Come along for the ride as an anonymous detective in an unnamed city pursues an apocryphal artifact stolen by an unknown nemesis for who-knows-what dark purpose. Oh, and beer. Lots of beer. This noir satire leaves no trope untrammeled, careening through situations and meeting characters that range from the ridiculous to the ridiculous. What starts as a simple case of retrieving a valuable recipe for a wealthy brewer quickly goes off the rails with backstory tangents and intrusive side stories. In due course this seemingly straightforward job becomes a mission to prevent an alcohol-related disaster of epic proportions. Fantastic elements abound, including-but not exclusive to-magic, spiritism and sci-fi. The Case of the India Pale Ale first appeared on a series of I.P.A. labels for Buzzards Bay Brewing in 2010. The story has been expanded into a novel, albeit a short, unnecessarily confusing and vindictively digressive one.