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Monthly Archives: December 2014

Book Review – Ilium, by Dan Simmons

29 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by mrericness in Book Reviews, Sci-Fi

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Book Review, Dan Simmons, Ilium/Olympos, Sci-Fi

I first read Dan Simmons earlier this year when I picked up Hyperion. I enjoyed the author’s writing style as he mixed a lot of different genres into the same “medium” Sci Fi narrative while heavily referencing other literary works (most notably the poetry of John Keats and the Canterbury Tales) to shape his story. I knew I wanted to read more of him and the Ilium/Olympos duology seemed like the most interesting next step for me.

Plot Summary: The action in this story takes place a few thousand years in the future and is split across three separate groups. These groups cover a lot of ground in both time and space but converge towards the end.

First we are introduced to a late 20th/early 21st century classics professor named Thomas Hockenberry. Much to his confusion and frustration, he has been reanimated from his DNA in an indeterminate time by beings that appear to be the gods of classical Greece. Their purpose in bringing him back is so he can observe Greek armies laying siege to Troy in a manner seemingly lifted from the pages of Homer’s Iliad. Using advanced technology provided by these gods, Hockenberry, along with a few others, is ordered to hide amongst the warring soldiers and report to a vengeful Muse how the action he observes matches the story he knew in his previous life. As the books opens, Hockenberry is in his ninth year of service and has been summoned to Mount Olympos where he is recruited for a special mission. This assignment, however, quickly leads to many unexpected events that could potentially change the course of the battle and threaten the fates of many Greek and Trojan heroes.

We are then taken to a large social gathering on Earth and through some of the attendees introduced to a planet that has undergone many changes. Most of the population has either been wiped out in a plague many years earlier or evolved into beings called “post-humans” that have left the surface of the planet behind and transferred their consciousness and biological data into structures located within a system of polar and equatorial rings built in Earth’s orbit. Left behind is a small population of “old-style humans” who live in a stagnant society. While they are able to make use of some of the technological advancements made by previous generations, these old-style humans have little desire to further their own advancement or even question their surroundings enough to travel beyond a few hundred fixed stations offering instantaneous transport. Most of the needs of daily life like cooking and cleaning are done by automated service robots leftover from previous ages and taken for granted by the largely complacent population. Also watching over these humans are strange creatures called voynix that appeared sometime in the past from unknown origins and have come to life to protect humans from the dangers of an increasingly untamed planet. The action here follows a small group of friends drawn together by a man named Harman whose radical ideas and knowledge of forgotten arts inspire them to seek answers to some of the mysteries of their world. This journey soon takes them outside the sheltered confines they had known as certain discoveries shake the foundations their existence has been built upon.

The final perspective offered in this story comes from two sentient biomechanical entities named Mahnmut and Orphu. These beings are collectively referred to as Moravecs and are descended from units long ago dispatched from Earth to explore the solar system. Mahnmut and Orphu are stationed on the moons of Jupiter and are part of a large consortium of similar entities scattered across the outer planets. As the story opens they find themselves assigned to a team dispatched to Mars to investigate inexplicable quantum disruptions and signs of a massive and rapid terraforming project. When the mission suffers a major setback they find themselves struggling for survival amongst strange little green men and powerful hostile beings, to say nothing of the war zone they encounter.

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December at Night Shift

28 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by mrericness in Beer Reviews

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Night Shift Brewing

December has been a very busy month over at Night Shift. Every so often, the good folks there go on a streak where they start dropping a whole lot of new beers on us, and this month has been one of those times.   One week to the day after the latest batch of Bean Porter became available, the much anticipated Mainer Weiss was released in the taproom, followed the next day by the sixth Barrel Society release, and by Fallen Apple the day after that. In case those three weren’t enough, they put out an IPA the following Tuesday for good measure. That’s a whole lot to get in around the holidays, so let’s get drinking!

