September 12th, 2022 - Find Katharsis In Oak & Orchard

 

Hello rockers, rollers, and craft brew fans!!  The Meista here today pairing a tart and tasty Oak & Orchard Sour Ale Aged in Oak Barrels with Ginger and Lemongrass from Epic Brewing Company and the wonderful "Katharsis" by NWOBHM band Praying Mantis!  Hells yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Praying Mantis
• Title: "Katharsis"
• Recorded: 2021 at various studios in England and the Netherlands
• Release date: January 28th, 2022 (11th studio album by Praying Mantis)
• Record company: Frontiers Music
• Production: Andy Burgess and Tino Troy
• Album cover art: Rainer Kalwitz 
• Personnel: Andy Burgess (guitars, keyboards, and backing vocals), John "Jaycee" Cuijpers (lead and backing vocals), Hans in’t Zandt (drums), Chris Troy (bass, keyboards, backing vocals, and lead vocals on "Wheels In Motion"), Tino Troy (guitars, keyboards, and backing vocals)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal
• Sound: A wonderful rich, and textured album, at times it is soft and warm, and at times angry, aggressive, and decisive.  There are elements of metal, progressive rock, and AOR all tightly and masterfully woven into a fantastically engrossing and heavy tapestry!
• Major themes: Life, music, rock and roll, knowledge, loss, hope, good vs. evil, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Cry For The Nations"
2. "Closer To Heaven"
3. "Ain't No Rock 'N' Roll In Heaven"
4. "Non Omnis Moriar"
5. "Long Time Coming"
6. "Sacrifice"
7. "Wheels In Motion"
8. "Masquerade"
9. "Find Our Way Back Home"
10. "Don't Call Us Now"
11. "The Devil Never Changes"
12. 
    

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Epic Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://epicbrewing.com/
• Brew: Oak & Orchard Sour Ale Aged in Oak Barrels with Ginger and Lemongrass
• Style: Flanders Oud Bruin / Sour Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.9%
• Pour: The Oak & Orchard pours a hazy, bright golden-yellow with a 1-finger, fizzy, bright white head that dissipates to a thin, yet sustained ring with light lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very tart, spicy, floral, slightly sweet, vinous, and slightly funky.  There are aromas of spicy ginger, lemongrass, lemon zest, Belgian yeast, oak, a hint of rock candy, a hint of barnyard funk, and light honey. 
• Taste: The taste of the Oak & Orchard is acidic, tart, slightly sweet, and slightly boozy.  There are notes of tart lemon juice and zest, spicy ginger, cranberry, very subtle burnt toffee, smoky oak, light Brettanomyces funk, and a hint of honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp, very tart, very refreshing, and smooth with a dry, lip-puckering tart finish.

Overall pairing: The exceptionally tart, spicy, herbal, and complex flavors of the Oak & Orchard make it the perfect mate to the beautifully crafted brilliance that is Praying Mantis's "Katharsis"!  The sweeter flavors go great with the lyrics and themes, while the lip-puckering tart punch goes great with the more aggressive elements of the album.

And if you haven't done so already, check out my interview with John "Jaycee" Cuijpers (https://youtu.be/kV9hG_Pdes8) and Tino Troy (https://youtu.be/sf7ZBkI3foI)!

Cheers!!