1FFACAS

[mistermagic]

Had another session of Heinekens and Kros last night. I'm bringing up the good stuff this evening. Rhum and shit.

I really should go to Belgium now that I've drank the whole of Munich dry. Get a few games in there as well.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

BEER FESTIVAL REVIEW RESUMES:

We attempted to stop at the Devonshire on the way home, but they had already locked up, so instead we went to the Lord Burton, the World Capital of Brewing's very own JD Wetherspoons. This environment acted poorly on my temperament. I was surrounded by young men and women dressed in fashionable attire. Their bodies were firm, pert and lithe. Their eyes were bright, their countenances animated and alive. The knew not heartbreak, disappointment, drudgery. They were innocent novitiates of the treadmill of life, merrily ignorant of the winnowing of one’s possibilities to a narrow black tunnel, the walls lined with filth and misery, the only jaundiced light at the end the merciful silence of death. None of them would ever even consider consenting to have sex with me. I belonged here even less than I had at the beer based bedlam from which I had just escaped. Whisky (my kryptonite at the best of times, which this was assuredly not) was then produced and I began a terrible decline.

My close friends are accustomed to my depressive drunken states, the pathetic keening, the ghastly self regard, the ceaseless laments about how i never win on the Premium Bonds, but I sensed that it came as a shock to the other couple as I openly discussed my perpetually imminent suicide. Worse yet, no sooner had I embarked upon that zig than I had zagged back into pompous bombast, idiot boasts, appalling arrogance. This culminated (and the words are now tattooed onto my soul) in my saying that I didn’t receive the credit I was due as a person who knew “more about at least a dozen subjects than any man in England”. “What subjects?” I was challenged. “Belgian suburbia” I said (I always I start going on about Belgium when I’m drunk, it’s the untriumphal arch marking the entry to my own emotional skidrow). “But I know a Belgian who lives over here now, I bet you don’t know more than him”, came the counter. “I bet I do”, I replied.

I left, bought a cheese burger and chips from Tony’s Delight (4.1 out of 5, fatty, salty, very eatable, good crisp chips) and got a taxi home, whereupon I had cup of tea (3.1 out of 5, brown, tanniny), to pre-emptively ameliorate what would surely be a sorry hangover on the morrow.

IN PART 7 I WILL OFFER A SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

 

[Alty]

St Bernardus Tripel this evening.

DRINKABLE.

 

[spireite]

It's currently £14 for 16 bottles of Badger ales in my local Costco. 4 each of Tanglefoot, Glory, Champion, First Gold. Don't mind if I do!

 

[Magic]

Lidl pilsner. 84p per 500ml bottle #studentproblems

 

[Destruction]

Had my first taste of San Diego Pale Ale last week, fantastic pint.

 

[Abertawe]

Decided to go for a mix to sup whilst watching the boxing this weekend.

 

[spireite]

Decided to go for a mix to sup whilst watching the boxing this weekend.

Duvel is lovely

 

[Mustard]

Brilliant stuff Duvel.

Been going to a pub called the Pen and Wig in Cardiff quite a lot recently. Fantastic selection of local/national ales, 4/5 new beers on tap every week. Wish I'd discovered this place in the first year of uni...

Had a couple from Tiny Rebel tonight (Dirty Stop Out and some pale ale I can't remember the name of) and Black Cat Stout from some brewery in Portsmouth - all good stuff.

 

[Son of Cod]

I came to post this...
http://wundergroundmusic.com/drinki...er-than-drinking-cheap-beer-that-tastes-nice/
...and stayed for Carel's fantastic Burton Beer Festival review. Take a bow that man. The best content on 1FF so far.

 

[Alty]

Brilliant stuff Duvel.

Been going to a pub called the Pen and Wig in Cardiff quite a lot recently. Fantastic selection of local/national ales, 4/5 new beers on tap every week. Wish I'd discovered this place in the first year of uni...

Had a couple from Tiny Rebel tonight (Dirty Stop Out and some pale ale I can't remember the name of) and Black Cat Stout from some brewery in Portsmouth - all good stuff.

I really like Tiny Rebel. Their beers show up quite a lot in London.

