Thwarted

 Turns out we didn't get to Martha's on Saturday - I spent most of the day (and the days since) nursing an uncharacteristically bad migraine attack.

Yesterday I hadn't made enough progress with a funding bid to take it to the pub for review so we just tootled around to the Barley Mow anyway to chill a bit.

I was keeping my beer consumption as modest as possible (I know that no beer at all is the most modest choice - but come on!) so I made unusual choices for me.  

My first was 2/3rd of Rudgate golden beer:  traditional and tasty.

Second I went proper off-piste and had 2/3rd of Floris framboise (3.8%). It was way better than I had anticipated:  my memory of another Floris fruit beer in Brussels was that it was cloyingly sweet and I half expected this to be that.  It was sweet, but it was also tart and refreshing and had a good, dry finish. The BBB and I agreed that it did a good job. Half made me want to try their kriek.

I finished with half of the lovely Hastings Project/Burning Sky collab (I'll bet I don't get to see it when we're back in Sussex next week).  

Anyhow, half of the pleasure in the Barleymow was overheard conversations from a group who appeared to be from St Austell Brewery, showing a couple of US brewers around (this is mostly conjecture).  Their enthusiasm for their subject was lovely to hear.

The pub was buzzing but not rammed, and it was lovely to be out of the house. It was interesting seeing people use the pub as dining room, after work wind-down, entertain business visitors, meet friends, quiet time with significant others - and all this is happening in one place, at the same time.  Awesome, indeed