February 14th, 2016 - At Sixth And Seventh Glasses

Hello my beer-loving and music-loving friends!  The Meista here with another pairing for you tonight: The Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale from Boulevard Brewing Company (part of their Smokestack Series) and "At Sixes And Sevens" by goth metal act Sirenia!

Album Info:

• Artist: Sirenia
• Title: "At Sixes And Sevens"
• Recorded: Winter 2001 through summer 2002 at Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France (pre-production at Stargoth Studios in Tau, Norway)
• Release date: August 13th, 2002 (debut album by Sirenia)
• Record company: Napalm Records
• Production: Terje Refsnes and Morten Veland
• Album cover art: ?
• Personnel: Jan Kenneth Barkved vocals, Fabienne Gondamin (vocals), Kristian Gundersen (vocals), Pete Johansen (violin), and Morten Veland – guitars, vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, programming, and drums
• Choir: Damien Surian, Emilie Lesbros, Johanna Giraud, Hubert Piazzola
• Musical style: Gothic metal and symphonic metal with elements of death-doom
• Sound: Embracing dichotomy, Sirenia's sound is dark and brooding, combining melodic instrumentals with sweeping symphonic synthesizers, violins, operatic female vocals, and choral arrangements and distorted guitars growling death/black metal vocals.  The end result is a big, bold, and complex sound that demands your attention!
• Major themes: Full of gothic imagery, the lyrics on "At Sixes And Sevens" mostly examine themes of darkness, human existence, emotions, and mental states. 
• Tracks:   

1. "Meridian"
2. "Sister Nightfall"
3. "On the Wane"
4. "In A Manica"
5. "At Sixes And Sevens"
6. "Lethargica"
7. "Manic Aeon"
8. "A Shadow On Your Own Self"
9. "In Sumerian Haze"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Boulevard Brewing Company (Kansas City, Missouri)
• Website: http://www.boulevard.com/
• Brew: The Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale
• Style: Quadrupel (Quad)
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 10.5%
• IBUs: 22
• Ingredients: Pale Malt, Cara 300, Munich, and Malted Wheat with Bravo, Saphir, and Saaz hops, and Dextrose, Brown Sugar,Dark Brown Sugar, and Dark Candi Syrup
• Pour: The Sixth Glass pours a dark auburn hue with a firm, 2-finger off white head that lingers and leaves lots of sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is as complex as the flavor with lots of dark fruit ester, Belgian yeast, and sweet malt. There are aromas of banana, figs, dates, raisins, brown sugar, and hints of spice. 
• Taste: The flavor has notes of caramel, baked bread, malt, light fruity ester (apple and banana), and bubble gum.  Incredibly well-balanced, the hops and malts nearly mask the booziness hidden underneath.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is with a very sweet, slightly boozy, and slightly dry finish.
• Notes: "Do you know what dwells in a glass?"  Named from a short cautionary tale by Hans Christian Andersen, the Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale is "mysterious libation." 

Overall pairing: The depth of the music on "At Sixes And Sevens" is perfect listening for the Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale!  Both are ambitious, incredibly complex, and demand your utmost attention!

Skål!!