UK Tour

Last night we dropped Son off at Nottingham Trent’s Clifton campus where he had arranged to meet some friends. That was at about half-past-midnight. Four hours later he turns up back at our place for a few hours kip before departing again just before 7.30 on the next leg of his UK Tour, back to Warwick for an 11am seminar and then up to York for the weekend.

L had taken a bag of provisions for him with us up to Leeds. This had then travelled back with us and then had spent the night on his bedroom floor, via a stopover in Clifton. We hope the meat and cheese isn’t too rancid by the time he comes to eat them. It's done some miles.

The media is full of Wayne Rooney and the Liverpool sale. How this is of any interest to anyone outside the supporters of those two clubs I’m not sure but we’re being force fed it anyway. Thankfully the Rooney saga now appears to be over after he agreed a new five year contract just days after announcing his intention to leave over concerns that the club's squad was not up to scratch... Seems he forgot about that once they waved wads of money in front of his eyes. Unfortunately for Wayne, the amount of money they are now going to be paying him will mean they'll be none left for any new signings.

After work I walk to Chaddesden and then attempt to get the bus over to Long Eaton, where I’ve arranged to meet L. I get there five minutes before the bus is due but the electronic signs say that the next one will be in 24 minutes. How can that be, when the buses are every 20 minutes. The one after the one I was waiting for hadn’t even left its start location yet.

One eventually turns up, only around ten minutes late, I rendezvous with L and we head off to the Erewash Valley Beer Festival. This nomadic festival, which was originally held in Sandiacre then Ilkeston, is back on the calendar after an absence of two years.



It is being held in one of the old lace mills in the town, which has recently been refurbished, The Westgate & Clifford Suites on Westgate.



It’s only a week after the Nottingham Beer Festival but we reckon we’re up to it. A not too bad selection of beers as it turns out and almost all were from local breweries, which is how it should be.

Set List

FUNFAIR - WALTZER 4.5%
BLACK HOLE - NO ESCAPE 5.2%
LEADMILL - RAMPAGE 5.1%
NUTBROOK - COW JUICE 6.0%
FUNFAIR - CAKE WALK 6.0%
BURTON BRIDGE - FESTIVAL 5.5%
BURTON BRIDGE - TOP DOG STOUT 5.0%

There were a couple of repeat performances in L’s selection.

FUNFAIR - CAKE WALK 6.0%
BURTON BRIDGE - FESTIVAL 5.5%
THORNBRIDGE - KIPLING 5.2%
FUNFAIR - CAKE WALK 6.0%
DERVENTIO - CLEOPATRA 5.0%
BURTON BRIDGE - FESTIVAL 5.5%

(Friday 22nd October)

No Mean Feat

I’ve already done one short run this week and I’m intending on doing a long one tomorrow. Today was supposed to be a gentle bus day ending up at the beer festival tonight but L said that if I was getting the bus, I might as well combine it with a run. So I did, despite the bed pulling this morning.

At least I've got someone to blame if it doesn't go well... but it does. In fact I’m feeling very in shape for this race next week. Which means that I’ll do a slow time, I bet. I always seem to run faster when I’m feeling unfit.

I spend my lunch hour trawling through the list of 810 beers from 280 breweries that will be available at the festival tonight. My cunning plan is to narrow this down to around ten for a bit of a ‘session’. No mean feat. First remove all the ones that aren't dark, as this is a preference of mine. Then remove all the ones I drink regularly or have tried before but don't rate. Then erase anything too weak and anything too far the other way. Then anything described as floral or citrus or smoky or flavoured with paradise seeds and curacao... The apricot beer gets the chop as well. This leaves me with a list of around 35. Still too many. The final cut brings it down to 15. Need a few reserves on the subs bench.

The 'good advice' is to not go straight for the strong beers, as you won’t remember the weaker ones you have later. There are two holes in this theory. One, why would you revert to weaker ones later? and two, the strategy of leaving off on the strong ones until later only works if everyone else does the same thing and believe me, they don't. So this is just 'advice' put out by Camra members who want you to leave the best stuff for them.

The best beers and particularly the strong ones will start running out well before the end of day one, Thursday. So my advice is don't mess around and although it’s not advisable to hit the festival on a ‘school night’, it’s the only way.



So it’s straight from work to the festival at the Nottingham Castle where I’ve arranged to meet L outside at 6.30 but I’m a touch early, so naturally I start without her. The rum and raisin porter is a disappointment, as deep down I kind of expected it would be. It had only just made my list but with that one out of the way early, things get better and better.

L is well sorted because they have a selection of her favourites:- Screech Owl, Jaipur, Fullers ESB, and even Marston’s Owd Roger. It was particularly good to see Owd Rog’ there, such a rarity on draught and damn good tonight.

The food was good too. Not only did I get a two course curry but a cheeseboard (well cheese platter) as well.

Set List

SPIRE OLD JAMAICA 4.8% - Staveley, Derbyshire
THORNBRIDGE MURMANSK BALTIC PORTER 7.4% - Bakewell, Derbyshire
ANGUS DRIVER'S STOUT 4.4% - Carnoustie, Angus
MARSTONS OWD ROGER 7.6% - Burton on Trent
BRAMPTON MILD 4.9% - Chesterfield, Derbyshire
NOBBY’S T’OWD NAVIGATION 6.1% - Guilsborough, Northants
FLIPSIDE DUSTY PENNY 5.0% - Colwick, Nottingham
FULLERS LONDON PORTER 5.4% - Chiswick, London
MILTON MARCUS AURELIUS 7.5% - Milton, Cambs.
SHARPS SPECIAL 5.2% - Rock, Cornwall

I have counted the number of alcohol units in that lot but I’m not telling. I'll tell you about the hangover tomorrow.