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18-12-2023, 22:41
Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-road-to-recovery-leads-to-beer.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyqTls4XyCT5baNnolAl7YU-jS7QDdFAVxSch_cYwpbIoA6Zx0M7UExyMXnS_gsGaOEEbM1Phr 5gzeqaxssctk3GPYsEcvZeUtTPUlErMj8dyedUxakoH1gL9Tb_ yuGK3HZ7_5VVyhP70gX4dUuSrPf-LcRqcDIzpp_n7H0PcgExGkxCuhF8f3muuA9U/w400-h348/Kings%20Hill%20ball.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyqTls4XyCT5baNnolAl7YU-jS7QDdFAVxSch_cYwpbIoA6Zx0M7UExyMXnS_gsGaOEEbM1Phr 5gzeqaxssctk3GPYsEcvZeUtTPUlErMj8dyedUxakoH1gL9Tb_ yuGK3HZ7_5VVyhP70gX4dUuSrPf-LcRqcDIzpp_n7H0PcgExGkxCuhF8f3muuA9U/s400/Kings%20Hill%20ball.jpg)
Spoiler alert, just like the previous post, there is verylittle in this article that relates directly to beer, although the good news isthat I’m starting to feel a lot better than I did mid-week when I drafted that particularpiece. It’s still “man flu” as far as Mrs PBT’s is concerned, especially as shehas largely shaken off her bout of the lurgy, but at least she isn’t blaming mefor bringing the infection into the house.We ventured out, earlier today, just for a shopping tripover to Kings Hill (West Malling), but both perhaps mindful that we’ve donevery little in the way of Christmas preparations. More about that later, but onthe plus side, I finally managed to pick up a few cans of that Forged Dry IrishStout I wrote about back in August. There was just a few, slightly tiredlooking four packs of the beer, lurking in the beer aisle at ASDA’s Kings Hill supermarket,which was more of a surprise than anything else.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LW33o3vQoDQLCOjbMvFmlIic2m-oL19eownL_v0a-jDtmAi1Q7hLMcEduziGzb001lQpn-lAIgh2b96n9s054GdXqc_Ao6e3_2xxEPveAcH70QdJ8trxTuId u9hUTdwbtdK3-tqUGnoJPcXqnKThgTSqi5lTts6MAF2oB8VmfLrzmlHKHwTm5fu IaDk/w400-h225/IMG_20230804_172326.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LW33o3vQoDQLCOjbMvFmlIic2m-oL19eownL_v0a-jDtmAi1Q7hLMcEduziGzb001lQpn-lAIgh2b96n9s054GdXqc_Ao6e3_2xxEPveAcH70QdJ8trxTuId u9hUTdwbtdK3-tqUGnoJPcXqnKThgTSqi5lTts6MAF2oB8VmfLrzmlHKHwTm5fu IaDk/s4000/IMG_20230804_172326.jpg)
I only discovered the cans, after leaving Eileen at thecheckout queue, and doubling back to the alcohol section, not quite on a whim,but more so because I remembered that ASDA was the UK grocery chain chosen by brandfounder and owner Conor McGregor, for the launch of this new entrant to thestout market, on this side of the Irish Sea. Rather than repeat the storybehind Forged Irish Stout, and the involvement of its “colourful” MMA fighter, and founder,the link here will take you to the article from 10th August, which attracted90 page views, but zero comments.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdPgjEOmITQaAE0HKH3TRqAgeiRvbSXzJ06EfuwE9nU QYC-jbC9ZWWomqp-M4gotMrx5WvopsQ0AqFkHWJrhGrk2xXZa9hvjIEjhEJ-jLTSdcuySs79Znu4vhXjr0IPtBeQCZ2C2EmzMqqCi_0tEy1a-2bQpzQyFac1XMjkKS3LICOqMHhRUT9h1mTAo/w400-h225/IMG_20230804_172556.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdPgjEOmITQaAE0HKH3TRqAgeiRvbSXzJ06EfuwE9nU QYC-jbC9ZWWomqp-M4gotMrx5WvopsQ0AqFkHWJrhGrk2xXZa9hvjIEjhEJ-jLTSdcuySs79Znu4vhXjr0IPtBeQCZ2C2EmzMqqCi_0tEy1a-2bQpzQyFac1XMjkKS3LICOqMHhRUT9h1mTAo/s4000/IMG_20230804_172556.jpg)
