ROCHESTER BLIND BOWLING GROUP

  Whenever one hears of men 'going out for a few beers', it evokes fears of excessive drinking, raucous singing, loutish behaviour and spending a lot of money. This, however, could not have been further from the truth, as Chris and Hans met up with Norman, at this year's Medway Beer Festival, on Friday, November 5th!

  The three-day festival, as usual, took place in the Stanley House Dance Ballroom, in Chatham. The organizer, John Brice, had ordered some fifty-five to sixty barrels of ale, brought in from small breweries around the country, along with a handful of bottled beers from Belgium. How much John chose from experience - or his spirit of adventure - is open to conjecture, but it proved a delight to everyone attending and he should be commended for the choices offered.

  We arrived, at about 2.30 p.m., and paid our admission fee of £10, for which we were given an empty glass and a sheet, marked with various denominations of money, totalling £10. We also received a menu of the tastes from which we could select. At once, we decided that it would be sensible to order drinks by the half-pint. Theis was an extremely practical decision, as the ales varied in strength from 3.2 to well over 6. The other advantage of approaching the afternoon in this way was to avail us of more tastes than we would have had with whole pints.

  During the afternoon (which means that our six half-pints lasted around four hours), we enjoyed six different beverages, most with the guidance of Norman, who we now regard as a learned authority on the subject. Hans found the golden, roasty flavour of the Heligan Honey, with its slightly sweet taste, to be a perfect first sample. Chris preferred the stronger flavour of Double Header.

  Another recommendation from Norman was Bottle Wreck Porter which Hans liked more than Chris did. All three were agreed that that Betty's Big Sister was a fine ale, with a very apt name! This beauty was followed by a truly sumptuous bottled beer, called Boon Kriek, a cherry flavoured lambic ale - allowed to mature naturally.

  Chris ventured away from ale, for his last drink, when he chose a cider, Magic Bus (Dreamee Bus), made in Kent and chosen as Bexley Festival's cider of the year, 2010.

  So, a good afternoon was enjoyed by all - not only the three of us, but all those present. We met up with old friends, made new acquaintances and learned about tastes we had not known, before. A thoroughly agreeable way to spend an afternoon in late Autumn. Same again, please John!

Photograph courtesy Andrew P.

Photograph courtesy Andrew P.