The Scenic Route

I wake up this morning alongside a dark haired girl which is a nice variation but understandably one takes this in their stride and gets acquainted. L's been at the hair colouring and gone dark again. Looks very good.

Then it’s my usual mad dash for the early bus because I want to run into work. I make it with an impressive five minutes to spare, if only it had turned up. Fifteen minutes later I hop on the direct bus to Derby and have to reassess my plans. The driver gestures up the road to where my first choice bus is apparently sitting, broken down.

I get into Derby and end up running down the river, across Pride Park and through Alvaston Park. The scenic route to work. It doesn't work out too badly in the end but the run was shorter than I had planned, only around three miles.

Tonight L and I rendezvous after work in Long Eaton for the 2nd Long Eaton Beer festival. It was rather good last year and L is looking forward to copious amounts of last year’s beer of the festival ‘Cakewalk’ from local brewer Funfair. Ah. I don’t know if I dare tell her. Bad news... no Cakewalk, in fact no Funfair at all. We'll cope.

That is, once we get there. I’m a bit late but make it just in time before L resorts to pre-drinking something orange with the local teenagers in the Green, then we have to shelter from the deluge in shop doorways during which L spots a job she fancies, in a funeral parlour...

It’s not often that beer festival bands are any good but tonight entertainment is provided by Long Eaton’s own Verbal Warning who are very good. Their old skool punk and new wave, along with a few of their own numbers, go down well with the ale.

We cope very well indeed with the special of the festival, Bill Camm Stout brewed by the local Nutbrook Brewery and named after the late Borough Councillor for Sawley who was also a County Councillor. It’s not often anything to do with local government is worth a mention but this is. With due reverence paid to Titanic’s rather tasty Plum Porter and L’s favourite Oxfordshire Ales Marshmellow, which may or may not have had a hint of marshmallow about it.

I think I’m rather restrained, 8 halves. L has the same but two of them are rather potent fruit wines...

Set List

Me

Ramsgate Gadds No. 5 4.4%
Milestone Rich Ruby 4.5%
Nutbrook Bill Camm Stout 5.2%
Titanic Plum Porter 4.9%
Nutbrook Bill Camm Stout 5.2% (reprise)
Three Castles Knights Porter 4.6%
Titanic Plum Porter 4.9% (reprise)
Milestone Old English 4.9%

L

Oxfordshire Ales Marshmellow 4.7%
Milestone Old English 4.9%
Black Beer & Raison Wine 14.5%
Tower Imperial IPA 5.0%
Cherry Fruit Wine 14.5%
Full Mash Bhisti IPA 6.2%
Nailsworth Royal Flush IPA 5.2%
Oxfordshire Ales Marshmellow 4.7% (encore)

Then L lets me take her for a curry at the Savera. So a very good night all round.

(Friday 16th September)