Perhaps I’m being churlish by describing the product launchas over-hyped, but I have looked for the beer in several other ASDA stores anddrawn a complete blank. For the record, Forged Stout is undoubtedly a very goodbeer, although whether it’s poised to take the Dry Irish Stout mantle away fromGuinness, is open to question. Instead, I would argue the case for Black HeartDraught from BrewDog, a beer which is receiving far more in terms of promotion andpresence within UK supermarkets than an upstart from across the Irish Sea.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc1_lIACLgulrOeOh0BnuvPq0WYrn_zywhTAyddEc-2qikqEsmiUg9GIRkvMXkjPD4HhMej7Ar6QCfFgi6MMQNJdeYm3 NF0La6W8vE16uNZPQj0ZMZe8nq28E8JaCPL9yuzJyR7UUkBOSF-3iiq2iBq3VbDDtgzuhwRodtu4wl0-697EGF3nr65qdi-I/w225-h400/stair%20carpet%20up.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc1_lIACLgulrOeOh0BnuvPq0WYrn_zywhTAyddEc-2qikqEsmiUg9GIRkvMXkjPD4HhMej7Ar6QCfFgi6MMQNJdeYm3 NF0La6W8vE16uNZPQj0ZMZe8nq28E8JaCPL9yuzJyR7UUkBOSF-3iiq2iBq3VbDDtgzuhwRodtu4wl0-697EGF3nr65qdi-I/s4000/stair%20carpet%20up.jpg)
Moving on, the carpet fitters have finally finished the job,and for the first time since the beginning of October, when we departed for ourMediterranean cruise, we can walk up and down the stairs without waking thoseon either side of us. It’s not until you’re without a particular facility orfeature, that you realise just how much you miss it, and hobbling up and downthe creaking bare boards of a 90-year-old staircase certainly wasn’t the mostjoyous experience in the world.Given the daily traffic up and down a staircase, and thedisruption involved in painting the surrounding wall and ceilings, it madeperfect sense to call in the decorators whilst we were out of the country foran extended period. We’d instructed the tradesmen to remove the rather worncarpet from the stairs, landing and hallway, although three weeks later when wereturned from holiday, the starkness of the bare wooden floors and stair treadscame as something of a shock, especially when viewed against the freshlypainted walls and ceiling.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxe6Ngeuk5BQ-XwkIJrbPGWb_84uhPPf2exgY5S2Ylc42R9tsow-f0OUeoOTw2Rfnr4fuRbSy63SSa4Jz8R0Wr6GA0U1koo5TdlEOZ QzqkBlgeyBE2lXzwm9_Z0K0y6dn9WZzAVmI3wPrjJsRYJiZhFY QgU9fWVkyJbOXmOHG2KcjkJiZBl-0F99kt4dI/w400-h245/Xmas%20decs.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxe6Ngeuk5BQ-XwkIJrbPGWb_84uhPPf2exgY5S2Ylc42R9tsow-f0OUeoOTw2Rfnr4fuRbSy63SSa4Jz8R0Wr6GA0U1koo5TdlEOZ QzqkBlgeyBE2lXzwm9_Z0K0y6dn9WZzAVmI3wPrjJsRYJiZhFY QgU9fWVkyJbOXmOHG2KcjkJiZBl-0F99kt4dI/s3407/Xmas%20decs.jpg)
I contacted a well-known national chain carpet store, andthey arranged for a surveyor to call at the end of the week. Mrs PBT’s chosethe carpet, we paid the bill and expected to hear from a fitter within a fewweeks. Those “few” weeks dragged on into a month and a half, and if I hadn’tphoned the company, we’d probably still be walking up and down a carpet lessstaircase. The girl I spoke to in customer services had somehow mixed-upTonbridge with nearby Tunbridge Wells – she excused herself by saying she wasfrom Essex, nuff said, but somewhere along the line the company had obviouslymislaid our order.