Fran's Blog » Drinks

Banuary

Francis — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:26:55 +0000

This year is the second year running where I have joined the club for Banuary, giving up alcohol for 1 month in, well, January (some go all the way and give up snacks and caffeine too).

Now, I do it mainly for the feeling. I miss a couple of ales mid-week, a couple over the weekend, I like getting the appreciation back though. By the end of January last year, I was back to appreciating a decent beer. I went to a pub and ordered after carefully choosing rather than a generic crap beer. This year I’ve even decided if there is the general crap lager I’ll probably even do without, there’s no excuse for serving only generic crap lager when we are brilliant at making very good ales (though that’s a whole other post).

I’m now on the 3rd week when everything changes and everything feels fresher. This is the good bit. Waking up is a little easier and things are a bit brighter. I won’t lie, it isn’t easy to get out of bed in this weather, your head just feels clearer. It’s lovely! I look forward to a good BrewDog ale at the end of it, lovely!

Beer for your car

Francis — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:23:41 +0000

I recently attended the London CAMRA (CAMpaign For Real Ale) beer festival. A great time was had by my better half and I as we tried to get the best beers, a lovely night out.

So I decided to have a look at the CAMRA website to look at what was hot in the hoppy world of ale, and I noticed an add-on for your Tom Tom GPS which says when you are near a good real ale pub for a mere fiver. At first I thought “fantastic idea” which it is. Then I thought, some are weak, some would have this add-on and be driving merrily, stop off, pub, and drive off even more merrily, and how often would this happen? Anyway, great idea, but be careful out there.

East london Breweries

Francis — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:41:16 +0000

I moved to East from West London about 7 months ago to Shoreditch, what a different place! There are good and bad points to both. While Shoreditch has more clubs/bars, it also doesn’t have the great ales anymore. I always thought East London would be an ale drinking man area, but then I realised. Both the London breweries I know of are from West London, Fuller’s & Youngs. Truman’s is long gone. Are there any other East London breweries? i can’t believe the area is now a Stella oriented area.

Alerific

Francis — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:58:04 +0000

In the last few years, as I go from being a man to a grumpy old man. I’ve realised my tastes are changing rapidly. I’ve never really cared for beer that much. Wine, I have to admit, is ok. But it’s never been the drink of the Gods that a lot of people claim, “it’s so fruity”, “it goes so well with steak” I’ve never been convinced.

Anyway, I’ve now discovered ale. Over the last few years it has dawned on me that there are so many out there, with excellent names like “Tanglefoot” and “Spitfire”, there are even flavours. Each with subtle tastes, it’s not really for binge drinking, you can do it, similar to wine. I enjoy a bottle (a bottle isn’t large like wine where you’ll end up telling everyone in the room you love them) every now and again. And certainly a very British drink. We don’t do wine, but with ale and cider, we rule the world. Belgium still does the best beer in general though.

Imagine how happy I am now I have attended the CAMRA beer festival in Earls Court. My boss has been trying to get me to go since 2003. This year it was ON, and how ON it was!

A great time had by all, although, naively, a little more drunken that I had at first anticipated (we were drinking half pints, still). But not fun for the drunkenness, just great beer, and a sense that what we can’t do with wine, we do well with beer.

Bring Back Banana Bread Beer

Francis — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:59:24 +0000

Apart from having 5 Bs in that title, this is about my favourite beer, Banana Bread Beer. Now, some people grimace, some look interested, but I am yet to meet someone who has tried it and doesn’t like it, I’m sure it will happen, but not on my watch.

Banana Bread Beer isn’t Banana Bread flavoured beer, it is just Beer that tastes like bananas, the bread bit is something about the Saxons called Beer liquid bread.
http://www.charleswells.co.uk/home/brands/ales/banana-bread-beer

Anyway, after re discovering this delight, I am now on a mission to find places which stock it, either in a pub (if it is on tap anywhere I’d be very keen to know) or off license, or supermarket. Anywhere.

I recently found it in Morrisons in Chalk Farm, and also in Asda in Park Royal. I even found it in a pub, just by the Tate Modern, its name I will find soon.

This is a difficult one to find folks, but worth a look/drink.