Beer Name: Mainer Weiss

Brewer: Night Shift Brewing

Style: Berliner Weiss

ABV: 5.6%

Description: Berliner Weiss aged with wild Maine blueberries and cinnamon sticks

Pour Info: 8 oz. pour from the tap into a flute glass.

Price: $5 for an 8 ounce pour.

Appearance: Purplish with some bubbly white lacing across the top sides.

Smell: Blueberries dominate with sweet, tart, and funky aromas.

Taste: Follows the smell. Again, all those blueberries come out quite nicely. The beer starts out tart up front and sweetens a bit in the middle and finish. You get the berries throughout, but they really come through at the end.

Mouth Feel: Slightly medium bodied with a little bit of fizz and thick finish.

Hype Factor: Fairly high. The Weiss series played a big role in the development of Night Shift’s reputation, so I was definitely eager to check this one out.

Overall: This might be my favorite of the Weiss series. Lots of complimentary sweet/tart flavors going on and the blueberries really give it a unique finish.

mainer weiss

Beer Name: Fallen Apple

Brewer: Night Shift Brewing

Style: Golden Ale

ABV: 8.2%

Description: Brewed with local apple cider and holiday spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, and allspice). Aged in rum barrels.

Pour Info: Poured from tap into a 12 ounce tulip glass.

Price: $8 for 12 ounces.

Appearance: Pours a golden brown apple juice like color. Thick yet fizzy white head.

Smell: Faint whiff of apple cider upfront. Followed quickly by those holiday spices and finishes with a hint of rum.

Taste: The spice taste dominates the beer from the start- perhaps too much spice. Tastes of rum and a little bit of cider to follow and then it transitions to a slightly boozy vanilla finish. These all blend together a bit more as the beer warms with the spices mellowing somewhat into a vanilla and rum ending.

Mouth Feel: The head is pleasantly fizzy. The body was medium/thin with some bubbly carbonation on the finish.

Hype Factor: Fairly high. This was a beer I had just missed out on last year and it sounded interesting.

Overall: This wasn’t the beer for me. I typically don’t enjoy holiday spice bombs and this was no exception. For my tastes it was overly spiced and maybe a bit too much heat on the end for what it was. There were people there that seemed to be really into it though, so to each their own. I personally would pass on having this again.

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Beer Name: Big Dipper

Brewer: Night Shift Brewing

Style: Wine Style Rye Beer

ABV: 11.9%

Description: The penultimate beer in the 2014 Barrel Society lineup. Label calls it a rye wine-style ale aged in Nicaraguan rum barrels.

Pour Info: Poured from the tap into a flute glass.

Price: $5 for an 8 ounce pour.

Appearance: Light brown/reddish caramel coloring. The tiniest bit of lacing on the rims but really no head to speak of.

Smell: Sweet, perhaps malty with a good amount of dark fruit.

Taste: Start to middle has a lot of sweet malts, maple syrup, and brown sugar tastes. Rum comes through on the finish as does a rye taste that combines with just a touch of bitterness. As the beer warms the sweetness diminishes just a bit as the rum and rye are drawn out a bit more.

Mouth Feel: Thick with very little in the way of carbonation.

Hype Factor: High. Night Shift has put out some awesome beers for their society members this year and this one sounded too good to miss.

Overall: Wow, this beer is a sipper for sure but damn is it good. The sweetness really works in this beer and rather than being too cloying or overpowering it complements the other tastes quite well. It packs a bit of a punch, but I hope to get some more of this before it runs out. Awesome brew.

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Beer Name: The 87

Brewer: Night Shift Brewing

Style: IPA

ABV: 5.5%

Description: IPA with big citrus flavors and resiny, piney finish.

Pour Info: Tapped earlier that day and poured into a sampling snifter.

Price: $2.50 for 4 oz. OK, I’ll admit that this was all I was up for following the Big Dipper.

Appearance: Light and golden.

Smell: Light smell of grapefruit and piney hops.