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mHx6aZYOVN0Z-fudif-JivlK31G5Pgv0ZOLRv6CqTKkE1B-i-oqlc3vNuna5EGKYH_uxHMsgG_A9tlwgQdf5kUuJ2t3uAfPssew Om8FNJu2WyYAdY2Nmd1TBxqJ-RyLKZWCG_BOxzNfX1NMhSOqJSohuUKdshAYWV8z6yD_MjHNXRS UjzEiBkUW_VQE/w225-h400/stair%20carpet%20new.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mHx6aZYOVN0Z-fudif-JivlK31G5Pgv0ZOLRv6CqTKkE1B-i-oqlc3vNuna5EGKYH_uxHMsgG_A9tlwgQdf5kUuJ2t3uAfPssew Om8FNJu2WyYAdY2Nmd1TBxqJ-RyLKZWCG_BOxzNfX1NMhSOqJSohuUKdshAYWV8z6yD_MjHNXRS UjzEiBkUW_VQE/s4000/stair%20carpet%20new.jpg)
To cut a long story short, the father and son team of carpetfitters arrived mid-afternoon on Thursday, cut and laid the carpet for the halland landing, but had to return the following day to complete the stairs. Thiswas because the carpet was too cold, having come straight from the warehouse,and this meant it wouldn’t flex sufficiently to fit snuggly around thealternate 90°angles of a slight of stairs. You'd never have thought carpet laying could beso technical, but it does make perfect sense when you think abut it. Thefitters did a first-class job, and it’s hard to describe the joy felt from walkingup and down a newly carpeted staircase. That’s another job crossed off from aslowly dwindling “must do” list, and its completion has come at just the rightmoment. I returned to work this morning, and there are now just twomore working days for me before the lengthy Christmas shutdown. I’ve only has acouple of beers over the past 10 days, the last one being a bottle of Fuller’sexcellent London Porter. At the moment tea and coffee have more of an appeal,but as the week goes on, I fully expect to be indulging once again in a glassor two of the finest hopped, malt beverages.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGImsszYXg8XMuQnj5XmoPAuRTGa4iLshjaynjVhno3u i7W2eeSL_vcPW6_7AVr1gM6TsSJRPW6ubsGPvRs3MF8pUHKlFp Ru_EZudR0qaUXFQYqymC6kvtI-5pRzrH3vCBvXLHYjgFlMpHPCWQC4FaIpoetBoTW6ZiwVP5BB-QkJmTWP6Sa-qTcTe9LFw/w400-h174/Weisn%20Box.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGImsszYXg8XMuQnj5XmoPAuRTGa4iLshjaynjVhno3u i7W2eeSL_vcPW6_7AVr1gM6TsSJRPW6ubsGPvRs3MF8pUHKlFp Ru_EZudR0qaUXFQYqymC6kvtI-5pRzrH3vCBvXLHYjgFlMpHPCWQC4FaIpoetBoTW6ZiwVP5BB-QkJmTWP6Sa-qTcTe9LFw/s3654/Weisn%20Box.jpg)
Since returning from the cruise, and prior to picking up this bug,I’d began drinking my way through a few of the Oktoberfest Biers I bought fromLidl, back in September – see Wiesn-Tragerl (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/wiesn-tragerl-from-kalea-real-bargain.html)from (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/wiesn-tragerl-from-kalea-real-bargain.html) Kalea. (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/wiesn-tragerl-from-kalea-real-bargain.html) So far, they’ve beenmalt-driven, quite sweet in taste, and with a noticeable touch of ethyl alcoholon the palate. This is perhaps notentirely surprising, given that most of these beers have abv’s of between 5.5& 6.5 %, and this matches the experience of many beer drinkers. Here, the consensusis that an abv of around 5% is the ideal strength for a quaffing beer, especiallywhen the beer is a pale-coloured lager.