September 5th, 2016 - The King, The Queen, And The Deacon

Good afternoon!  Your pal the Meista here with another pairing for you today... a Deacon Belgian Style Pale Ale from Selkirk Abbey Brewing Company with "Kings & Queens" by symphonic/Celtic metal vocalist Leah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Leah
• Title: "Kings & Queens"
• Recorded: 2014
• Release date: January 2015 (2nd full-length studio album by Leah) (1969-04-16)
• Record company: Inner Wound Recordings
• Production: Leah McHenry
• Album cover art: Jan Yrlund
• Personnel: Leah McHenry (vocals) with Barend Courbois (bass guitar), Timo Somers (guitars), and Sander Zoer (drums)
• Additional musicians: Brent McHenry (orchestration) and Oliver Philipps (orchestration and keyboards)
• Musical style: Symphonic metal, folk metal, progressive metal
• Sound: Bombastic, epic, and enchanting, the music is wonderfully melodic, but it is Leah's vocal prowess that really drives this album.  Her voice is both incredibly beautiful and incredibly powerful.
• Major themes: The album is "lyrically laced with epic imagery of dystopias, fallen empires, spiritual warfare, love and destiny".
• Tracks:   

1. "Arcadia"
2. "Save The World"
3. "Angel Fell"
4. "Enter The Highlands"
5. "In The Palm Of Your Hands"
6. "Alpha Et Omega"
7. "Heart Of Poison"
8. "Hourglass"
9. "Palace Of Dreams"
10. "This Present Darkness"
11. "The Crown"
12. "Remnant"
13. "There is No Farewell"
14. "Siúil A Rún" (Acoustic Version)
15. "Siúil A Rún" (Bonus Rock Version)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Selkirk Abbey Brewing Company (Post Falls, Idaho)
• Website: www.selkirkabbey.com   
• Brew: Deacon Belgian Style Pale Ale
• Style: Belgian Pale Ale
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 5.5%
• IBUs: 28
• Ingredients: "Hops and grains from the great Northwest, Belgian yeast, and Idaho's best water"
• Pour: The Deacon pours deep, but clear bronze-amber with a very thin, white head that dissipates quickly and leaves only trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose is rich, malty, sweet, slightly spicy, and slightly tart. There are aromas of soft banana, noble hops, honey, shortbread, light fruit, soft caramel, and spices.
• Taste: The Deacon's taste is characterized by rich malts, Belgian yeast, and light hoppiness.  There are notes of  Belgian phenolic, soft banana, pear, plum, light raisin, honey, sweet biscuit, and very light grassy hops and cloves.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with lower carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Deacon is very creamy and smooth with a lingered sweet finish.

Overall pairing: Like Leah's beautiful (almost seductive) vocals, the Deacon Belgian Style Pale Ale from Selkirk Abbey Brewing Company is sweet, yet complex and powerful.  The Belgian complexity works really well with the symphonic elements of "Kings & Queens" as well!

Cheers and hails!!