Read This, Drink That #1

Read this: 

Drink that:

It’s dark. You’re relying on your other senses to guide you through something that was once familiar, but now has you upside down. You thought you were prepared, thought you knew what to expect. You’ve gotten yourself in so deep that you can only now see a shimmer of the light in the blackness and you wonder whether it might just be easier to keep your eyes closed when that blindfold comes off. When you take that final sip and put the book down, the darkness fades as the blindfold is lifted.

This isn’t the G.I. Joe you remember and this doesn’t behave like a Black IPA you’ve had before. Chuckles doesn’t just stand silently on the sidelines and Blindfold isn’t relying on heavy hops to cover for roasted bitterness. Welcome to G.I. JOE: COBRA: The Last Laugh by Mike Costa, Christos Gage and Antonio Fuso and get ready to forget everything you thought you knew about America’s daring highly-trained special mission force. Say “hello” to Sierra Nevada’s Blindfold Black IPA and make sure to sip it in whispers.

COBRA is a noir spy-thriller that certainly gets darker and darker as the protagonist, Chuckles goes deep undercover to infiltrate a theorized organization that is only mentioned in hushed tones. Along the way through various missions across the globe the reader is introduced to the various capos and lieutenants serving in this furtive syndicate. It’s quickly clear the mission is not going according to plan and in order to maintain some semblance of order, Chuckles is willing to go very far into the deep end of the pool. The art more than just keeps the mood appropriately dark, Antonio Fuso renders figures and locales with such a wonderfully subtle grit that casually reminds the reader what a bleak world this is. Clever layouts never overshadow the quality of his storytelling ability, with the symmetry of the first Special issue featuring duplicitous characters outside and inside really standing out. Once he’s made some choices that cannot be undone, Chuckles begins to psychology scavenge for his moral center before he drowns. Watching it unfold takes a toll on you. Often you’re clueless as to who knows what, when they knew it, what they’re going to do with it and why. It’s nothing at all like you’re expecting and it is an absolute pleasure to discover this new world (and new world order) brought to life by Costa, Gage and Fuso. In the end it’s a straightforward spy story, but the journey Chuckles and you the reader take into the rabbit hole has you constantly wondering if we’ll all come out the other side; and if so, are we the same as when we entered?

Blanketed in darkness is an undercover light-bodied, citrusy IPA trying not to be found out. Typically the style relies on its contrasting blend of hop bitterness and dark roasted malts to overwhelm the senses. But Sierra Nevada isn’t covering up for the natural bitterness found in those roasted grains and instead uses those to compliment the more subtle (for this style) hop bitterness. Much like Chuckles, this ale is trying to fit into the seedy underbelly of the Black IPA crowd, but deep inside, you’ll find an unexpected lightness leading the way. Floral notes on the nose and medium body mouth feel end in a fantastic bitter chocolate bite for the finish.

Cheers.