 

[lordofthepies]

BEER FESTIVAL REVIEW RESUMES:

We attempted to stop at the Devonshire on the way home, but they had already locked up, so instead we went to the Lord Burton, the World Capital of Brewing's very own JD Wetherspoons. This environment acted poorly on my temperament. I was surrounded by young men and women dressed in fashionable attire. Their bodies were firm, pert and lithe. Their eyes were bright, their countenances animated and alive. The knew not heartbreak, disappointment, drudgery. They were innocent novitiates of the treadmill of life, merrily ignorant of the winnowing of one’s possibilities to a narrow black tunnel, the walls lined with filth and misery, the only jaundiced light at the end the merciful silence of death. None of them would ever even consider consenting to have sex with me. I belonged here even less than I had at the beer based bedlam from which I had just escaped. Whisky (my kryptonite at the best of times, which this was assuredly not) was then produced and I began a terrible decline.

My close friends are accustomed to my depressive drunken states, the pathetic keening, the ghastly self regard, the ceaseless laments about how i never win on the Premium Bonds, but I sensed that it came as a shock to the other couple as I openly discussed my perpetually imminent suicide. Worse yet, no sooner had I embarked upon that zig than I had zagged back into pompous bombast, idiot boasts, appalling arrogance. This culminated (and the words are now tattooed onto my soul) in my saying that I didn’t receive the credit I was due as a person who knew “more about at least a dozen subjects than any man in England”. “What subjects?” I was challenged. “Belgian suburbia” I said (I always I start going on about Belgium when I’m drunk, it’s the untriumphal arch marking the entry to my own emotional skidrow). “But I know a Belgian who lives over here now, I bet you don’t know more than him”, came the counter. “I bet I do”, I replied.

I left, bought a cheese burger and chips from Tony’s Delight (4.1 out of 5, fatty, salty, very eatable, good crisp chips) and got a taxi home, whereupon I had cup of tea (3.1 out of 5, brown, tanniny), to pre-emptively ameliorate what would surely be a sorry hangover on the morrow.

IN PART 7 I WILL OFFER A SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Much more of this sort of thing please.

 

[Van Der Graaf]

Camden Brewery - Lemon & Bergamot witbier. My new favourite beer from my favourite brewery.

 

[Smally]

Currently drinking Duvel for the first time. After two swigs it's lovely

 

[The Paranoid Pineapple]

Going to the Guildford Beer Festival tomorrow (hurrah! beer festival)! From the beer list it looks as though quite a few recently established micros will feature alongside some of the more familiar local names so looking forward to sampling some new ones...

 

[Alty]

Going to the Guildford Beer Festival tomorrow (hurrah! beer festival)! From the beer list it looks as though quite a few recently established micros will feature alongside some of the more familiar local names so looking forward to sampling some new ones...

How was it?

I was in Belfast recently and can confirm that the beer over there is steadily improving. The Crown was as good as ever and had 5 ales on. Then went on to a little restaurant called Kitch which, as well as serving great food, also served Clanconnel McGrath's Irish Red Ale (very nice). And then we finished off with a trip to the Woodworkers (a section of the extended Lavery's Bar) which is a craft beer tap room straight out of Shoreditch/The Northern Quarter. Fiver a pint, like. But all great beers including a Manchester Brewery Expo collaboration beer (Marble, Black Jack and some others I can't remember).

I need to get over there more. And to Dublin which apparently has a good beer scene now too.

 

[spireite]

Brewdog boozers springing up allover the place now. It doesn't get much better than Punk IPA on tap

 

[Alty]

Brewdog boozers springing up allover the place now. It doesn't get much better than Punk IPA on tap

Went to the Shoreditch one recently. Good atmosphere. The prices for the guest beers were insane though.

 

[spireite]

Went to the Shoreditch one recently. Good atmosphere. The prices for the guest beers were insane though.

Oh yes, very expensive. I was paying £4.55 a pint just for the IPA! A rare treat I think, otherwise I'll stick the the £2.50 660ml bottles in Sainsburys

 

[Magic]

Yeah I've been to the one in Edinburgh and briefly in Liverpool but they weren't serving. Decent atmospheres if a bit steep. Good for the odd pint though.

 

[The Paranoid Pineapple]

How was it?

