“Great” British Beer Festival
August 4, 2006
So I hit the Great British Beer Festival on 4th August with some old and some new buddies. I got there a bit late after drinks with a client, but was looking forward to some QT with some good old friends. It was horrendously crowded, with 30 minute queues for the cashpoint, beer stands and toilets. Basically, you couldn’t get a drink without queuing, couldn’t take a leak without queuing – these are the most frequent things you’re likely to do when you go drinking, so when will you ever get a chance to actually talk to your friends (except in the loo queue)?
This beer festival is one of those things that you realise is much better as a memory. I first came to this event in 1993, when I was seventeen and thought drinking for the sake of drinking was cool (I had yet to discover the evil cider revenge that we all go through).
The best thing about the festival was seeing Lee, Dunk, Nev and Cas. Next best thing was observing the “Real-Ale Enthusiasts” or “Beer Hobbyists” as they waddled around the festival; with socks, sandals, breasts (men included) and beards (women included). It was also nice taking a little walk and a crafty smoke through the madness of Earl’s Court afterwards.
It was my first time at the festival, and I loved it!
Welcome to your new blog Ciaran!
Hola dude! Great to see you at the beer fest. Must say not as good the olympia outings in past years – for the simple reason there seems to be twice as many beardos, but only half the john capacity.
If you’re a lager drinker with a very efficient liver like my own =) my advice would be to take a catheter bag or large bottle unless you want to spend all night queueing/soiling yourself/peeing in other people’s pockets. Oh well, at least we didn’t shit our pants like those crazy krauts in munich.
And leave those poor cute pandas alone! Sounds like they have problems of their own eating that shit all day and given their johnson situation and all.
And how can you say you’re an athiest when you don’t KNOW that god doesn’t exist?! Maybe he just filled the good book with the sort of crazy inconsistencies that only a gibbering idiot would believe to test our faith eh?! See you in hell!
Your agnostically, Nev
ok so this is not really relevant to anything you blogged about but i think you might enjoy this article
http://money.uk.msn.com/MyMoney/Insight/Special_Features/Pennywise/article.aspx?cp-documentid=750063
Hey Mr Ronnie,
Was great to see you and our panda loving mate!?! The fest was more a taste as a result of the really really slow bar staff. I think that some of the problem was they seemed to be crusty real ale enthusiasts who were more interested in admiring the wet stuff than necking it.
My suggestion is that we conduct a beer festival of our own asap.
Ciao
L