Ross E. Lockhart's Blog, page 59
October 11, 2011
Мои твиты
A Fungus Among Us: William Hope Hodgson's "The Voice in the Night"
We at Night Shade Books are no strangers to Hodgson's body of work. "The Voice in the Night" was included in Volume 3 of our definitive, five-volume series, The Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson. And while some volumes of the series are long out of print in hardcover (and fetching prohibitive prices on the secondary market), the full series has just been released for e-book platforms, and is now available both as individual volumes and as a five-volume bundle through WebScription.net, or as individual e-books through Amazon/Kindle (and soon at other e-book retailers):
Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson: Volume 1: The Boats of the "Glen Carrig" and Other Nautical Adventures
Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson: Volume 2: The House on the Borderland and Other Mysterious Places
Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson: Volume 3: The Ghost Pirates and Other Revenants of the Sea
Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson: Volume 4: The Night Land and Other Perilous Romances
Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson: Volume 5: The Dream of X and Other Fantastic Visions
If you are a fan of Weird Fiction, and have yet to check out William Hope Hodgson (a major influence on H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, among others), we invite you to check out The Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson and experience that delicious shiver of fear we know you crave.
October 10, 2011
Adult Beverage: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
I've had Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale recommended to me a few times lately. Not one to ignore a testimonial, not to mention being a fan of Dogfish Head's other offerings, I had to try it.
This one's "a full-bodied brown ale brewed with real pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, & nutmeg." And how can you not like the "punk" pumpkin on the bottleneck?
Feel lucky, punk? As a matter of fact, I do...
The moment I cracked open the bottle, Punkin Ale hit my sense of smell with the delightful sensation of pumpkin pie fresh out of the oven. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and plenty of pumpkin. Punkin pours a rich Halloween orange, with a thin, fluffy, tan head. Retention is a ring of eyes circling the glass, and lacing is minimal. Taste follows scent, adding brown sugar, allspice, pepper, and cloves to the pumpkin and nutmeg. Bready and yeasty, with quite a bit of carbonation. Some hoppy bitterness, but pumpkin and spice are primary. Smooth, dry finish. Would have paired nicely with a pumpkin pie from Petaluma Pie Company.
Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.
October 9, 2011
Adult Beverage: Double Dog Double Pale Ale
One of my biggest literary influences is Hunter S. Thompson. Progenitor of Gonzo journalism, unapologetic gun nut, and political raconteur, Doctor Thompson was a true American original. Flying Dog Brewery, originally of Aspen, CO, but now located in Frederick, MD, was started by Thompson's friend and neighbor George Stranahan, and has distinguished itself as a brewer of Adult Beverages that exemplify a particularly Gonzo attitude. Plus, Thompson's illustrator, British cartoonist Ralph Steadman, does their labels. Tonight, I'm trying a Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale, which even quotes Thompson on its label: "Good people drink good beer." Double Dog promises "to finish you off with a well-balanced, rich and full body, complete with a hint of sweetness." You don't need to double dog dare me to see how this one stacks up...
Double Dog pours a dark, robust orange with a thick, foamy white head like a whipped dessert topping. There's nothing pale about this ale. Great retention, with ghostly tendrils of lacing. Boozy on the nose--not unexpected with an 11.53% ABV--with sweet malt and citrus hops. Complex on the tongue: malt sugar, bitter piney hops, burnt caramel, and warm alcohol. Bitter and sweet dominate the experience, with a heavy mouthfeel and slight carbonation. Dry finish, hints of grapefruit, with long-lingering bitterness. Unique, with a lot of attitude and plenty of personality. Dangerously drinkable.
Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.
October 8, 2011
Adult Beverage: Hillbilly Blonde Ale
Everybody loves the Farmer's Daughter. She's one of those great stock characters of literature (and the subject of more than a few dirty jokes, usually involving a Traveling Salesman). Depending in the needs of the narrative, she can be plucky, optimistic, and naïve, or seductive, manipulative, and dangerous.
One of my favorite versions of the Farmer's Daughter story--perfect for Halloween, by the way--is Gene Wolfe's "Lord of the Land," a Lovecraftian tale of family values gone horribly wrong (with the requisite Farmer's Daughter and a soul-sucking elder thing). And it's just one of the twenty-seven tales of tentacles, madness, and terror I collected in the anthology The Book of Cthulhu.
But this is about an Adult Beverage, specifically Pale Horse Brewing's Hillbilly Blonde Ale, complete with a stereotypical Farmer's Daughter on the label. I'm always game to try a brew with a pinup. And I enjoyed Pale Horse's Hopyard Dog IPA, so I'm willing to give this one a shot...
Hillbilly Blonde pours bright, pale, peachy yellow with a fluffy white head. Nice retention, but no notable lacing. Grassy honey and malt on the nose, with a touch of peach. Bright and cereal-sweet on the tongue, with plenty of malt and fruit, but an uncomfortable yeastiness at the back of the throat. Heavy mouthfeel, syrupy. Bitter finish with perfume-y aftertaste. A little bland. Not a lot of character. Alas, Hillbilly Blonde left me wishing she were instead a Hillbilly Redhead, with just a little more attitude.
Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.