I was in Belfast recently and can confirm that the beer over there is steadily improving. The Crown was as good as ever and had 5 ales on. Then went on to a little restaurant called Kitch which, as well as serving great food, also served Clanconnel McGrath's Irish Red Ale (very nice). And then we finished off with a trip to the Woodworkers (a section of the extended Lavery's Bar) which is a craft beer tap room straight out of Shoreditch/The Northern Quarter. Fiver a pint, like. But all great beers including a Manchester Brewery Expo collaboration beer (Marble, Black Jack and some others I can't remember).

I need to get over there more. And to Dublin which apparently has a good beer scene now too.

Yeah, it was pretty good (raging hangover the next morning, notwithstanding).* It's at the cricket club so quite a nice venue if the sun's out (which it was... kinda). Lots of small local breweries so plenty of new ones to try, most of which were pretty good - beer list and even the larger breweries eg Hogs Back had some ones I wasn't familiar with. I also managed to expand my GBF half-pint glass collection which now stands at about a dozen over the four years I've been going. Happily, Guildford itself has a brewery now - the Little Beer Corp. As the name suggests it's not a big operation but they do have a shop which I might try to visit at some point.

*not sure how much I can reasonably attribute this to the beer festival given the night culminated in me losing a half-eaten kebab to the road after a visit to Guildford's premier shiteclub

 

[Alty]

Yeah, it was pretty good (raging hangover the next morning, notwithstanding).* It's at the cricket club so quite a nice venue if the sun's out (which it was... kinda). Lots of small local breweries so plenty of new ones to try, most of which were pretty good - beer list and even the larger breweries eg Hogs Back had some ones I wasn't familiar with. I also managed to expand my GBF half-pint glass collection which now stands at about a dozen over the four years I've been going. Happily, Guildford itself has a brewery now - the Little Beer Corp. As the name suggests it's not a big operation but they do have a shop which I might try to visit at some point.

*not sure how much I can reasonably attribute this to the beer festival given the night culminated in me losing a half-eaten kebab to the road after a visit to Guildford's premier shiteclub

I've been to visit the Langham Brewery. They do some great beers.

I love that Hedgehog Brewery badge

I had a similarly embarrassing evening after Brewdog. It involved seeing a gig in a grimey bar and then devouring some truly dreadful fried chicken (that my girlfriend point blank refused to eat).

 

[Veggie Legs]

Anyone ever done any homebrewing? Alty surely you have at some point? I got the urge to give it a go the other day, haven't bought anything yet because I'm worried it might be a terrible idea.

 

[Alty]

Anyone ever done any homebrewing? Alty surely you have at some point? I got the urge to give it a go the other day, haven't bought anything yet because I'm worried it might be a terrible idea.

Never actually got round to it, although my other half is friendly with a bloke who's dead into it and she went round to see him brew the other week. You need to spend a fair amount up front for the kit (doesn't need to be state of the art by any means but I can't imagine you could brew anything decent without spending at least £100 up front on equipment). You also need the means to keep the beer at the appropriate temperature. But once you've got all that the actual ingredients are dead cheap so you can probably end up making large volumes of beer for relatively little money.

 

[Veggie Legs]

Thanks, I knew you'd be a good person to ask. Not sure I want to make that big an investment in case it's crap so I probably won't bother.

 

[Magic]

I'll buy some.

 

[Alty]

Went to Bath at the weekend. Lovely place. A lot of nice, traditional, if a bit unremarkable pubs. But the super-dead-trendy Bath Brew House was great: http://www.thebathbrewhouse.com/

Recommend.

 

[Magic]

Pint of Landlord at my regular has gone up from £3.30 to £3.90 in the space of about a year, if that. Soon enough won't be able to get a pint for less than four quid...ridiculous! Had a couple of Jaipurs at the same price last night.

 

[spireite]

A pretty shit Yates pub in the town centre (Carling, Fosters, Smiths, Strongbow - repeated 5 times down the bar) has undergone a bit of a face lift and since reopening as Punk IPA, Brooklyn Lager and many others on tap. Great prices too, I got through 4 pints of Punk in there yesterday and the missus was on rosé and a round was just over a fiver

 

[Alty]

Went to the Pig's Ears in Richmond for the first time in yonks on Friday: http://www.pigs-ears.co.uk/the-beer-cellar.aspx

Great place. Lovely food as well as good beer. And they do a happy hour. So I got a whole litre of Williams Brothers Joker IPA for £4.95.