February 3rd, 2022 - A Chocolate Mint Deceiver

 

Good evening hellraisers and craft beer freaks!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here getting heavy with the brilliant "Deceiver" by kickass doom/stoner metal band Khemmis and a unique and boozy Big Bad Baptist Chocolate Mint Imperial Stout from Epic Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Khemmis
• Title: "Deceiver"
• Recorded: 2020 at Flatline Audio in Westminster, Colorado
• Release date: November 19th, 2021 (4th full-length studio album by Khemmis)
• Record company: Nuclear Blast
• Production: Khemmis
• Album cover art: Sam Turner
• Personnel: Ben Hutcherson (vocals and guitars), Phil Pendergast (vocals and guitars), and Zach Coleman (drums)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, doom metal, stoner metal/rock
• Sound: With powerful and crushing heaviness in the tradition of Black Sabbath, Pallbearer, and High On Fire, the sound on "Deceiver" is profoundly heavy, aggressive, and very melodic!  Layered over an intensely thunderous rhythm section, the dual guitar work demands your attention with huge, epic riffs, as do the bold and somewhat haunting vocals.
• Major themes: Death, isolation, suffering, darkness, deception, evil, magic, mythology, fantasy, etc. 
• Tracks: 

1. "Avernal Gate"
2. "House Of Cadmus"
3. "Living Pyre"
4. "Shroud Of Lethe"
5. "Obsidian Crown"
6. "The Astral Road"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Epic Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.epicbrewing.com/
• Brew: Big Bad Baptist Chocolate Mint Imperial Stout
• Style: Imperial Stout
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 12.0% 
• Ingredients: Marris Otter, 2-Row, Light Munich, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt, and Roasted Barley with Nugget, Chinook, and Cascade hops, and aged exclusively in whiskey barrels with fresh mint, coffee, and cacao nibs
• Pour: The Big Bad Baptist Chocolate Mint Imperial Stout pours an opaque, black as hell/very deep, deep dark brown with a creamy, half finger, light mocha head with good sustain and sticky, sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by roasty, toasty, herbal, minty, chocolaty, earthy, and boozy elements.  There are aromas of baker's dark chocolate, mint, dark roasted malts, freshly ground dark roast coffee, espresso, burnt toffee, sweet caramel, loam, oak, and rich whiskey.
• Taste: The taste of the Big Bad Baptist Chocolate Mint Imperial Stout follows the nose with big notes of dark chocolate, mint, black licorice, and bourbon with more subtle flavors of rich coffee, hearty bread, cream, and sweet caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Big Bad Baptist Chocolate Mint Imperial Stout is very thick, velvety, creamy, and smooth, with a very dry, slightly bitter, spicy, and boozy finish.

Overall pairing: Epic's Big Bad Baptist Chocolate Mint Imperial Stout is a very complex and flavorful brew that demands your full attention... a perfect companion to the doomy onslaught that is the mighty Khemmis!  Those big, bold, and malty notes go great with the doomier elements of the album, while the bitterness and boozy bite go great with the more aggressive, straight forward metal dimensions!  I highly recommend both the album and the brew... but don't be deceived.  These are definitely not for the faint at heart... both will knock you down and tear at your dark soul!

Cheers!!  And hails!!