March 2nd, 2024 - Demons & Blizzard Wizards

 

Hey there craft brew and heavy rock fans!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here today pairing an all-time favorite album of mine, Uriah Heeps classic "Demons And Wizards" wand a tasty and hoppy Blizzard Wizard Hazy Pale Ale from Proper Brewing Company!  Oh yeah!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Uriah Heep
• Title: "Demons And Wizards"
• Recorded: March through April 1972 
• Release date: May 19th, 1972 (4th studio album by Uriah Heep)
• Record company: Mercury Records / Bronze and Island
• Production: Gerry Bron 
• Album cover art: Roger Dean
• Personnel: Mick Box (guitars and backing vocals), David Byron (lead vocals), Ken Hensley (acoustic, electric and slide guitars, vocals, keyboards, and percussion), Lee Kerslake (drums and percussion), Gary Thain (bass) 
• Musical style: Hard rock, progressive rock, proto metal
• Sound: Wow... where does one even start in describing the sound on this wonderful album?!  The richness, depth of character, musical integrity, songwriting prowess, and delivery is really quite extraordinary!  With Byron's theatrical and intensely powerful vocals, Hensley's keyboard/guitar acrobatics, Box's richly textured and explosive guitar work, and the powerhouse rhythm section of Kerslake and Thain, songs like rockin' super-hit "Easy Livin'," "Traveler In Time," "Rainbow Demon," and the epic "Paradise/The Spell" are all perfectly executed and timeless masterpieces!  From start to finish, every note, every chord, every lyric is breathtaking!  This is definitive Uriah Heep! 
• Major themes/lyrical content: States of being, life, art, magic, time, love, hope, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "The Wizard"
2. "Traveller In Time"
3. "Easy Livin'"
4. "Poet's Justice"
5. "Circle Of Hands"
6. "Rainbow Demon"
7. "All My Life"
8. "Paradise"
9. "The Spell"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Proper Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.properbrewingco.com
• Brew: Blizzard Wizard Hazy Pale Ale 
• Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Pour: The Blizzard Wizard pours a slightly hazy golden-yellow with a 1+ finger, frothy and creamy, bright white head with good retention and lots of soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose of the Blizzard Wizard is very floral, earthy, herbal, citrusy, malty, and slightly spicy.  There are aromas of light pine resin, wildflowers, grapefruit rind, tangerine, lime, lemon zest, light pineapple, toasted caramel, and a hint of white pepper. 
• Taste: Like the nose, the taste of the Blizzard Wizard is citrusy, herbal, earthy, and malty.  There are notes of grapefruit juice, tangerine, pine, flowery hops, biscuit, caramel/toffee, and a little pepper in the finish. 
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp and slightly bitter with a dry, fairly clean finish.

Overall pairing: The crisp, floral, punchy, hop-forward flavors of the Blizzard Wizard from the fine folks at Proper Brewing is perfect for the soaring, brilliant textures of the music, while the citrusy elements make for a great companion to Byron's amazing vocals and the overall rockin' punch!  And Dean's stellar album cover art looks great with the beer label!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!