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdnb4ojhDtjMiWO77422xI770DlQ__zzGI8OuTEzV8a zViaOWGw-vdqn5-PKZT9CYss3Bx9aXjkasUgHA8pKVKdxYXGfpxacdb4MoM_d4CMj BIK1crfYrq4z0deHaCT9m0S7S3qWJ6i_shAzaeH9Wm7-wqj8ZbgMyHEfMFvlQiysHRwfsG82cxQk54h0/w400-h240/IMAG0603_BURST002.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdnb4ojhDtjMiWO77422xI770DlQ__zzGI8OuTEzV8a zViaOWGw-vdqn5-PKZT9CYss3Bx9aXjkasUgHA8pKVKdxYXGfpxacdb4MoM_d4CMj BIK1crfYrq4z0deHaCT9m0S7S3qWJ6i_shAzaeH9Wm7-wqj8ZbgMyHEfMFvlQiysHRwfsG82cxQk54h0/s2592/IMAG0603_BURST002.jpg)
This is a statementI not only agree with but is one which matches my own experience of enjoyingbeer over half a century. Discovering that the 6.0% beers served up at the legendaryFranconian Annafest, were only sold in litre measuresdid make the event far more of a challenge than it should have been, and if I’mbrutally honest, less enjoyable than I’d been anticipating. My Annafest experiencehappened 10 years ago, with most of our visits to the Kellerwald taking place duringdaylight hours.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDW-c-HQSzPYC0B7pFa8cAnddeYQmzQq1iQcqEAjAX4ITwwLuagxP8dB b-F1MYLr5N3TSKYLHfS0sATGhnr8defwvxoSLr9CMsiNCV5NQOZT buB7wQal3idUk_KWorWwvxdzvtmJqo18RL_tmNwPbaetIixMQE CFgMkx1ImJKmHZGPZzCBYnFY6jvDxI/w400-h240/IMAG0749.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDW-c-HQSzPYC0B7pFa8cAnddeYQmzQq1iQcqEAjAX4ITwwLuagxP8dB b-F1MYLr5N3TSKYLHfS0sATGhnr8defwvxoSLr9CMsiNCV5NQOZT buB7wQal3idUk_KWorWwvxdzvtmJqo18RL_tmNwPbaetIixMQE CFgMkx1ImJKmHZGPZzCBYnFY6jvDxI/s2592/IMAG0749.jpg)
During the evening,it was refreshing to take the bus back down into the town of Forchheim and enjoya few “normal” strength beers in one of the local pubs, along with a bite toeat. I suppose thought, that when you’re part of a crowd, swaying along withthe music, whilst chugging a large earthenware mug of strong Festbier, you don’treally notice yourself becoming more and more intoxicated as the session wearson.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr5BwKeKOXpWBFvmlKS8L_-hb8z_467goMzBe28vckOOttLF1FjB6_0amVad7JzvDBgToXFr3 2BUqcMBKv_jgKs31ybKXLOi_OGNCo3UEZhser0D2w5sZ_fZB4R NOruhcPksy8FbxFJozw4rIKtLMeYIkgYDFmu4b59tX36QEmCY_ DjzXGi_P_lPKzB8/w400-h300/Inside%20Hacker%20tent.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr5BwKeKOXpWBFvmlKS8L_-hb8z_467goMzBe28vckOOttLF1FjB6_0amVad7JzvDBgToXFr3 2BUqcMBKv_jgKs31ybKXLOi_OGNCo3UEZhser0D2w5sZ_fZB4R NOruhcPksy8FbxFJozw4rIKtLMeYIkgYDFmu4b59tX36QEmCY_ DjzXGi_P_lPKzB8/s4453/Inside%20Hacker%20tent.jpg)Hey now, let’snot become too moralistic over this, because events such as Annafest and thefar better-known Munich Oktoberfest (similar high strength beers and litremeasures are the order of the day at the Wiess’n), are about letting ones hairdown, joining in with the spirit of the event, and generally having a god timein the company of similarly intoxicated revellers, many of whom you won’t havemet until an hour or so before hand.
So, on that note,and with dreams and fond memories of time spent in Bavaria and Franconia, it’stime to draw this narrative to an end, and time too for an early night, spent dreamingof such things. "Zum Wohl" as the Germans would say!