Taste: Grapefruit and mild citrus upfront. Piney bitterness on the finish. Pretty juicy. A somewhat familiar profile to other Night Shift IPAs.

Mouth Feel: Medium bodied and medium carbonation.

Hype Factor: Moderate. We already covered my thoughts on Night Shift’s IPAs in my review of Monroe last week; however, I’m always going to try them.

Overall: Not a bad beer but very typical of previous IPAs released by Night Shift. Would happily drink it to round out a flight or if I needed to bring a growler somewhere but overall it’s pretty much a par for the course IPA.

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And that is all for now. There’s one last 2014 Barrel Society beer to look forward to as December winds down, so until then, cheers and happy holiday wishes!

Night Shift Bean Porter Release Party

12 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by mrericness in Beer Reviews

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Night Shift Brewing

Wednesday I headed over to Night Shift brewery for the release of their Bean Porter. To celebrate they were giving away free mugs to the first 300 people that were able to come down and drink one. The place was pretty packed, but, thanks to my work day ending just a bit earlier that the standard, I ended up getting there in time for the mug and got to enjoy some great beer. Let’s take a look at what was pouring:

Beer: Bean Porter

Brewery: Night Shift Brewing

Style: Porter

ABV: 7.0%

Description: A porter aged in bourbon barrels with coffee beans and vanilla.

Pour Info: Poured from draft line into my mug. Seeing as this was the release party, the beer was about as fresh as you can get. $8 to fill the mug.

Appearance: Dark brown body with a foamy tan head.

Smell: Coffee! Lots of fresh coffee!

Taste: Big coffee taste upfront. Followed by some very slight roasted tastes and chocolately notes that blend into a hint of vanilla on the finish.

Mouth Feel: This was a bit thinner than I had expected it to be as it was on the lower side of medium bodied. Low carbonation.

Hype Factor: I was a big fan of the previous release, so I had high exectations.

Overall: The beer did not disappoint. The coffee notes were fantastic and it had just the right amount of roastiness for me. A pleasure to drink, I’ll be back for more of this.

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Book Review – Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding

08 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by mrericness in Book Reviews, Sci-Fi

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Book Review, Chris Wooding, Sci-Fi, Steampunk, Tales of the Ketty Jay

Time to get going on the other half of this blog’s mission and take on a book review.  No spoilers.

Title: Retribution Falls

Author: Christopher Wooding

Genre: SciFi/Fantasy/Steampunk

Background: This is my first time reading Chris Wooding. I do not recall exactly how I came across this book, but it had been kicking around on my reading list for at least a few months. Turns out this is the first installment in an ongoing series called The Tales of the Ketty Jay.

Plot Summary: The book introduces us to Captain Darian Frey and the ragtag crew of his airship, the Ketty Jay. Everyone on board, the captain included, has something from their past that they are running or hiding from. The crew consists of a formerly successful doctor undone by his alcoholism, an escaped slave from a hostile neighboring country, a newly recruited navigator with mysterious abilities, and an aristocratic practioner of the forbidden occult art of Daemonism (and his loyal golem). Supporting the crew are two fighter pilots, one a burned out Navy veteran, who is ill at ease with life outside his jet, and the other a young pilot whose fearless flying almost makes up for his complete lack of smarts. While the crew is neither close knit nor particularly successful, the Ketty Jay offers the individuals a means to keep one step ahead of the things they are trying to keep behind them.

The story gets going when Frey accepts a mission to pirate a freighter on behalf of a wealthy client offering a staggering payment. When the mission ends in disaster, it becomes apparent that Frey has been set up and become unwittingly involved in a scheme that reaches far beyond him and his crew. As the members of the Ketty Jay race to clear their names, they gradually learn to trust one another in order to confront the forces behind their failed raid. Interwoven into the story we get glimpses into the backgrounds of the characters that offer insights into the larger world Wooding has created and how they all came to find themselves on board the Ketty Jay.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed reading this book.  While it is not particularly deep, it instead offers plenty of action and narrow escapes making it entertaining steam opera fare.  The characters are developed enough to be engaging and the flashbacks enhance the story without feeling forced. I feel like there is potential here for this to become an entertaining series and will be keeping an eye out for the rest of the books as they become available at the local library.

