Novel-length

• Zombie by J. R. Angelella
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
• The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg et al
• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Graphic Novels & Children’s Books

• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik
• The Homeland Directive by Robert Venditti
• The Death-Ray by Daniel Clowes
• Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstien
• Lost Trail: Nine Days Alone in the Wilderness by Donn Fendler
• The Bipollo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss

My current reading selection is Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell, which will end up being book number one for February.  I also checked Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem out from the library; I will read it once I’m finished with Ms. Vowell.

4.43/5
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I received this bottle as part of a mystery 6 pick my wife picked up at a local Whole Foods; included were some Brooklyn, Dogfish and Mission Street beers, plus this one, the only one in the pack I had never tried. The bottle has been chilling in my cellar. It is marked best by April (I’ll assume in 2012).

The beer is translucent and colored dark copper. A large off white foam head fills the top portion of my pint glass. As it settles, lots of lacing is left behind. There is some visible carbonation within the glass, but it is hard to see.

The beer has a big, earthy hop aroma. I could smell the hops as soon as I opened the bottle; it only became more strong as I poured. The hops come across as somewhat oily. The are notes of grass and forests, but there isn’t a strong pine presence.

This is a tasty IPA. Hops are strong and present throughout each sip, but they aren’t overpowering. This is a hoppy IPA, but nowhere near DIPA levels. Some sweetness is also present, but it works well with the hops. Lots of earthy flavors are present, mirroring the aroma.

The beer isn’t very sticky. The hops are a little oily and provide a lot of tingling sensations. Coating is small, but does have some good hop flavors.

I like this IPA. Since it was a beer I was unfamiliar with, I will say that I am both surprised and impressed. I will have to drink this one again.

Allagash/New Belgium Vrienden (Portland Version) – 4.43/5

look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This bottle has been in my cellar since the day it was released at the Allagash Brewery. I’m serving it in an Allagash flute at a chilly temperature.

The beer has a very light copper color; it’s nearly tan. There is a great number of tiny bubbles rising within the beer. A rather large white foam head rests on top. It has settled some—leaving behind a few rings of foamy lace—but it still over a finger in thickness.

Vrienden has a grassy farmhouse funk aroma. I believe some of the grassiness comes from the hops, but I imagine that at least a portion is from the dandelion greens added to the brew. The funkiness is mild, but prevalent enough to let you know that you are in for a beer that lives on the wild side.

This beer comes across as very tart. Lots of grass and floral flavors are tasted first. Powdered sugar sweetness comes in next, but it is quickly overshadowed but the tart flavors. The tartness has a slight citrus quality to it (like a lemon), but there isn’t any of the grapefruit flavors you find in some hoppy beers. It provides a welcome fruitiness to the beer without making it taste like a fruit beer.

This beer has a fuller body and plenty of carbonation—the bottle opened with a resounding POP. A touch of stickiness is left on the lips; the coating left within my mouth is also sticky. It is a thin coat and is holds onto some of the tart flavors. Some puckering is felt by the beer; but as a drink more of it, the physical reaction grows less strong with each sip.

This is another impressive wild ale from Allagash. I’m a little sad that I only have one bottle of this left, but I bet there are still a few kegs of Vrienden sitting in the brewery. I would certainly order a glass if I saw it offered.

I’m also looking for any suggestions you have for books I should check out.  Leave a comment with your recommendations!

B+ / 3.85
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I picked a bottle of this up at Oak Hill Beverage today and popped it right into the fridge. There’s no date on the bottle, but since this beer premiered on shelves earlier this week, I know it’s fresh. Being the new brewery in the Riverside Industrial Park, I’m pouring this beer into a logo pint glass of their neighbor Allagash.

The beer is translucent yellow with some orange tones. Plenty of carbonation bubbles cling to the sides of my glass. The head is egg shell colored and about a finger thick. It has settled down to a modest layer of foam that caps the liquid. Swirling the beer coats the glass with a tiny film and some patchy foam.

The aroma has some fruity and grassy hops. Some pale and grainy malts are also present.

This lager has a solid flavor profile. A slight sweetness has hints of toffee. The hops are grassy and provide a basic level of bitterness that compliments the style nicely. A good balance of the sweet and bitter flavors linger on after I swallow; they provide a earthiness that is a nice ending.

This beer certainly has a fuller body than any mass produced lager that comes in a can. A good level of carbonation plays games on my tongue and really foams up if I swish the beer around in my mouth. The coating is a little stickier than I’d like, as are my lips, but this is a minor complaint.

I enjoy this beer. I hope it succeeds, as Southern Maine breweries who make golden beers exclusively don’t have the best track record (any remember Sparhawk or Growstown?). Brewing in accordance to the German Purity Law is an admirable goal. I’m excited to see what else Bull Jagger can create. There are some fine products coming out of the Riverton Industrial Park; Portland Lager fits in with them nicely.

Atlantic Brewing Foonf Zane Auld Ale

B+ / 3.93
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I’ve had this bottle in my cellar since July 2009. I’ve poured it into a Delirium Noël snifter.

