I was exploring the small downtown of Rangeley, Maine, on Route 4 recently. The trip was meant to be more outdoorsy (fishing, kayaking) but as it was raining and windy, spending time on the water was not desirable. So hanging around downtown it would be.

Rangeley has a quaint downtown. Too quaint for its own good it seems- there were several stores, including an old-time pharmacy, that appeared to be in working order, but were actually closed down, and it appeared that no one knew what to do with them beyond that. A book store, one bar, and a couple gift stores rounded out the street. One place caught my eye though-Wilderness Wines. Although the store was in a rather nondescript house, it had a colorful poster with its name on the front of the house, with “Home of specialty beers and ales” written on it. I was curious, especially since there wasn’t much else to see downtown.

  Inside, the shop was tiny, enough for barely 10 shoppers to fit comfortably. It had white painted tin ceilings. Unfortunately, the service was not so good. I waited a while to cash out, due to the fact that the owner must have been on an extremely important phone call; there’s only so many times you can walk back and forth across a such a small room. On display there was a decent range of Scottish, British, and German beers; a lot I’ve never seen. It had a couple of bargain bins for wines, but the prices weren’t all that great. They also had a “sparkling” bin, “easily approachable” Chilean wines bin, a section of port, and dessert wines (I saw a few Muscatels in there; maybe another time.) There was also a good selection of reds.

  The beer I picked up was organic, called Wiesen Edel-Weisse, and it’s a hefeweizen-style beer, one of my personal favorite types of beer. It’s Bavarian, produced by a brewing company founded in 1872. The owners are directly descended from the first, Georg Schneider. I found it kind of heavy, and the taste of it didn’t totally appeal to me. I like beers that are more spicy. There was a strong aftertaste as well that wasn’t entirely pleasant.

The shop was preparing for a move down the street to a bigger store, so maybe the new location will bring about an improvement in their friendliness.

The store is located at 2419 Main St., in Rangeley, Maine.

You can visit http://www.rangeleymaine.com/shops.shtml for a listing of other shops in the Rangeley area.

I can’t go too long without one of my favorite drinks.

OK, so one of my favorite drinks is milk.

I used to drink many a White Russian, which I loved for its creamy taste. Not too long ago at a bridal shower, I discovered the Sombrero, which is the same drink, but without the vodka. (Much yummier!)

On my recent vacation, the Sombrero was my drink of choice, as I bought a bottle of Kahlua for the beach house, and it quickly became what I ordered as my free drink in Atlantic City casinos. (It might be tasty, but it sure wasn’t lucky. I came back with a little less money in my wallet!)

As I don’t buy a lot of drinks that are non-beer for my home, I was happy to find out that Kahlua also sells the drink in a Ready-to-Go four-pack — appropriately named Kahlua with Milk. This one is much better than some of Kahlua’s other Ready-to-Go drinks I’ve had in the past, in my opinion.

So as I try to get away from ordering all my drinks in a bar and instead make more of them at home, what other milky mixed drinks should I look into? Maybe it’s not the typical fruity summer drink, but it’s something tasty to cool off with!

It’s Independence Day, a day of reflection, of appreciation and, of course, of beer drinking. So despite my having to work while most are outside firing up grills and gobbling down hot dogs, I’ll celebrate as well with a beer.

But it’s the Fourth of July, so it’s got to be a little special, right? OK, here is a beer I had to go to Pepperell, Mass., to get: Orlio Organic Seasonal IPA from Vermont. But really, this one is worth it, and worthy as well of honoring the Founding Fathers.

First, IPA, or India Pale Ale, is arguably the best suited to summer heat and humidity. Just take a look at its history: It was brewed with more hops and higher alcohol content in the mid-1700s to withstand the long journeys from England to India, where the British East India Company had set up shop and attracted troops and employees thirsty for suds. So if it could hold up in the hold, it could in that Igloo cooler next to your cousin Frank.

Second, this is no ordinary IPA. It’s a healthy, copper pour with a fragrant, but not perfumy, nose. As with all IPAs, this one is hoppy, but the secret here is balance. We’re not talking drama here. Orlio’s brewing process includes dry hopping, which means more hops are added to casked, unfiltered beer. The result is a full-flavored beer with a floral, slightly nutty bitterness, finishing with echoes of tangy citrus.

It is truly one of the freshest tasting beers I’ve tried, though whether this is “organic” – meaning the grains are grown without chemicals or pesticides – speaking, no one can be sure.

“The advantage to using organic ingredients in beer is a simple matter of creating continuity from farm to glass,” wrote Susan Evans, spokeswoman for the Orlio Organic Brewing Company in South Burlington, Vt.

Well, I like what’s in the glass.

Third, it’s from Vermont, which means it’s probably more American, and thus more appropriate for July 4 than that made-in-China flag on your stoop or those illegal fireworks you’ll shoot off later tonight.

There is one drawback: It’s not easy to find. There’s Ray’s Package Store in Pepperell center and Harrington Wine & Liquor in Chelmsford. Supposedly, Hannaford’s in Nashua and Hudson have the Orlio Common Ale, but I have yet to see it. If you want to taste it from the tap, try TJ Finley’s in Bayshore, N.Y.

One more thing: It’s not around for long. Being seasonal, once the leaves start falling, it goes into hibernation until next spring.

Evans says the company is trying to get people talking about Orlio as part of its plans to expand.

So find some Orlio IPA and celebrate our independence. Oh, and start talking because I want to see it at Peddler’s Daughter before next year’s fireworks.