February 21st, 2023 - Bringing The Hammer Down On A Two Ton Anvil

 

Hey there rockers, rollers, metal maniacs and craft brew freaks!  The Meista is here today rocking the hell out with a pairing of the self-titled, debut album by Chicago hard rock/metal band Two Ton Anvil and a tasty Hammer Down Hefeweizen, a brand-new brew from my friends at UTOG Brewing Company!!  HELL. YES.  This pairing goes out to my friend Mike Morales... thanks for the CD brother!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Two Ton Anvil
• Title: "Two Ton Anvil"
• Recorded: late 2009 through early 2010 at Shockwave Studios in Chicago, Illinois
• Release date: March 9th, 2010 (1st full-length studio album by Two Ton Anvil
• Record company: Dark Star Records
• Production: Two Ton Anvil 
• Album cover art: Matt Lombard 
• Personnel: Glenn Christon (bass and backing vocals), Chris Chubb (guitars and vocals), Larry DeMumbrum (drums), and Brian T. Ericson (guitars and vocals)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal, groove metal
• Sound: Characterized by heavy-duty, hard rockin' riffs, melodies, and grooves, Two Ton Anvil is straight-forward metal goodness in the tradition of bands like AC/DC, Clutch, and Queens of the Stone Age, yet very original and fun as hell to blast! 
• Major themes: Life, corruption, politics, social criticism, deceit, power, aggression, violence, rage, death, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "What We've Made"
2. "Corruption"
3. "Twon Ton Anvil"
4. "Temptations"
5. "Enemy"
6. "Victims"
7. "Kings & Queens"
8. "Fuel My Hate"
9. "Still Afraid"
10. "The Wicked"
11. "Dead"
12. "Glass Houses"
13. "Them Bones" (Alice In Chains cover)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: UTOG Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://www.utogbrewing.com/
• Brew: Hammer Down Hefeweizen
• Style: German Hefeweizen
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Pour: The Hammer Down Hefeweizen pours a very cloudy, bright golden-yellow hue with a frothy, stark white 1-finger head that dissipates to a thin ring with sparse lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a nice blend of grainy, malty, spicy, and slightly sweet aromas.  There are notes of freshly sourdough baked bread, lemon zest, German yeast, spices (cloves and allspice), soft banana, a hint of sulfur, and subtle honey.
• Taste: In the tradition of fine German Hefeweizens, the taste of the Hammer Down is characterized by light grainy, fruity, floral, and spicy flavors.  There are notes of sourdough bread, cracked wheat, cereal grains, lemon zest, soft banana, cloves, white pepper, and very light honey in the finish.
• Mouthfeel: Refreshing, drinkable, light-bodied, and well-carbonated with very low bitterness, the mouthfeel of the Hammer Down Hefeweizen is very crisp, smooth, and with a clean finish.
• Note: The Hammer Down was brewed and canned with the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron from Hill Airforce Base.

Overall pairing: The easy drinking and crushable nature of UTOG's tasty Hammer Down Hefeweizen is great to accompany the fist-pumping hard rock stylings of Two Ton Anvil!  'Nuff said! 

Cheers!!  Hails!!