January 31st, 2016 - Dystopia Plus!

Good afternoon rattleheads and hops heads!  The Meista here getting crazy to Megadeth's latest offering, "Dystopia" (Limited Edition) and one of Uinta Brewing Company's latest offerings, the Cutthroat+ Pale Ale!  Hells yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Megadeth
• Title: "Dystopia" (Limited Edition)
• Recorded: April through July 2015 at Lattitude South Studios in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee
• Release date: January 22, 2016 (15th studio album by Megadeth)
• Record company: Tradecraft via Universal
• Production: Dave Mustaine and Chris Rakestraw
• Album cover art: Brent Elliott White
• Personnel: Chris Adler (drums), David Ellefson (bass guitar and backing vocals), Kiko Loureiro (lead, rhythm, and acoustic guitars, and piano on "Poisonous Shadows"), and Dave Mustaine (lead vocals, and lead, rhythm, and acoustic guitars)
• Additional musicians: Eric Darken (percussion), Miles Doleac (voiceover on "Conquer Or Die"), Charlie Judge (orchestral arrangements on "Poisonous Shadows"), Blair Masters (keyboards and programming), Chris Rodriguez (backing vocals), Farah Siraj (guest vocals on "The Threat Is Real" and "Poisonous Shadows"), and Steve Wariner (steel guitar)
• Musical style: Thrash metal
• Sound: Returning to a sound more akin to their early '90s aggressive, fiery-fast, and ferocious approach, "Dystopia" is arguable the best thing Megadeth has put out in decades. Adler and Loureiro breathe new and powerful life into the band with precision and thrash metal brutality!
• Major themes: Socio-political criticism, a dystopian society, xenophobia politics, states of conflict, the Trojan War, violence, power, and corruption
• Tracks:  

1. "The Threat Is Real"
2. "Dystopia"
3. "Fatal Illusion"
4. "Death From Within"
5. "Bullet To The Brain"
6. "Post American World"
7. "Poisonous Shadows"
8. "Conquer Or Die"
9. "Lying In State"
10. "The Emperor"
11. "Foreign Policy" (Fear cover)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: www.uintabrewing.com
• Brew: Cutthroat+ Pale Ale
• Style: American Pale Ale (APA) / Chili Beer
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 4.0%
• Ingredients: Pale Ale brewed with cocoa nibs, orange peel, and cayenne pepper
• Pour: Pours a slightly hazy, bright orange-copper amber with a half-finger, frothy off-white head that slowly dissipates to display a firm, cloudy ring and light, layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose of the Cutthroat+ is rather subtle with orange peel, lemon zest, caramel/toffee, hints of cocoa, and grain.
• Taste: Initially, the taste of the Cutthroat+ is very much like Uinta's regular Cutthroat, a very solid APA.  But there are very subtle notes of chocolate covered orange that become a little more prevalent as the beer warns.  And then there is the cayenne pepper, which you don't so much taste, but really just feel.  And that heat seems to build the more you drink and masks the caramel sweetness of the malts in the finish.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Cutthroat+ is crisp, smooth, and refreshing, with a building heat that lingers on the lips and tongue.  The finish is somewhat dry and clean (apart from the lingering heat).

Overall pairing: The crisp character of the Cutthroat+ Pale Ale from Uinta is great for the fast-paced thrash metal onslaught that is Megadeth's "Dystopia"!  And that cayenne pepper heat goes great with Mustaine's bitter growling vocals and crazy lyrics!

Cheers!!  Hails!!  Have a rockin' day!!