Beer of the Week: Corona Extra

Beer score: 3.8

Company: Constellation Brands
ABU: 4.6
IBU: 18

It pours a very light yellow color, pale and almost clear. The smell is grassy with maybe a little corn.

Weak and watery with a little carbonation. There is a slight sweet taste, but not much more.

My experience has been that this is typical of many Mexican beers, but despite my general lack of excitement, this beer would probably go well with seafood or Mexican food or on a hot day when you're working outdoors in the heat.

Books read in 2025: No. 9 -- The Clocks of Iraz

by L. Sprague de Camp

Started: March 7

Finished: March 18

Notes: I've read some of de Camp's Conan books and some material he edited, but until now I've not read any of his novels of his own creation. So here goes.

Mini review: This novel disgusted me more than anything I've read in a good long while, so I am glad to be rid of it. First of all, calling this Sword & Sorcery, which the book's back cover prompted, is almost ludicrous. I suppose it is S&S, but only by quite loose terms. A master craftsman who at least has some history of soldiering finds himself hired to fix a majestic clock in a city, and then he runs afoul of local politics, facing a battle and eventually a king's abdication. There's very little magic, and most of that in the background, and other than one sword fight early on and a battle that was almost more stilly than serious, there's no real action here, at least not of the sword-swinging variety. The writing is bland at best, and most frustrating, just when things start to get a little interesting, the main character breaks out into song or lengthy stories that don't even have much to do with the plot. Yes, I'm glad to be finished with this book.

Beer of the Week: Molson Ice

Beer score: 4.5

Company: MolsonCoors
ABU: 5.6
IBU: 15

As might be expected from a mass-produced, mass-marketed brew, this one pours a pale yellow color, almost watery. There's a bit of sweet scent in the pouring, but not much.

The taste isn't real strong, though there is a bit of sweet beerness to it. There is a lot of fizz, which makes it hard to swallow.

Meh. There are worse beers.

Two more fantasy short stories available

I've been experimenting with publishing fantasy short stories exclusively to Amazon of late, always in e-book format and print and sometimes even audio.

So, here are my latest two stories.

Jungle of Blood: a heroic fantasy short story

A great foreign evil has arrived by sea near the ancestral lands of the nomadic people of the young warrior Keembu, and he and his fellow clansmen and their shaman must ultimately come face to face with this monstrosity or slowly be forced to fall beneath its terror.

Can spears and magic stand against a vampire who can control the very beasts of the jungle? Or will the blood of men cover the land?

Squad Mage: a short story of military fantasy

The squad of Corporal Jetei is tasked with breaking through the wall surrounding an enemy town, but once they are through, the real dangers begin.

A powerful sorceress has holed up within her own mansion and it is Jetei’s squad’s job to go in and eliminate this magical threat. Yet Jetei is only a squad mage, so how can she and her comrades hope to stand against a strong magical enemy within that enemy’s very home?

Beer of the Week: Hacker-Pschorr Dunkel Weisse

Beer score: 5.5

Company: Hacker-Pschorr
ABU: 5.3
IBU: NA

This dark wheat (dunkel weisse) beer has way too much carbonation for my liking, which really hurt my rating.

Still, the flavor is nice and sweet.

Pours a dark brown. Smells like slightly burnt molasses. Tastes much the same.

If nor for all the carbonation, this one would have scored a lot higher.

And here's a tip: Don't drink this and smoke a cigar, because the heat from the stogie will burn your tongue when mixed with all that fizz. Some lessons you learn the hard way.

Books read in 2025: No. 8 -- Blood Rites

by Jim Butcher

Started: Feb. 25

Finished: March 7

Notes: I read a couple of these Dresden novels earlier his year and enjoyed them. Since I had one more in my to-be-read stacks, I thought I'd go ahead and read it.

Mini review: This might be my favorite yet of the Dresden novels I've read. In this one, Harry lands a job as a sort of security guard for an adult film shoot (yes, I mean porn) and eventually he ends up taking on vampires and other evils.

Beer of the Week: Great Lakes Cleveland Brown Ale

Beer score: 6.2

Company: Great Lakes Brewing Company
ABU: 5.6
IBU: 40

The Great Lakes folks have made another fine beer here. This one honors autumn and the Cleveland Browns football team.

This brew is one of the better brown ales, in my opinion, with a slight sweetness and just maybe a little too much carbonation for my liking.

Anyway, this one pours a smooth brown color with a nice, lacy head of foam.

While pouring, the smell is nutty with some brown sugar, and maybe some caramel notes.

The taste is much like the smell, though there's possibly more of a syrupy flavor with some breadiness.

Overall, fairly smooth though not the smoothest beer I've ever had, and some nuttiness.