Beer of the Week Blast from the Past: Grolsch Amber Ale

Beer score: 5.5

Yet another beer that's no longer with us.

There was a little power to this brew, making it seem a little stronger than most amber ales, so novice beer snobs had to beware.

The taste was dry but also smooth. Lighter than I'd expected, but not weak. Not overly sweet but also not overly bitter, kind of an even mix of both. A touch of carbonation with a hint of spice.

A decent drink to go along with cheese and crackers.

Not great, but not bad.

Books read in 2025: No. 44, Books read in 2026: No. 1 -- A Nefarious Plot

by Steve Deace

Started: Dec. 27, 2025

Finished: Jan. 2, 2026

Notes: I normally don't care to read modern Christian fiction or to watch modern Christian movies, mainly because I find them hugely facile. That being said, I did catch the movie Nefarious a while back and found it quite interesting, the plot being about a murderer in prison who proclaims to be a demon and he does indeed seem to be so when interviewed. This particular novel and the author are apparently connected to the movie, though I don't know if the film is based off this book. It does concern me this might just be propaganda, as is much of modern Christian literature, but I'll deal with it if it comes to that.

Mini review: Basically, this is a long post from a demon telling mankind, and especially Americans, how we're all screwed and going to hell. And the only thing we can do about it is to become Christian Nationalists. I don't espouse that viewpoint, but I can't say this book didn't give me a few things to think about. All in all, I preferred the movie based upon this book much more than I did the book itself. Also, this book is more than a decade old, and I don't think it's aged well considering the current political climate here in the U.S. If you're a Christian Nationalist, this might be right up your alley, but otherwise, I don't think most readers would be drawn to it.

Beer of the Week: Samuel Adams Cold Brew Coffee Stout

Beer score: 5.9

Company: Samuel Adams
ABV: 6.0
IBU: 20

Christmas might be over, but I'm still rolling through some of this year's holiday brews from the folks at Samuel Adams.

This one is new this year, and boy, does it give off coffee smells when you pour it. It also pours really dark, almost as dark as a Guinness, and you can't see light through it when you pour it into a clear glass and hold it up to a lamp (a sign of a quality stout, in my opinion).

There's definitely coffee in the taste, but I don't feel it was as strong as it was in the smelling. Upon tasting, at first there's a burnt sweetness that hits you followed by some bitter, and then in the aftertaste the bitterness grows stronger though not overly strong.

This isn't one of the best stouts I've ever had, but it's not bad and is worth trying, especially if you happen to be a coffee fan.

Books read in 2025: No. 43 -- See Them Die

by Ed McBain

Started: Dec. 21

Finished: Dec. 26

Notes: I thought I'd wind down the year with one of my favorites fiction series, the 87th Precinct books, and one of my favorites authors. This one is from 1960, one of the earliest of the series, and those tend to be my favorites.

Mini review: One of the things I love about the 87th Precinct series is that each of these novels is vastly different from one another. In this one, a wanted killer barricades himself inside a tenement building and it's up to the cops to get him out and/or to kill him. Another trait about this particular novel is that it didn't focus upon the usual characters, a sign of breadth, in my opinion.

Beer of the Week: Samuel Adams Winter White Ale

Beer score: 6.2

Company: Samuel Adams
ABV: 5.7
IBU: 8

It's that time of year again when Samuel Adams is releasing their Christmas brews, and this is one of those. I've had a number of white ales from Samuel Adams over the years, and usually they're fairly decent, but this one is new to me.

When poured, it has a hazed golden color not unlike straw. Has a big head that's fairly smooth.

Gives off scents maybe cinnamon and honey, along with possibly some coriander.

The taste is quite sweet with a touch of those holiday spices I usually can't tolerate but here they're light enough not to be annoying. Medium bodied, so those of you seeking thinner or thicker beers might be disappointed, but I found it worked fine.

Not really any bitterness at all, though maybe the barest hint in the aftertaste. The sweetness does grow the more you drink, and by the end of a bottle that sweetness becomes a little annoying, so I wouldn't suggest drinking a bunch of these.

Not a lot of carbonation, though there is some.

A good beer but not a great one, which is usually par for the course for Samuel Adams.

Books read in 2025: No. 42 -- Fear Street: The Wrong Number

by R. L. Stine

Started: Dec. 18

Finished: Dec. 21

Notes: I've been failing at trying to read horror of late, most of my recent reads being more thrillers or mysteries with some horror elements, so I decided I'd plop down with a book I'm fairly sure will actually be horror, though I expect it to be light on the actual horror. Why light? Well, because this is one of those YA or teen horror books that were popular in the early '90s. I've read quite a bit in the horror genre, but I never dropped into this particular trend. Hopefully it'll be a fun read.

Mini review: Once again, not really horror, but mainly a murder mystery. Still, this one was kind of fun in a late '80s, early '90s nostalgic way.

Books read in 2025: No. 41 -- Living Dead in Dallas

by Charlaine Harris

Started: Dec. 11

Finished: Dec 18

Notes: Though I've been trying to read horror of late, I'm fairly sure this won't be it, though I realize there are vampires involved and perhaps horror elements. This series of books kicked off the "True Blood" TV series on HBO more than a decade, and I watched a handful of episodes and thought they were interesting, so perhaps I'll find something here to like.

Mini review: Not awful, for me, not great. The writing reminded me of AI, which only goes to show AI definitely used this author for its learning. The characters were okay, but fairly forgettable. And the worst part was the plot. This was a murder mystery, and the murder is introduced in the first 10 pages. Then the book goes off and basically forgets about the murder while the main characters were involved in what I would call "side missions." Eventually, in the last 40 or so pages, the plot gets back to the murder and the mystery, and it's not exactly solved so much as it is concluded by a bunch of minor characters showing up and putting a wrench into the works. The final chapter, however, was nice and somewhat bittersweet, as a vampire realizes he still has ties to the world of the living. If you've read other books in this series and enjoyed them, you'll likely enjoy this one as well, if for no other reason than it will help you to visit some old friends again. Otherwise, no, this one wasn't for me.