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https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyqTls4XyCT5baNnolAl7YU-jS7QDdFAVxSch_cYwpbIoA6Zx0M7UExyMXnS_gsGaOEEbM1Phr 5gzeqaxssctk3GPYsEcvZeUtTPUlErMj8dyedUxakoH1gL9Tb_ yuGK3HZ7_5VVyhP70gX4dUuSrPf-LcRqcDIzpp_n7H0PcgExGkxCuhF8f3muuA9U/w400-h348/Kings%20Hill%20ball.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyqTls4XyCT5baNnolAl7YU-jS7QDdFAVxSch_cYwpbIoA6Zx0M7UExyMXnS_gsGaOEEbM1Phr 5gzeqaxssctk3GPYsEcvZeUtTPUlErMj8dyedUxakoH1gL9Tb_ yuGK3HZ7_5VVyhP70gX4dUuSrPf-LcRqcDIzpp_n7H0PcgExGkxCuhF8f3muuA9U/s400/Kings%20Hill%20ball.jpg)
Spoiler alert, just like the previous post, there is verylittle in this article that relates directly to beer, although the good news isthat I’m starting to feel a lot better than I did mid-week when I drafted that particularpiece. It’s still “man flu” as far as Mrs PBT’s is concerned, especially as shehas largely shaken off her bout of the lurgy, but at least she isn’t blaming mefor bringing the infection into the house.We ventured out, earlier today, just for a shopping tripover to Kings Hill (West Malling), but both perhaps mindful that we’ve donevery little in the way of Christmas preparations. More about that later, but onthe plus side, I finally managed to pick up a few cans of that Forged Dry IrishStout I wrote about back in August. There was just a few, slightly tiredlooking four packs of the beer, lurking in the beer aisle at ASDA’s Kings Hill supermarket,which was more of a surprise than anything else.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LW33o3vQoDQLCOjbMvFmlIic2m-oL19eownL_v0a-jDtmAi1Q7hLMcEduziGzb001lQpn-lAIgh2b96n9s054GdXqc_Ao6e3_2xxEPveAcH70QdJ8trxTuId u9hUTdwbtdK3-tqUGnoJPcXqnKThgTSqi5lTts6MAF2oB8VmfLrzmlHKHwTm5fu IaDk/w400-h225/IMG_20230804_172326.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LW33o3vQoDQLCOjbMvFmlIic2m-oL19eownL_v0a-jDtmAi1Q7hLMcEduziGzb001lQpn-lAIgh2b96n9s054GdXqc_Ao6e3_2xxEPveAcH70QdJ8trxTuId u9hUTdwbtdK3-tqUGnoJPcXqnKThgTSqi5lTts6MAF2oB8VmfLrzmlHKHwTm5fu IaDk/s4000/IMG_20230804_172326.jpg)
I only discovered the cans, after leaving Eileen at thecheckout queue, and doubling back to the alcohol section, not quite on a whim,but more so because I remembered that ASDA was the UK grocery chain chosen by brandfounder and owner Conor McGregor, for the launch of this new entrant to thestout market, on this side of the Irish Sea. Rather than repeat the storybehind Forged Irish Stout, and the involvement of its “colourful” MMA fighter, and founder,the link here will take you to the article from 10th August, which attracted90 page views, but zero comments.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdPgjEOmITQaAE0HKH3TRqAgeiRvbSXzJ06EfuwE9nU QYC-jbC9ZWWomqp-M4gotMrx5WvopsQ0AqFkHWJrhGrk2xXZa9hvjIEjhEJ-jLTSdcuySs79Znu4vhXjr0IPtBeQCZ2C2EmzMqqCi_0tEy1a-2bQpzQyFac1XMjkKS3LICOqMHhRUT9h1mTAo/w400-h225/IMG_20230804_172556.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdPgjEOmITQaAE0HKH3TRqAgeiRvbSXzJ06EfuwE9nU QYC-jbC9ZWWomqp-M4gotMrx5WvopsQ0AqFkHWJrhGrk2xXZa9hvjIEjhEJ-jLTSdcuySs79Znu4vhXjr0IPtBeQCZ2C2EmzMqqCi_0tEy1a-2bQpzQyFac1XMjkKS3LICOqMHhRUT9h1mTAo/s4000/IMG_20230804_172556.jpg)
