December 21st, 2017 - Sailing Through The Winter's Gate Whilst Sipping My Wassail

Gott kveld and happy winter solstice!  The Meista here tonight trying to keep warm with a pairing of the Wassail Winter Ale from Full Sail Brewing Company and "Winter's Gate", the most recent album from Finnish melodic death metal band Insomnium!

Album Info:

• Artist: Insomnium
• Title: "Winter's Gate"
• Recorded: March through April 2016 at SF Sound Studio and Studio Korkeakoski in Helsinki, Finland
• Release date: September 23rd, 2016 (7th studio album by Insomnium)
• Record company: Century Media
• Production: Teemu Aalto and Insomnium
• Album cover art: Teemu Tähkänen
• Personnel: Ville Friman (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Markus Hirvonen (drums), Niilo Sevänen (bass and vocals), and Markus Vanhala (guitar and keyboards)
• Additional musicians: Teemu Aalto (backing vocals and keyboards), Aleksi Munter (keyboards), and Niilo Sevänen (keyboards)
• Musical style: Progressive death metal, melodic death metal, doom metal with elements of black metal and progressive rock
• Sound: Atmospheric, moody, dark, and wonderfully heavy, the sound on "Winter's Gate" really conveys the themes of the album!  At times it is ethereal, beautiful, and haunting.  At times it is as aggressive and unpredictable as a stormy sea.  
• Major themes: "Winter's Gate" is a concept album  about “a group of Vikings who set out to find a fabled island west of Ireland, despite the treacherous winter drawing near.”  Themes include darkness, sorrow, pain, winter, death, valor, nature, the elements, the sea, loss, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Winter's Gate" (parts 1 through 7)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Full Sail Brewing Company (Hood River, Oregon)
• Website: https://fullsailbrewing.com/
• Brew: Wassail Winter Ale
• Style: Winter Warmer
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 7.2%
• IBUs: 56
• Ingredients: Caramel and dark chocolate malts and a blend of Pacific Northwest hops
• Pour: The Wassail pours a dark mahogany with a half-finger, eggshell colored head with good retention and sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is malty, toasty, roasty, and sweet.  There are aromas of toasted bread, soft banana bread, cocoa, and very light dark fruits and cloves.
• Taste: The taste of the Wassail follows the nose with lots of roasty, toasty, bitter, herbal, bready flavors.  There are notes of dark roasted malt, toasted wheat bread, black tea, and thyme.  
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Wassail is with a dry, nutty, and bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Wassail Winter Ale from Full Sail, with all of the roasty, bitter, and flavors and aromas is perfect for the complexity, depth, heaviness, and sheer brilliance of Insomnium's "Winter's Gate"!
    

Skål!!  Hails!!