September 21st, 2024 - Cerberus Rattles the Cage

 

Hello and happy Saturday my rocking, rolling, and craft beer drinking friends!  The Meista here with another killer pairing for ya!  This one is with "Rattle The Cage", the latest kick-ass album by legendary rockers The Rods and a tasty and bold Cerberus Belgian Strong Golden Ale from my friend at Gossorino Brewing (featuring Luiz Cortez)!  Hells yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: The Rods
• Title: "Rattle The Cage"
• Recorded: 2023 
• Release date: January 19th, 2024 (10th full-length studio album by The Rods)
• Record company: Massacre Records
• Production: The Rods
• Album cover art: Mark Rizzo
• Personnel: Carl Canedy (drums and backing vocals), David "Rock" Feinstein (guitars and lead vocals), and Freddy Villano (bass)
• Guest musician: Lonnie Park (keyboards)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, hard rock
• Sound: Straight-forward, heavy-hitting rockin' metal, the sound on "Rattle The Cage" is pure, high adrenaline, classic The Rods!  Nothing flashy... just ass-kicking metal!  These guys know how to rock and rock... hard!  This album will get your heartrate up, your fists pumping, and your head banging!
• Major themes: Rock and roll, heavy metal, life, rebellion, perseverance, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Now And Forever"
2. "Wolves At The Door"
3. "Cry Out Loud"
4. "Rattle The Cage"
5. "Can't Slow Down"
6. "Metal Highways"
7. "Hell Or High Water"
8. "Play It Loud"
9. "Shockwave"
10. "Hearts Of Steel"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Gossorino Brewing (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://gossorinobrewing.com/
• Brew: Cerberus Belgian Strong Golden Ale
• Style: Belgian Strong Golden Ale
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.6%
• IBUs: 22
• Ingredients: Pilsner, Biscuit, Aromatic, and Acid malts with Candi syrup, ginger, seeds of paradise and coriander, and hopped with Styrian Golding and Saaz then fermented with Fermentis Safbrew 256
• Pour: The Cerberus pours a slightly cloudy, goldenrod hue with a frothy, half-finger, bright white head that slowly dissipates to a thin ring with light, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, spicy, and malty.  There are aromas of soft fruit esters (pear, apple, and a hint of banana), hints of ginger, coriander, and seeds of paradise, sourdough bread, light honey, and light booze.
• Taste: The taste of the Cerberus follows the nose with notes of sweet and spiced fruits, bready malts, and a hint of booze.  There are notes of pear syrup, green apple, orange zest, Belgian yeast, coriander, light ginger, and white pepper, rich honey, and a boozy finish.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Cerberus is very crisp and effervescent with a highly attenuated dry, peppery, and boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The Gossorino Cerberus is a wonderfully complex, flavorful, and delicious brew with loads of intense flavors that go great with the hard rockin' metal stylings of The Rods!  Those sweeter fruit flavors go well with the soaring guitars, and the spices lend themselves well to the thunderous bass riffs, while the boozy bite is right in line with the intense drumming, vocals, and lyrical content!  And of course, the Cerberus imagery on both the bottle and the album cover look great together!

Make sure to check out my interview with legendary The Rods drummer Carl Canedy here: https://youtu.be/wI4JP53p8Ws

Cheers and hails!!