Perhaps I’m being churlish by describing the product launchas over-hyped, but I have looked for the beer in several other ASDA stores anddrawn a complete blank. For the record, Forged Stout is undoubtedly a very goodbeer, although whether it’s poised to take the Dry Irish Stout mantle away fromGuinness, is open to question. Instead, I would argue the case for Black HeartDraught from BrewDog, a beer which is receiving far more in terms of promotion andpresence within UK supermarkets than an upstart from across the Irish Sea.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc1_lIACLgulrOeOh0BnuvPq0WYrn_zywhTAyddEc-2qikqEsmiUg9GIRkvMXkjPD4HhMej7Ar6QCfFgi6MMQNJdeYm3 NF0La6W8vE16uNZPQj0ZMZe8nq28E8JaCPL9yuzJyR7UUkBOSF-3iiq2iBq3VbDDtgzuhwRodtu4wl0-697EGF3nr65qdi-I/w225-h400/stair%20carpet%20up.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc1_lIACLgulrOeOh0BnuvPq0WYrn_zywhTAyddEc-2qikqEsmiUg9GIRkvMXkjPD4HhMej7Ar6QCfFgi6MMQNJdeYm3 NF0La6W8vE16uNZPQj0ZMZe8nq28E8JaCPL9yuzJyR7UUkBOSF-3iiq2iBq3VbDDtgzuhwRodtu4wl0-697EGF3nr65qdi-I/s4000/stair%20carpet%20up.jpg)
Moving on, the carpet fitters have finally finished the job,and for the first time since the beginning of October, when we departed for ourMediterranean cruise, we can walk up and down the stairs without waking thoseon either side of us. It’s not until you’re without a particular facility orfeature, that you realise just how much you miss it, and hobbling up and downthe creaking bare boards of a 90-year-old staircase certainly wasn’t the mostjoyous experience in the world.Given the daily traffic up and down a staircase, and thedisruption involved in painting the surrounding wall and ceilings, it madeperfect sense to call in the decorators whilst we were out of the country foran extended period. We’d instructed the tradesmen to remove the rather worncarpet from the stairs, landing and hallway, although three weeks later when wereturned from holiday, the starkness of the bare wooden floors and stair treadscame as something of a shock, especially when viewed against the freshlypainted walls and ceiling.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxe6Ngeuk5BQ-XwkIJrbPGWb_84uhPPf2exgY5S2Ylc42R9tsow-f0OUeoOTw2Rfnr4fuRbSy63SSa4Jz8R0Wr6GA0U1koo5TdlEOZ QzqkBlgeyBE2lXzwm9_Z0K0y6dn9WZzAVmI3wPrjJsRYJiZhFY QgU9fWVkyJbOXmOHG2KcjkJiZBl-0F99kt4dI/w400-h245/Xmas%20decs.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxe6Ngeuk5BQ-XwkIJrbPGWb_84uhPPf2exgY5S2Ylc42R9tsow-f0OUeoOTw2Rfnr4fuRbSy63SSa4Jz8R0Wr6GA0U1koo5TdlEOZ QzqkBlgeyBE2lXzwm9_Z0K0y6dn9WZzAVmI3wPrjJsRYJiZhFY QgU9fWVkyJbOXmOHG2KcjkJiZBl-0F99kt4dI/s3407/Xmas%20decs.jpg)
I contacted a well-known national chain carpet store, andthey arranged for a surveyor to call at the end of the week. Mrs PBT’s chosethe carpet, we paid the bill and expected to hear from a fitter within a fewweeks. Those “few” weeks dragged on into a month and a half, and if I hadn’tphoned the company, we’d probably still be walking up and down a carpet lessstaircase. The girl I spoke to in customer services had somehow mixed-upTonbridge with nearby Tunbridge Wells – she excused herself by saying she wasfrom Essex, nuff said, but somewhere along the line the company had obviouslymislaid our order.