What happens when comic book heroes and villains get old?
Ask Donald Soffritti.

This is actually pretty funny.

What do you know? Its black. Its super black. Black as night.

Did I mention that its BLACK?

There’s no foolin’, Dark Horse (Marshall, Michigan) named this beer properly. Reserve Special Black Bier Ale.

Its interesting in that they don’t actually consider it a stout. It could probably pass as one, though. Its dark, it has a pretty weighty mouthfeel. There’s a real roasty flavor to this beer, and a bitter chocolate malt flavor that hits you in the palate and doesn’t let up.

That said, after sipping on it for a while, you can tell that it doesn’t quite fit into the typical stout mold, and surely you know that everyone here at BeerandComics is okay with that.

Maybe its that it lacks the maltiness that usually comes with a stout, or that what sweetness there is from the malt is almost totally obscured by the dark, roasty flavors.

Maybe they just didn’t want to call it a stout. Who knows?

Either way, its really good for a cold day, and hey, 65º and rainy is cold for July, okay?

7/10

As my first beer of Michigan Beer Month, I’m having a bottle of Final Absolution from Dragonmead in Warren.

This Belgian-style trippel ale is one I warn people about. It is an outstanding beer, delicious, complex, and highly drinkable. It is also a lot stronger than it seems at first. Its one that while very easy to drink, its a strong 10% ABV. It sneaks up on you.

It pours with a little bit of head that quickly dissipates, but what you first notice is the aroma. There are spicy notes in there; a great Belgian character. Definitely clove, but not as much banana as some Belgians.

The first sip dances on your tongue. Vanilla, tiny bits of citrus, and more banana than the nose gives away. There’s absolutely a candy sugar in there as well, since its sweet without being a highly malty-tasting beer.

This beer is golden heaven in a bottle, and I recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys a good belgian – or who just loves Michigan beer.

10/10

So, thanks to the Michigan Brewer’s Guild, July is Michigan Beer Month!

In honor of that, I would like to point out that you can see all of our Michigan Beer reviews here.

As part of Michigan Beer Month, I will also be reviewing a whole slew of Michigan beers. Some are new, some are old favorites, but all are made right here in our home state.

There are too many great breweries in this state, it almost isn’t fair. But if you’re just getting started, check out the following:
Bells Brewing.
Founder’s.
Arcadia Brewing Company.
Dark Horse.
Dragonmead.
Hopcat.
Kuhnhenn.
The Livery.
New Holland.
Shorts.
And that’s just naming a few favorites. There is all kind of great beer to be had in Michigan, so lets enjoy them. Cheers!

I guess tonight is a “comics bloggers love” night for me.

First Warren, and now Val D’Orazio, better known as the Occasional Superheroine.

I love her blog, but what brings me to mention it tonight is something she wrote about for her column for Comixology, called Comics Op. She recently wrote a piece on rumors and the comics industry, called Rumors, Vicious Rumors. She opened up for submissions, and I gave my input, my two cents on the matter.

She included some insight from people far more influential than I in that article, but had some spillover of submissions, which she posted on her blog. Among them was what I had to say on the subject of gossip of a personal nature in the industry:
Read more…