Poison Was the Cure

Timeless. If you look closely, Vic is rockin’ the skinny tie. What does that mean? I have no clue.

So you had a pretty good idea that Rust in Peace would be #2 in my “Classic Metal albums of all time, eh? I didn’t. I had to think about it for a good, long while. I thought about it being number one, and you could make a serious argument for it. In fact, I’d probably call it 1a. I can do that, right? It’s my own damn blog, and I’m going to call it 1a. Suck it!

I mean, look at the artwork. Yeah, if artwork alone earned you top billings, most of these albums would be Iron Maiden albums. Which leaves me to wonder: if Eddie and Vic Rattlehead got into a fight, who would win? Vic to me seems more like the thinker, always one step ahead, that crazy mofo. Eddie doesn’t seem to have the smarts, but he seems to me someone who doesn’t care much for thinking, anyway. I’d place my money on the thinker, but that’s just me.

Best Barleywine of 2011. Fo’ Sho’.

So on a cold, winter’s day, I decided to pop open a barleywine. Winter is totally the time for a barleywine.  It’s warm, malty presence is balanced by the chill winds that know no warmth. If I had a smoking jacket, I’d totally be sitting by the fireplace (again, something else I would need) listening to the album. This barleywine is by Dry Dock brewing, located in Aurora, CO. It’s barrel-aged, malty, bourbony, and deliciously evil. Definitely an English style barleywine, as the hops don’t really overpower. The biggest challenge was holding on to that 2011 bottle long enough to let it age, but then I became a bit impatient came to my senses. Drink it already!

Back to the album:
It seems like sacrilege to go through all of the title tracks and their obvious greatness, especially if you know the album as well as I do. Rust In Peace + Hangar 18 is arguably the greatest 1/2 opening to start an album in existence. Marty Friedman’s stylistic genius comes through loud and clear.

Some consider the middle of the album flyover country, but those who do are idiots. Take No Prisoners, Five Magics, and Poison Was The Cure show the great blend of artistry and musicianship that Mustaine, Ellefson, Menza, and Friedman will always be known for. (Speaking of, what’s Marty Friedman up to nowadays?)

Lucretia is a straight up metal groove. Funky. Love the guitar intro. Actually, I could say this about all the songs on this album. They set up nicely. Tornado of Souls continues to be an under-appreciated classic.

And then…SOMETHING HAPPENED!

INSPIRATION!

Thermal count is rising
In perpetual writhing
The primordial ooze
And the sanity they lose

Awakened in the morning
To more air pollution warnings
Still we sleepwalk off to work
While our nervous systems jerk

Pretending not to notice
How history had forebode us
With the green house in effect
Our environment was wrecked

Now, I can only laugh
As I read our epitaph
We end our lives as moles
In the dark of dawn patrol

The setup. Fancy, isn’t it?

Why not brew a barleywine? Why not call it, “Dawn Patrol”?  Done, and done. This past Saturday, my wife and I got to work.

I briefly thought about naming it “Polaris”, from Rust in Peace (which, btw, puts the final bookend on a great, great album), but my wife reminds me that Polaris is also a utility vehicle company. I assured her that most would get the reference, but, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that she was right…I guess.

Anyway, back to Dawn Patrol. It’s an American Barleywine that should end up at about 11.5% abv. Something to sip by the fireplace as you ponder your place in the universe. It features Amarillo and El Dorado hops. Here’s the recipe. (That’s right, a gift to you. From me!)

Fermentables:

Look at that! 1.094 OG. Nice.

8 lbs Pale Liquid Extract

4 lbs Amber Liquid Extract

1.5 lbs 10L Crystal Malt

1 lb Dextrine

0.50 lbs Flaked Wheat

 Hops:

1 oz El Dorado (60 minutes)

1 oz Amarillo (60 minutes)

1 oz El Dorado (30 minutes)

1 oz Amarillo (15 minutes)
1 oz Willamette (5 minutes)

2 oz El Dorado (dry hop)

 Yeasts:

Wyeast 1056

Red Star Champagne Yeast

We added the grains prior to the start of the boil, then brought it up to temperate (170°F), added the malts, brought it back to a boil, and then proceeded with the hop schedule. The OG isn’t where we wanted it, mostly because we didn’t lose any extra water. No biggie, we boiled up another 2 lbs of Amber Liquid Extract to get it up to where it needed to be.

That’s it for now. Soon, it will be ready to bottle, and ready to consume sometime early next winter. My friends should get an early taste of it during Dark Lord Day.