Beer Festival

 My Young Man came to stay on the weekend of the Hereford Beer Festival.

I had various things to sort out at my bank related to moving house - changing standing orders and so on, so we went into Hereford on the Friday afternoon.  After I'd done the important business, and had a pork roll from the stand on the main square, we headed down to the marquee by the rowing club.

I think we chose the best day to go.  It was busy, but not too crowded, and I understand the crowds were the biggest they've ever been over the rest of the weekend.

Neither of us can drink in large volume any more - my limit was always three pints, and we had to keep an eye on the time to get the bus back to Hay, which limited the amount we could drink.  So we had to choose our drinks wisely.

The Young Man started off with a Black Orchid porter from Motley Hog in Ross-on-Wye, which he liked.  This came from the local brewers' bar at one end of the marquee.  He was also looking for anything unusual from Brecon brewery, now based in Bridgend.  On the grounds that he wouldn't see it back home, he went for the Mind Peroxide.  It's a 10% IPA, strong enough that they would only serve it in a third or half pint, and he sipped that for the rest of the session.

I started with Moonrakers Mild from Empire brewery in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire, because I like to try milds when I see them.  After that, I was delighted to find Jaipur IPA from Thornbridge in Bakewell, and followed that with Uley Pale Ale from Uley in Gloucestershire - it's not easy to find outside their local area, and the last time I drank it I was with a bunch of pagans who had just celebrated a mistletoe ritual in an orchard near the River Severn.

That was my pint and a half finished, with just enough time to amble to the bus stop outside the Catholic Church to get back to Hay.

That's where I met someone I hadn't seen for over twenty years - an ex-traveller who had his caravan on the grounds of Brynmelin when I lived there and worked for Richard Booth.  It was nice to catch up with him and find out that he was doing okay.