September 13th, 2026 - Rise Up Under the Sign of the Black Mark

 

Hey there evil-doers, headbangers, and craft brew freaks!   Happy Sunday!  Your drinkin' buddy the Meista here with another killer pairing for ya... "Under The Sign Of The Black Mark", the infernal 3rd album by Bathory and a Rise Oak Aged Witbier from Home Range Brewing!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Bathory
• Title: "Under The Sign Of The Black Mark"
• Recorded: September through November 1986 at Heaven Shore Studio in Stockholm, Sweden
• Release date: May 11th, 1987 (3rd full-length studio album by Bathory)
• Record company: Black Mark Production / Under One Flag
• Production: Quorthon aka Thomas Börje Forsberg and The Boss aka Stig Börje Forsberg
• Album cover art: Gunnar Silins (photography)
• Personnel: Quorthon (guitars, bass, keyboards, and vocals)
• Additional musician: Paul Lundburg (drums) and Christer Sandström (additional bass)
• Musical style: Extreme metal, black metal, thrash metal
• Sound: Considered the first true wholly black metal album, "Under The Sign Of The Black Mark" is raw, aggressive, definitive... this is groundbreaking and highly influential stuff!  Combining the aggressive and evilness of Venom and the punky speed and ferocity of Motorhead, Bathory was years ahead of their time and creating blackened metal.  
• Major themes: Hell, death, war, evil, darkness, black magic, Satanism, the occult, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Nocternal Obeisance"
2. "Massacre"
3. "Woman Of Dark Desires"
4. "Call From The Grave"
5. "Equimanthorn"
6. "Enter The Eternal Fire"
7. "Chariots Of Fire"
8. "13 Candles"
9. "Of Doom......"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Home Range Brewing (Logan, Utah
• Website: https://www.homerangebeer.com/
• Brew: Rise Oak Aged Witbier
• Style: Witbier
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Pour: The Rise pours a cloudy, bright golden-pear yellow hue with a bright white, very frothy 2+ finger head with great retention and lots of soapy, layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, yeasty, malty, woody, and slightly tart.  There are notes of lemon zest and juice, orange zest, coriander, cracked wheat, Belgian yeast, chamomile, freshly baked sourdough bread, oak, a hint of banana, and light hops.
• Taste: Following the nose, the flavor of the Rise is characterized by notes of lemon juice and zest, Belgian yeast, chamomile tea, oak, honey, and light hops and grains.
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Rise is crisp and malty with a dry, slightly tart finish.

Overall pairing: The Rise Oak Aged Witbier from Home Range Brewing is a crisp, light, ... a great foil the blackened intensity and heavy metal punch that is the infernal and powerful "Under The Sign Of The Black Mark"!  I highly recommend both the album and the brew!  'Nuff said!

Cheers and hails!! 

September 12th, 2026 - Breaking the Silence... With "Lasers"

 

Guten tag and hails thrashers and hop heads!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here today rocking the hell out today to "Breaking The Silence", the killer 4th album from the legendary German thrash metal band Assassin and a delicious and hoppy Laser Kiwi India Pale Ale from Offset Bier Company!  Hells yeah!!  

Album Info:

• Artist: Assassin
• Title: "Breaking The Silence"
• Recorded: 2010 at AGD Hauptquarter in Düsseldorf, Germany, Airport 1 Studio in Düsseldorf, Germany, and Klangwelt Studio in Essen, Germany
  Release date: February 25th, 2011 (4th studio album by Assassin)
• Record company: Steamhammer
• Production: Harris Johns 
• Album cover art: Plamen Kolev 
• Personnel: Robert Gonnella (vocals), Michael Hoffmann (guitars), Joachim Kremer (bass), Jürgen "Scholli" Scholz (guitars), and Björn "Burn" Sondermann (drums) 
• Additional musician: Harris Johns (lead guitar on "I Like Cola")
• Musical style: Thrash metal, speed metal
• Sound: Fast, aggressive, and raw, this is true, classic Teutonic thrash at its best!  This will take you right back to those early days of the thrash metal movement!
• Major themes: Violence, war, death, darkness, survival, politics, rebellion, humor, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Breaking The Silence"
2. "Raise In The Dark"
3. "Judas"
4. "Turf War"
5. "Destroy The State"
6. "No Fear"
7. "Kill Or Be Killed"
8. "Real Friends"
9. "Strike Back"
10. "I Like Cola" (Outo cover)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Offset Bier Company (Park City, Utah)
• Website: https://offsetbier.com/
• Brew: Laser Kiwi India Pale Ale
• Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Ingredients: Nectaron, Nelson, and Riwaka hops
• Pour: The Laser Kiwi IPA pours a hazy, bright golden-yellow hue with a 1+ finger, frothy, bright white head with great retention and lots of sudsy lacing. 
• Nose: Fruit forward, the nose is tropical, citrusy, sweet, and malty.  There are aromas of kiwi, gooseberry, pineapple, passion fruit, grapefruit rind, tangerine, orange zest, a slight hint of pine resin, crackery biscuit, and light caramel.
• Taste: The taste is like the nose: fruity, citrusy, hoppy, and slightly sweet.  There are notes of kiwi, gooseberry pineapple, passion fruit, mango, pink grapefruit juice, orange juice, tangerine, peach, apricot, and a hint of soft toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Laser Kiwi IPA is very crisp, juicy, and smooth with a clean, slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The complex, yet very inviting flavors and aromas of the Offset Laser Kiwi India Pale Ale are perfect for the thrash metal punch and high energy of Assassin!  Those hoppy aromas and flavors are great for the straightforward rocking depth of the dual guitar work of Hoffmann and Scholli, while the sweeter malt notes are great for the fast, melodic rhythms of Kremer and Burn, and Gonnella's vocal prowess shines even more with those tropical fruit flavors!

Make sure to check out with my interview with ex-Assassin vocalist Robert Gonnella from several years ago here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfX-gk0ONX4&t=1s

Prost and hails!!