September 17th, 2015 - The Bitch Of Ozz

Good evening and hails brew and heavy metal fans!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here tonight pairing an all-time favorite of mine, Ozzy Osbourne's classic "Blizzard Of Ozz" and a Bitch Creek Extra Special Brown (ESB) from Grand Teton Brewing Company!  By the way, "Blizzard Of Ozz" will be 35 years old on Sunday!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Ozzy Osbourne
• Title: "Blizzard Of Ozz"
• Recorded: March 22nd through April 19th, 1980 at Ridge Farm Studios in Rusper, England
• Release date: September 20th, 1980 (debut solo album by Ozzy)
• Record company: Jet
• Production: Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley, and Lee Kerslake
• Album cover art: Fin Costello
• Personnel: Ozzy Osbourne (lead and harmony vocals) with Don Airey (keyboards), Bob Daisley (bass, backing vocals, and gongs), Lee Kerslake (drums, percussion, tubular bells, and timpani), and Randy Rhoads (guitars)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, hard rock
• Sound: Wow... where does one even start?!  The richness and warmth coupled by the sheer rockin' heaviness is indescribable! 
• Major themes: States of being, insanity, loss, suicide, alcoholism, evil, pornography, conservation, and rock and roll
• Tracks: 

1. "I Don't Know"
2. "Crazy Train"
3. "Goodbye to Romance"
4. "Dee"
5. "Suicide Solution"
6. "Mr. Crowley"
7. "No Bone Movies"
8. "Revelation (Mother Earth)"
9. "Steal Away (The Night)"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Grand Teton Brewing Company (Victor, Idaho)
• Website: http://www.grandtetonbrewing.com/
• Brew: Bitch Creek Extra Special Brown (ESB)
• Style: English Brown Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.0%
• IBUs: 60
• Ingredients: Idaho 2-Row malted barley, German Melanoidin, CaraAmber, CaraAroma, and CaraMunich malts with Galena, Chinook, and Centennial hops
• Pour: Deep and opaque mahogany with a thin, light mocha head that dissipates quickly leaving only trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by earthy, malty, nutty, and hoppy aromas.  There are notes of hearty bread, burnt toffee, caramel, brown sugar, pecans, and light hops.
• Taste: Like the nose, the flavor of the Bitch Creek is a lovely blend of roasty and nutty notes along with sweet, malty notes.  There's lots of malt, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, pecan, and multi-grain bread.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Bitch Creek is thick and chewy with an oily feel and a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The meatiness of the Bitch Creek is perfect for the rich, brilliant texture of the late, great Rhodes' guitar work, while the sweetness makes for a great foil to Ozzy's crazy vocals and the bitterness is perfect for the overall heaviness!

Cheers and hails!!