February 22nd, 2023 - These Westvleteren Trappists Are Ready For Hell!

 

Hey there evil-doers, metal maniacs, and craft brew freaks!  The Meista is here today rocking the hell out with a pairing of Trappist Westvleteren 12 from Brouwerij Westvleteren and "Ready For Hell", the classic, debut album by Belgian metallers Killer!  HELL. YES.  This pairing goes out to my friends John and Sandra... thanks so much for the delicious beer and for hanging out with us in Amsterdam!  You rock!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Killer
• Title: "Ready For Hell"
• Recorded: 1981 at Dig-It Studios in Belgium
• Release date: 1981 (1st full-length studio album by Killer)
• Record company: WEA / Mausoleum Records 
• Production: Leo Felsenstein and Jos Kloek (bonus tracks) 
• Album cover art: Levan Quang (artwork) and Eric Philippe (band logo)
• Personnel: "Fat" Leo Felsenstein (drums), Paul Van Camp (guitars and vocals), and Ivo "Spooky" van Dooren (bass and vocals)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, speed metal, hard rock
• Sound: With influence from bands like Judas Priest, Motörhead, Saxon, and UFO, the sound on Killer's debut album is heavy hitting, no bullshit, hard rockin' metal!  
• Major themes: Rebellion, heavy metal, betrayal, murder, death, lust, wildness, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Ready For Hell"
2. "Killer"
3. "Secret Love"
4. "I Know"
5. "Rock And Roll Fan"
6. "Backshooter"
7. "Laws Are Made To Break"
8. "It;s Too Late"
9. "Dressed To Kill"
10. "From Nine To Five" (bonus track)
11. "Too Wild To Tame" (bonus track)
12. "Crazy Circus" (bonus track)
13. "Chinese Woman" (bonus track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren) (Vleteren, Belgium)
• Website: https://www.trappistwestvleteren.be/en
• Brew: Trappist Westvleteren 12 
• Style: Belgian Quad / Flemish Burgundy
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 10.2%
• Pour: The Westvleteren 12 pours a deeply murky, dark amber brown (almost ink black) with a thick, 2-finger, creamy, mocha head with good sustain and lacing. 
• Nose: The nose is beautifully rich and complex with notes of dark fruits, toasted malts, burnt toffee, rum, and vanilla along with myriad spices.  
• Taste: As with the nose, the flavor is incredibly rich, multi-layered and deliciously complex.  There are notes of rum-soaked dried fruit, toasted sweet bread, Tootsie Roll, caramel, rye bread, and boozy rum.  Subtle spices also dance on the tongue: nutmeg, clove, coriander. 
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Trappist Westvleteren 12 is with a boozy, somewhat bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Trappist Westvleteren 12 is a complex, rich, boozy, yet very drinkable brew... a great beer to down whilst banging your head and pumping your fists to the heavy metal onslaught that is the mighty Killer and their wonderful debut album, "Ready For Hell"!  The boozier, darker, roasty flavors go great with the darker elements of the album, while the sweetness resonates with the soaring guitars and the malty backbone is right in line with the heavy-duty rhythm section! 

Cheers!!  Hails!!