The American Fresh Taproom at Assembly Row

02 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by mrericness in Beer Reviews

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Tags

American Fresh Taproom, Assembly Row, Assembly Square, Beer, Beer Review, Slumbrew, Somerville Brewing Company

For today’s review I’ll be looking at a place that I’ve been looking forward to for awhile, Slumbrew’s American Fresh Taproom at Assembly Row in Somerville, MA. So far I’ve hit it up on two occasions, the first on Sunday, November 22, which was at the end of its opening week and the second on Black Friday, November 28 as something to do before seeing a movie.

Location: For me, getting there was as easy as jumping on the Orange Line subway to the new Assembly Square stop and taking a brief walk. The taproom is set up as an outdoor beer garden and since this is Boston in November what that means in practice is a heated tent. It’s about a block away from all the shopping amenities of Assembly Row and is a great place to stop before seeing a movie as the beer selection and prices easily beat the theater bar (no to-go cups though).

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The Decor: Walking into the tent takes you out of the parking lot and storefronts and into the world of Slumbrew. Banners of their bottle label art are hanging overhead and plastic utensils , and napkins on each table are tucked snuggly inside their empty six pack boxes. For seating they have an open area with about a dozen or so tables set up. The tables typically seat two to four and are colorful folding chairs paired with basic tables. A few additional taller tables are at the edge of the floor for standing. There are also two small shops inside. The first is located opposite the entrance and sells some local foodstuffs like taza chocolate, local nuts, and jars of Fluffernutter that are also on the menu. The second is immediately to the left of the entrance and has Slumbrew merch, mostly shirts and glassware. Two spacious and very clean bathrooms are located between the two shops.

To the right of the entrance and across from the seating area is where the magic happens. The day’s offerings are listed on two large chalkboards, one for food and one for the tap list. The set up is vaguely reminiscent of a cafeteria system. Mixed food and beer orders are done on the left and the beer-only line forms down at the other end of the counter where there are also a few stools set up at a counter and more standing room space as well. Seemed like a pretty efficient system when I was there.

The Visit: My first visit was around 1:00 PM on the Sunday at the of their opening week which unfortunately for me meant that about half the beers (including the three I was most excited about – Yankee Swap 2013 & 2104 and Lobstah Killah) were kicked and one or two things on the menu weren’t available either. Slightly disappointing for sure but it’s a good sign for them that they got that much interest so quickly. I shook this off and ordered the Assembly Row Pale Ale and the daily charcuterie plate. The Pale Ale (review below) was fantastic and the charcuterie plate was a nice companion to my beers offering smoked chorizo, prosciutto, blue cheese crumbles, apple bread, mango cashews, and taza chocolate – all locally sourced. Everything on the plate was good; I personally could have done with a touch more chorizo but really when can’t you say that?

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Dessert was the taza chocolates from the plate with a Porter Square Porter to wash them down, which made for an excellent pairing. All told the two beers and food cost me about $26 ($13 for the food and roughly $6.50 per beer) which considering the proximity to Boston and the upscale shopping at Assembly Row isn’t too bad, especially for the beers.

My second visit was in the early evening on Black Friday, around 5:00 or 6:00 PM. No shopping for me, just stopping in to kill some time and grab a few drinks before meeting my wife after work for a movie. The taps were fully stocked this time (sans the 2013 Yankee Swap) and I got a hold of the Lobstah Killah and 2014 Yankee Swap that escaped me on my previous visit. Only had drinks this time out and both tasted great. It was a pretty chilly evening but the temperature inside the tent I found quite comfortable and well maintained which is a definite plus.

