May 12th, 2017 - The Homunculus Abominog

Hello and happy Friday rockers and craft brew lovers!   Your drinking buddy the Meista here today getting a little rowdy with a pairing of Uriah Heep's "Abominog" and a B-Sides #6 Homunculus from Breakside Brewery! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Uriah Heep
• Title: "Abominog"
• Recorded: October through December 1981 at The Roundhouse Recording Studios in Chalk Farm, London, England
• Release date: March 1982 (14th studio album by Uriah Heep)
• Record company: Mercury Records
• Production: Ashley Howe
• Album cover art: Les Edwards
• Personnel: Mick Box (guitars and vocals), Bob Daisley (bass and vocals), Peter Goalby (lead vocals), Lee Kerslake (drums), and John Sinclair (keyboards and vocals)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock
• Sound: With a new line-up, the sound on "Abominog" is significantly heavier and faster than previous albums and much more on the metal side and more akin to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) sound!  Some of it reminds me a little of 1980s Blue Oyster Cult or later Styx albums.
• Major themes: Fear, heartbreak, loss, anger, power, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Too Scared To Run"
2. "On The Rebound"
3. "Chasing Shadows"
4. "Prisoner"
5. "Sell Your Soul"
6. "That's The Way That It Is"
7. "Think It Over"
8. "Hot Night In A Cold Town"
9. "Hot Persuasion"
10. "Running All Night (With The Lion)"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Breakside Brewery (Portland, Oregon)
• Website: https://www.breakside.com/
• Brew: B-Sides #6 Homunculus
• Style: Rustic Pale Ale / Farmhouse / American Wild Ale
• Serving: 25 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.0%
• Ingredients: Rustic Pale Ale combining Belgian farmhouse yeast, American hops, and six barrel-aged Brettanomyces beers
• Pour: The B-Sides #6 Homunculus pours a murky and bright golden-orange with a 1-inch, bubbly white head that dissipates quickly to a thin ring with traces of soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, citrusy, and funky with light grain nuances.  There are aromas of Citra hops, passion fruit, pineapple, lime, lemon zest, leather, and cereal grain.
• Taste: Like the nose, the taste is fruity, citrusy, and funky.  There are notes of Belgian yeast, soft banana, pineapple, barnyard funk, lemon juice, light red wine vinegar, and some mellow spices and grains. 
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the B-Sides #6 Homunculus is crisp, slightly tart, and punchy with a dry finish.

Overall pairing: The very drinkable, yet complex Belgian farmhouse qualities of Breakside's B-Sides #6 Homunculus is perfect for the harder edge and more straightforward rockin' style of Uriah Heep's very underrated "Abominog"!  The punchiness of the brew works really well with the heavy metal elements while the Brettanomyces characteristics is great for the more progressive elements of the album!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!