March 30th, 2024 - Barking At Oberon's Eclipsing Moon

 

Hello and happy Saturday evil-doers and craft beer fans!  The Meista here pairing the excellent "Bark At The Moon" by the prince of darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne and an Oberon Eclipse Citrus Wheat from Bell's!

Album Info:

• Artist: Ozzy Osbourne
• Title: "Bark At The Moon"
• Recorded: 1983 at Ridge Farm Studios
  Release date: November 15th, 1983 (3rd solo studio album by Ozzy)
• Record company: Epic / CBS
• Production: Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley, Max Norman, Denise Richardson, and Roger Thorpe
• Album cover art: Fin Costello (photography), Tony Harrison (photography), and Steve Joule (artwork and design) 
• Personnel: Ozzy Osbourne (lead vocals) with Don Airey (keyboards), Tommy Aldridge (drums), Bob Daisley (bass and backing vocals), and Jake E. Lee (guitars and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Louis Clark (strings) and Max Norman (backing vocals)
• Musical style: Heavy metal / hard rock
• Sound: Although a little more poppy than the first two solo albums, "Bark At The Moon" is still that classic Ozzy early '80s sound.  It big, it is bold, it is pure Ozzy!
• Major themes: Rock and roll, rebellion, evil, deception, journeys, darkness, death, spiders, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Bark At The Moon"
2. "You're No Different"
3. "Now You See It (Now You Don't)"
4. "Rock 'N" Roll Rebel"
5. "Centre Of Eternity"
6. "So Tired"
7. "Slow Down"
8. "Waiting For Darkness"
9. "Spiders In The Light"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bell's Brewery, Inc. (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
• Website: http://www.bellsbeer.com/
• Brew: Oberon Eclipse Citrus Wheat
• Style: American Wheat Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 6.3%
• IBUs: 20
• Ingredients: Wheat, orange and coriander, and House Ale Yeast 
• Pour: The Oberon Eclipse pours an opaque, caramel-amber with a frothy, off-white, half-finger head that dissipates to a thin ring with minimal lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, bready, and slightly spicy.  There are aromas of cracked wheat, doughy bread, orange juice and zest, tangerine, coriander, crackery biscuit, and a hint of honey.
• Taste: The taste of the Oberon Eclipse is characterized by citrusy, bready, grainy, and malty flavors.  There are notes of orange, tangerine, lemon zest, crackery biscuit, a hint of coriander, and soft caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium in body and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Oberon Eclipse is very crisp, yet smooth with a dry, clean, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: Those citrusy and crisp notes of the are perfect for crushing to the heavy-duty goodness of Ozzy's rich vocals, Lee's killer hooks and riffs, Alridge's thunderous drumming, Daisley's bold bass work, and Airey's ethereal keys, while the smooth drinkability is great for the rockin' accessibility of the album!  

Cheers and hails!!