700 Santas and a Bishops Farewell….

The day began with a gentle 5km run around Burghley House dressed as Santa. And strangely enough I was not alone, in fact, around 700 other Santas were also going for a gentle 5km run….

No, this was not just a strange coincidence, but the annual Rotary Club of Stamford's Santa Run. 700 men, women and children dressed in ridiculous outfits, including incredibly itchy beards, and all in the aid of charity.

So today we actually have a reason to celebrate. Anyone fancy a beer? And so to #18 of #decembeer, from Oakham Ales…..Bishops Farewell….

NB: I had actually finished marking before opening

So, 18 beers down, and here is my opinion of Bishops Farewell:

  • This beer has a very distinct citrus aroma, I can definitely smell a bit of lime going on (I think).
  • A very clean, crisp taste, with a dry finish.
  • A hoppy beer that is easy to drink.

Move over Oz Clarke!!

 

What a day! And to celebrate….

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.

 

Inferno #decembeer

Day of 2 #decembeer

Oakham Ales bring us the rather dramatically named ‘Inferno‘…

The first of many ‘local’ beers on the #decembeer list. ‘Inferno’ is described as…

“This light, igniting ale flickers complex fruits across your tongue,

leaving a dry, fruity, bitter finish, smothering your thirst”

Again, I’m no expert and I’m having trouble tasting the ‘complex fruits’, unless they are so complex they just taste like beer. However, I can smell the floral citrussy aroma, it smells a little bit like washing-up liquid. It is not as smooth as yesterday’s Oxford Gold, and definitely leaves a dry, bitter taste in your mouth.

Looking forward to day 3 of #decembeer already!