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The Ambiance: Between the tent, the colorful seating arrangements, overhead banners, and cafeteria feel of the ordering counter the place had kind of a funky makeshift vibe going on that was fun. Lots of good energy going on there and the staff was friendly and helpful as they all seemed to really enjoy what they were doing. Apparently the kitchen smoke alarm is located in a less than ideal position so whenever it goes off there is a rousing round of cheer and applause. The background music was a good mix that contributed to the good times and it was never inappropriately loud or dominating. No TVs here which I think was an excellent call. For people like me in there solo, cell data reception was working just fine – no problems with those Untappd check-ins here!

The clientele here is primarily younger professionals (think mid 20s through early 40s) though there were definite differences between my two visits. During my first visit, the place was probably half full with young families and their children probably taking a shopping break or on the way to or from Lego Land. That did make me feel a bit out of place coming for a few drinks on a Sunday afternoon since it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I’m pretty sure that was all in my head, as obviously no one minded. Maybe I’m just a bit jealous that all the kids got Slumbrew Frisbees AND the chance to go to Lego store, but I digress.

The second visit brought me into a pretty full house. Approximately the same age range of people minus the kids. I can’t deny that there was a slightly hipster vibe on both trips but overall the people in there all seemed to be in good spirits and enjoying the beers.

Impression: I know I’ll gladly end up here again but am not quite ready yet to make it into a regular stop the way Night Shift has become until the plans to expand the offerings and onsite brewing pan out. A few things I would like to see happen:

  1. Growlers – These will be available eventually pending license from the state
  2. Sample Flights – For those of us that can’t make up our minds
  3. Online updates about the menu and tap list

That said, I’m a fan of Slumbrew and think it’s really awesome that they finally got this opened up and seem to have wasted no time getting noticed. On Friday night I took a quick walk a few blocks around the taproom and this was easily the busiest bar/eatery I saw. The place feels very accessible and neighborly. I’m definitely going to keep an eye on this place. For an example of why, let’s take a look at two of the beers that really caught my attention.

Beer: Assembly Row Pale Ale

Brewery: Somerville Brewing Company (Slumbrew)

Style: Pale Ale

ABV: 9.2%

Description: New hoppy pale ale named for the new taproom.

Pour Info: On tap poured into a 12 oz. plastic cup.

Appearance: Pours a light golden amber with a fluffy white head.

Smell: Smell is slightly sweet with fresh hops.

Taste: Follows the hoppy sweetness of the smell. The sweet is more upfront followed by a nice blast of hops midway through to the finish. No hint of being 9%.

Mouth Feel: Thin side of medium with good carbonation.

Hype Factor: I had been a little disappointed that my first choice of beers were kicked, but this one was good enough to make up for that and then some.

Overall: This beer was quite good and I had to do a double take upon trying it to confirm that it really was 9.2% (though by the end I was slightly aware). Undoubtedly, I would stop in for one of these again. Would be fantastic if this turns out to be the house beer year-round.

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Beer: 2014 Yankee Swap

Brewery: Somerville Brewing Company (Slumbrew)

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 12.0%

Description: Second edition of their big winter stout series. This one was aged in Turkey Shore Distillery rum barrels.

Pour Info: 8 oz. pour from tap line into plastic cup.

Appearance: Dark and black with a thick tan head that had to be partially poured off on the fill. The head takes a few seconds before setting up to the top.

Smell: Rum/oak barrel and sweetness.

Taste: Very mellow considering how big this beer is. Has a slight molasses like sweetness and some oaky notes from the barrel. The rum is there in the background from start to finish and comes out more as the beer warms. These three tastes balance together quite well and in a very drinkable way.

Mouth Feel: Thick and creamy but very smooth going down.

Hype Factor: It eluded me once so I wasn’t about to pass it up when I saw it.

Overall: Really liked this though the 8 oz. pour was the perfect amount for me. Very smooth and enjoyable to drink. I’d get this again if I see it available.

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