The beer has a dark ruby color. The head was a small layer of an and pinkish bubbles and foam. It settled quickly to a skim. Swirling the glass leaves an oily slick behind on the walls of the glass. Patchy foam slides down the walls and back into the beer.

Still a strong sweet aroma to this beer. Crystal sugar, toffee and plum scents are all present. A little bit of residual alcohol is mixed in as well.

This old ale has a typical dry, peaty flavor. Toffee flavors are present, but not as strong as in the nose. Malt syrup flavors are present in the back end. There is only a touch of alcohol in the finish.

This beer isn’t very sticky, but it does leave a decent coating on the inside of my mouth. Carbonation is low.

This is an enjoyable old ale. It seems to have aged well, although it has been a long time since I had it fresh—before I started reviewing beers. If you find yourself up in Maine and see a bottle, it would be a good one to bring home and drink later, once you’ve started missing Maine.

In some related news, Nissa got me three books on homebrewing as birthday gifts.  An introductory reference book published by the Brewers Association, a book of advanced homebrewing techniques, and a book about growing your own hops and malt grains!

Today’s Toothpaste for Dinner comic hits home.

B+ / 4
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
In honor of IPA Day, I’m reviewing a new to me beer. A chilled bottle is poured into a pint glass. A big foam tan head rests atop of a clear light brown liquid. The serving temperature has caused my glass to fog up, but wiping away the condensation reveals some spare rising carbonation. The settling head leaves behind some good lacing.

The beer has a good hop aroma. It’s not too strong, but it is unmistakeably bitter. The hops are crisp and forest-like.

The beer has a tasty, solid flavor that is both true to style and very enjoyable. Floral hops mask a slight crystal sugar sweetness. The malts evolve into more of a brown sugar flavor, as the hops become more bitter, slightly oily, and piney. A bitter resin and a touch of alcohol linger on after swallowing.

Medium body and medium carbonation give the body a standard feel. The lack of stickiness and a coat that retains the bitterness well pushes the mouthfeel into the above average category.

I like this IPA a lot. I’ve had limited experience with Mercury and the Ipswich line, but this beer impressed me. I would certainly drink more of it—I’ll go as far to say that I will purchase a 6 pack next time I’m in Massachusetts. If you are able to, you should give this beer a try.

B+ / 3.88
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A chilled bottle is split between two mini pint glasses. I’ll admit that I bought this beer simply because of the label. Skeleton in a sombrero! If you are familiar with the album art for Ry Cooder’s Chicken Skin Music, you’ll know why I like this label so much.

Hazy straw colored liquid has a thin white foam head. It settles to a skim with a few large bubbles mixed in. Swirling the beer causes the head to foam back up. It also leaves a few spots of foam on the walls of the glass.

The beer has a decent wheat aroma. I’m not sure if I am smelling any agave nectar, as I don’t know what it smells like. There certainly isn’t any odor of death rot, despite what the label lead me to believe.

This beer has a very interesting taste. There is certainly plenty of wheat, with some banana and crystal sugars. There is a spiciness that is unlike other beers I’ve had. It has a real kick at the finish that reminds me slightly of tequila. It’s probably just because I know there is agave in there that I make this connection. Either way, I like it.

Medium body and carbonation. The tongue is tickled a lot by the beer—once again, probably the agave nectar at work. Not much coat or stickiness to mention.

I really enjoy this beer. It’s nice and refreshing. If it were readily available here in Maine, I think I’d drink a lot of this during the summer. If you have a chance to try this one, I recommend it!

A- / 4.13
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I picked up a can of this beer a couple of weeks ago while in Massachusetts. It has been sitting in my cellar, but I popped it into the fridge to chill it slightly before pouring. It’s poured into my Lion’s Pride snifter.

The beer is very clear and colored dark orange. The occasional carbonation bubble can be seen rising form the bottom of the glass. The head is slightly darker than pure white, and foamy. Great lacing as the head recedes. Swirling the glass leaves a foamy film coating the sides. It’s very pretty.

Warm alcohol and warmer hops make up the aroma. Sweet citrus hops are predominant. It certainly smells bigger than a regular IPA, but I would believe you if you told me it belonged to a hoppy barleywine.

While this beer tastes hoppy, it isn’t as powerful as the nose lead me to believe…there’s also a lot of maltiness here. Some sweet grains make themselves known, but the bitter hops fight for dominance, and end up winning, completely taking over by the time I swallow. Warm alcohol is there after I swallow. I guess there is a little bit of oak mixed in as well, but I don’t find it to be very strong. Still, a tasty beverage.

This beer, while not heavy, does have a heavier than normal body. Carbonation is high, but it does foam up a lot in my mouth (maybe I should have let it chill a bit longer). There is some stickiness, but it is easily ignored. Plenty of warmth is provided by the alcohol, and it also provides a sharp bite, along with the hops.

This is a pretty enjoyable DIPA. It’s a bit strong, so I wouldn’t end up having too many of these. Also, it has to make the long journey across the country for me to enjoy it. I find there are comparable beers more local to me. I’ll probably choose them in the future, but if I do find myself back in 21rst Amendment’s distribution area, I wouldn’t skip over this beer.