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mHx6aZYOVN0Z-fudif-JivlK31G5Pgv0ZOLRv6CqTKkE1B-i-oqlc3vNuna5EGKYH_uxHMsgG_A9tlwgQdf5kUuJ2t3uAfPssew Om8FNJu2WyYAdY2Nmd1TBxqJ-RyLKZWCG_BOxzNfX1NMhSOqJSohuUKdshAYWV8z6yD_MjHNXRS UjzEiBkUW_VQE/w225-h400/stair%20carpet%20new.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mHx6aZYOVN0Z-fudif-JivlK31G5Pgv0ZOLRv6CqTKkE1B-i-oqlc3vNuna5EGKYH_uxHMsgG_A9tlwgQdf5kUuJ2t3uAfPssew Om8FNJu2WyYAdY2Nmd1TBxqJ-RyLKZWCG_BOxzNfX1NMhSOqJSohuUKdshAYWV8z6yD_MjHNXRS UjzEiBkUW_VQE/s4000/stair%20carpet%20new.jpg)
To cut a long story short, the father and son team of carpetfitters arrived mid-afternoon on Thursday, cut and laid the carpet for the halland landing, but had to return the following day to complete the stairs. Thiswas because the carpet was too cold, having come straight from the warehouse,and this meant it wouldn’t flex sufficiently to fit snuggly around thealternate 90°angles of a slight of stairs. You'd never have thought carpet laying could beso technical, but it does make perfect sense when you think abut it. Thefitters did a first-class job, and it’s hard to describe the joy felt from walkingup and down a newly carpeted staircase. That’s another job crossed off from aslowly dwindling “must do” list, and its completion has come at just the rightmoment. I returned to work this morning, and there are now just twomore working days for me before the lengthy Christmas shutdown. I’ve only has acouple of beers over the past 10 days, the last one being a bottle of Fuller’sexcellent London Porter. At the moment tea and coffee have more of an appeal,but as the week goes on, I fully expect to be indulging once again in a glassor two of the finest hopped, malt beverages.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGImsszYXg8XMuQnj5XmoPAuRTGa4iLshjaynjVhno3u i7W2eeSL_vcPW6_7AVr1gM6TsSJRPW6ubsGPvRs3MF8pUHKlFp Ru_EZudR0qaUXFQYqymC6kvtI-5pRzrH3vCBvXLHYjgFlMpHPCWQC4FaIpoetBoTW6ZiwVP5BB-QkJmTWP6Sa-qTcTe9LFw/w400-h174/Weisn%20Box.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGImsszYXg8XMuQnj5XmoPAuRTGa4iLshjaynjVhno3u i7W2eeSL_vcPW6_7AVr1gM6TsSJRPW6ubsGPvRs3MF8pUHKlFp Ru_EZudR0qaUXFQYqymC6kvtI-5pRzrH3vCBvXLHYjgFlMpHPCWQC4FaIpoetBoTW6ZiwVP5BB-QkJmTWP6Sa-qTcTe9LFw/s3654/Weisn%20Box.jpg)
Since returning from the cruise, and prior to picking up this bug,I’d began drinking my way through a few of the Oktoberfest Biers I bought fromLidl, back in September – see Wiesn-Tragerl (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/wiesn-tragerl-from-kalea-real-bargain.html)from (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/wiesn-tragerl-from-kalea-real-bargain.html) Kalea. (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/wiesn-tragerl-from-kalea-real-bargain.html) So far, they’ve beenmalt-driven, quite sweet in taste, and with a noticeable touch of ethyl alcoholon the palate. This is perhaps notentirely surprising, given that most of these beers have abv’s of between 5.5& 6.5 %, and this matches the experience of many beer drinkers. Here, the consensusis that an abv of around 5% is the ideal strength for a quaffing beer, especiallywhen the beer is a pale-coloured lager.