Category: #decembeer

What a day! And to celebrate….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 2 Comments

This day will go down in the memories of students and teachers alike. It was a day that very rarely ever happens, a day that students (and teachers!) often dream of, a day when some sort of drama shuts the school unexpectedly. Today was that day.

The day started off reasonably normal, that is if the final few days of the term can ever be called 'normal', that was until 9.30am. The fire alarm sounds, I did think to myself that it was a strange time for a fire drill, cold and windy outside with the threat of rain. Anyway, we all head off to the fire assembly point to go through the rigmarole of the dreaded fire drill. As is normal with a fire drill, you can divide the students into two distinct categories: the kids who find the whole thing a bit of a drag; and the kids who find the whole thing quite exciting.

After being outside for rather longer than normal, together with the slightly worried looks on the faces of the senior leadership team, it was clear that this was no normal fire drill. After various huddles, the announcement was given that the whole school will file into the sports hall and sit down.

Fifteen minutes later, and the whole school were sitting in the sports hall, minus the dozen or so who had either caught hyperthermia, had a panic attack or turned into gibbering wrecks. Then the Head addressed the school: there had been an electrical fault, the fire service had attended, and the decision had been made to close the school. As you can imagine, this announcement was meet with the sensible, reserved reaction it deserved, mainly cheers, clapping and woops.

And so it came to pass that the school was closed and we all went home.

So to celebrate, a quick visit to Tesco to pick up a trio of beers….

#december #14a….back to a local brewery….Oakham Ales' JHB….

This is a very tasty beer, light and refreshing with a distinct citrus aroma and a dry bitter finish. Not the deep full-bodied flavour of some beers, but all the same very easy to drink. I've found in the past that these light citrusy beers normally have a dodgy aftertaste, but not this one.

And so #decembeer #14b….Ridley's (a first for #decembeer)…..and the fantastically named….Old Bob…

Old Bob I would describe as pretty much a run of the mill beer. It is described as, “thick with biscuity malt, spice and rich red fruits”, or in other words, 'beery'. This is one of those beers that is rather forgetful.

Tonight, the beer train is rolling on, and so #decembeer #14c, an entry from St Austell Brewery…..Tribute….

Although, calling it Tribute is a bit deceiving. This is not a particularly good beer, not really sure why I don't like it, and perhaps drinking a beer every day is not the way to go, they all seem to blend into each other. Tribute is described on the bottle as: “moreishly', that is a lie; “delicious”, that is a lie; and “drinkable”; this is also a lie.

I think, if my maths is correct, that makes it 16 beers so far this #decembeer.

 

Still going strong…. #decembeer

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 1 Comment

Thirteen days down and #decembeer is still going strong.

Tonight an offering from Adnams…..Southwold Bitter….

Nothing wrong with this beer: malty, smooth and tasty. It looks good, and goes down very easily, but it just lacks a bit of flavour.

Random beer related fact of the day: Adnams' Southwold Bitter has award winning 500ml bottles that are one of the lightest in the bottled beer category.

 

Landlord #decembeer

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 1 Comment

Tonight's entry, #12, into the #decembeer hall of fame is Landlord….

I've had various comments from people that seem to suggest that I haven't really liked any of the beers so far this month, and that in fact I don't actually like beer. If you are one of those people you may want to look away now….

Landlord by Timothy Taylor's Brewery is a 'strong pale ale', the first pale ale of #decembeer, and although perfectly drinkable, it is not one I'd bother trying again. It had a very citrusy, refreshing, very hoppy aroma. Which was ok – nothing amazing – but ok. And even the initial taste was ok – nothing amazing – but ok. It was the twangy aftertaste that put me off a bit. It sort of hung around at the back of the throat – to quote Billy Bragg – like a fart in a Russian space station.

I think I need to return to Tesco's 'dark and full-bodied' beer shelf in an attempt to bring back a bit of positivity to the blog. Something like the 'Old Perculier' tastetastic variety.

 

Ten down…. #decembeer

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ Leave a comment

The whole #decembeer shananigans has turned me into a creature of habit. After school I head to Tesco to pick up a bottle of beer and also treat myself to a Snickers bar (I'm a sucker for a bar of Snickers). So you can imagine the shock when Tesco, in the space of the last couple of days, changed the way they market their beer. No longer do you have to peruse the shelves, examining bottles, in an attempt to find what sort of beer you are after. They now have handily labeled shelves that help guide the weary #decembeer participant:

  • Light & Refreshing – from subtle fruit to lightly hopped, golden or pale, these ales are more delicate in flavour.
  • Full Flavoured & Characterful – typically amber in colour.
  • Darker & Full Bodied – defined by a more intense flavour.

So I picked a beer, can't actually remember what shelf I got it from, brewed by Skinner's Brewery in Cornwall…..may I present 'Betty Stogs'….

This beer is apparently named after the “wonderfully wicked West Cornwall folklore character” and is described as having a “light hop aroma with underlying malt”. It is quite a light refreshing beer, has a subtle smell of malt, and is an easy beer to drink. But, I think, lacks the flavour of some of the others I've tried. This beer will be easily forgotten.

Bring on #11

 

Running and beer? #decembeer #janathon

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 2 Comments

Or maybe that should be beer and running? Either way I think the pair sit well, and complement each other.

So, in no particular order….let's talk beer….

Tonight we welcome another popular beer, from Wychwood Brewery, the world famous Hobgoblin, “a beer full of mischievous character”….

A smooth taste, definitely of the malty variety, very easy to drink, goes down the hatch very well (glad I only bought one bottle considering it is a school night). So 9 days into #decembeer and my plan to become a beer connoisseur is still hitting problems. This beer is brewed from “chocolate and crystal malts with a refreshing bitterness…and a dash of citrus aroma”. Chocolate? Can't taste it. Bitterness? Yes, obviously. Citrus aroma? I can't even smell that in this one (although that could be down to this cold I've had for the past couple of days). So still a bit of work to do before I get the call to appear on 'Saturday Kitchen' as their beer expert. Although one positive from tonight's #decembeer was that it did force me to put off working for that little bit longer.

And now…let's talk running….

With the new year fast approaching, it can mean only one thing….Janathon. This means running, logging and blogging a daily run throughout the month on January. I completed it last January, it was tough but great fun, and I actually managed to run over 130 miles in total. As well as the running it also means you get to read some fabulous blogs of people's experiences of the whole challenge. Well worth a go if you think you're man (or woman) enough!

So with running on the mind I've entered to run the Stamford Santa Fun Run next weekend, as part of the school's 'CBEC Stars' raising money for charity. Not only is it a nice local run around Burghley House, but you get to do it all dressed up as Santa, beard and all!!! Lovely jubbly!