What a great weekend!

One of the advantages of getting slightly older is that you tend to be somewhat circumspect in terms of the speed at which you live your life. Most things, these days, I prefer to savour rather than thrash into always looking for the next excitement. 

The above was certainly the case for the last weekend that was spent in Bruges with friends. After a relaxing Eurostar journey and hotel booking in a few beers were sampled, an excellent meal consumed and then on to some serious beer sampling in the perfect bar. Each mouthful being savoured before a carefully considered verdict on that particular beers' merits were delivered, each of us being anxious to only discover the positives in each brew, with language that was couched with subtle nuance and deep understanding.

 The inevitable conclusion to the evening was that having left the bar at 2.45 AM we were pretty soon lost, tottering in the back streets of Bruges. We were found by a taxi, having made something of an impression on a couple of fellow Brits, and returned to our hotel.

Whilst the following morning was definitely welcomed as a period for quiet reflection, we were anxious to complete our serious task of beer comparison but unfortunately managed to get lost on the way to the bar this time. Having elicited the whereabouts of the bar we continued with our mission even recruiting a couple of  South Africans. Things were going swimmingly and we were fortunate enough to have Peter with us acting as our collective voice of reason and moderation to the extent that even though we left late again we were able to find our own way back.

 Sunday was, of course, reserved for sightseeing and the acquisition of gifts and trinkets before our time on foreign soil was at an end. An equally relaxing journey back was whiled away with idle chat, reminiscences and a couple of cans of quality beer on the train.

All in all a fabulous weekend and my grateful thanks to 'The Morrisons' for arranging this for me and reinforcing once again the value of friendship   

Well it's been a while since my last post, is this a sad reflection on my life insomuch as nothing worth mentioning happens or an endorsement of the hectic and madcap existence that I lead?

Ooooooh! Aaaaaaah! Wellllll! Most of my time has been taken up with work. 6 weeks seems to have flown by and I'll tell you every second has been paved with good intentions most of which have been squirrelled away for future reference. 

Brewery situation: All new electrics in and working, some classic beers on at the moment, a French Pilsner (?) a standard bitter made with rubbish yeast and a purrrfict Leffe Blonde which is conditioning nicely. I need more building work in there though to stop water running in and the sink needs to be plumbed in. I have decided on equipment and will order it in the v near future.

General exercise: Don't ask, I'm continually blighted with a cold or residue of one although my rowing machine is now fully working again , well it should be as it was replaced on Monday. No running for ages, once again my application for the London Marathon was rejected (3rd time!) arrrrgh!

Music: Not doing enough, again don't ask, it depresses me.

General wellbeing: Good with many projects filling me with excitement esp the forthcoming trip to Bruges, the prospect of skiing, sailing next year and the shooting season about to start.Brewery all but finished & house renovations next year. However, not enough out and abouting, seeing friends, general relaxation or music making.and obviously not enough blogging.

The brewery is finally underway, I've been busy thinking about the best layout and have finally decided that I am going to do little if anything to the walls and floor but instead spend the money on getting decent kit installed properly. I may take some photos and post them so that you can all see and measure the progress!

I have settled on the stable of beers that I intend to produce obviously with some ‘specials’ running alongside them.

Keep your eyes on the blog for details of what's 'on the go'