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdnb4ojhDtjMiWO77422xI770DlQ__zzGI8OuTEzV8a zViaOWGw-vdqn5-PKZT9CYss3Bx9aXjkasUgHA8pKVKdxYXGfpxacdb4MoM_d4CMj BIK1crfYrq4z0deHaCT9m0S7S3qWJ6i_shAzaeH9Wm7-wqj8ZbgMyHEfMFvlQiysHRwfsG82cxQk54h0/w400-h240/IMAG0603_BURST002.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdnb4ojhDtjMiWO77422xI770DlQ__zzGI8OuTEzV8a zViaOWGw-vdqn5-PKZT9CYss3Bx9aXjkasUgHA8pKVKdxYXGfpxacdb4MoM_d4CMj BIK1crfYrq4z0deHaCT9m0S7S3qWJ6i_shAzaeH9Wm7-wqj8ZbgMyHEfMFvlQiysHRwfsG82cxQk54h0/s2592/IMAG0603_BURST002.jpg)
This is a statementI not only agree with but is one which matches my own experience of enjoyingbeer over half a century. Discovering that the 6.0% beers served up at the legendaryFranconian Annafest, were only sold in litre measuresdid make the event far more of a challenge than it should have been, and if I’mbrutally honest, less enjoyable than I’d been anticipating. My Annafest experiencehappened 10 years ago, with most of our visits to the Kellerwald taking place duringdaylight hours.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDW-c-HQSzPYC0B7pFa8cAnddeYQmzQq1iQcqEAjAX4ITwwLuagxP8dB b-F1MYLr5N3TSKYLHfS0sATGhnr8defwvxoSLr9CMsiNCV5NQOZT buB7wQal3idUk_KWorWwvxdzvtmJqo18RL_tmNwPbaetIixMQE CFgMkx1ImJKmHZGPZzCBYnFY6jvDxI/w400-h240/IMAG0749.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDW-c-HQSzPYC0B7pFa8cAnddeYQmzQq1iQcqEAjAX4ITwwLuagxP8dB b-F1MYLr5N3TSKYLHfS0sATGhnr8defwvxoSLr9CMsiNCV5NQOZT buB7wQal3idUk_KWorWwvxdzvtmJqo18RL_tmNwPbaetIixMQE CFgMkx1ImJKmHZGPZzCBYnFY6jvDxI/s2592/IMAG0749.jpg)
During the evening,it was refreshing to take the bus back down into the town of Forchheim and enjoya few “normal” strength beers in one of the local pubs, along with a bite toeat. I suppose thought, that when you’re part of a crowd, swaying along withthe music, whilst chugging a large earthenware mug of strong Festbier, you don’treally notice yourself becoming more and more intoxicated as the session wearson.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr5BwKeKOXpWBFvmlKS8L_-hb8z_467goMzBe28vckOOttLF1FjB6_0amVad7JzvDBgToXFr3 2BUqcMBKv_jgKs31ybKXLOi_OGNCo3UEZhser0D2w5sZ_fZB4R NOruhcPksy8FbxFJozw4rIKtLMeYIkgYDFmu4b59tX36QEmCY_ DjzXGi_P_lPKzB8/w400-h300/Inside%20Hacker%20tent.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr5BwKeKOXpWBFvmlKS8L_-hb8z_467goMzBe28vckOOttLF1FjB6_0amVad7JzvDBgToXFr3 2BUqcMBKv_jgKs31ybKXLOi_OGNCo3UEZhser0D2w5sZ_fZB4R NOruhcPksy8FbxFJozw4rIKtLMeYIkgYDFmu4b59tX36QEmCY_ DjzXGi_P_lPKzB8/s4453/Inside%20Hacker%20tent.jpg)Hey now, let’snot become too moralistic over this, because events such as Annafest and thefar better-known Munich Oktoberfest (similar high strength beers and litremeasures are the order of the day at the Wiess’n), are about letting ones hairdown, joining in with the spirit of the event, and generally having a god timein the company of similarly intoxicated revellers, many of whom you won’t havemet until an hour or so before hand.
So, on that note,and with dreams and fond memories of time spent in Bavaria and Franconia, it’stime to draw this narrative to an end, and time too for an early night, spent dreamingof such things. "Zum Wohl" as the Germans would say!
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