Sunday 7 November 2010

10 hours of malt & barley bliss, complete with an ADPi reunion...

Family,

And a good Sunday morning to you from across the Pond after another GREAT DAY in the Mother Country. It's 10 AM, the sun is shining, Muffin is passed out, and I can feel a slight headache approaching. However, as the Hitman is back in the Smoke, I have a feeling there there will soon be no rest for the weary. As dad would say: "You gotta gut divorce it!"

So we had planned to meet one of Jenny's friends from college and her boyfriend at 2 PM at the Covent Garden Tube Stop. We had a nice leisurely stroll to Covent Garden (which is fully decorated for Christmas and looks really cool - we'll have to get back down there before we bounce), stopping in at Pret for lunch (New York Bloomer, baby) and a coffee. We met up with Lauren, Seth, and a buddy of his named Mez and promptly marched to our destination - THE PORTERHOUSE, BABY!!!! There we actually found a table (SHOCKER, as we NEVER find a spot in there) and watched some of the Wales vs. Australia match (England vs. New Zealand was on the big screen, so we just caught snippets of that one) whilst throwing back a pair of Reds (they FINALLY had Hersbrucker for Puffin).

In the 2 hours we were in there, we found out some CRAZY facts about Lauren, Seth, and Mez. For starters, Seth has summited Everest. He did so with this brother, who was the first cancer survivor to EVER summit Everest OR complete the Seven Summits challenge (I told him he should hit the poles and knock out the adventurer's Grand Slam, but he didn't seem too keen...). He works with New Belgium Brewery in the states (FAT TIRE, BABY) and actually knows the cats at Brew Dog who brew Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Sink the Bismark. I mean, I honestly never thought I'd meet ANYONE with either of those connections, so meeting a dude with a tie to both was NUTS.

Also, Seth is part of a social network called Beer Advocate, which is basically Facebook for cats SERIOUSLY into brewing (Townsend and Eagle Scout - HOW DO WE NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS? I blame you guys...). Apparently, "beer swapping" is a big part of this, and Seth and Mez had OBSCENE quantities of beer that I'd NEVER heard of for just this purpose. Honestly, it was HILARIOUS to watch Mez just KEEP PULLING BEER out of his bag. And the craziest part? One of the beers WAS NAMED AFTER HIM. That's right - "Black Mez" - complete with a skull on the front - is actually named for this cat. I mean, that's serious...

We left there for a pint at the Harp (same one where we'd had our leaving drinks in 2007 - yep, the one that JT didn't make due to work) before rolling over to a place that's NEVER a good idea for your third pub - De Hem's. There lots of little evil Belgian beers awaited us, but I just took my time and worked through a single Maredsous 6.

We should now take a quick interlude to publically apologize to Kristen Henderson, as we had chatted all week about trying to meet up after the game. However, by the time the game was over and they were settled (which I'm guessing was about the time we were sitting at De Hem's), I can confirm that we weren't necessarily "fit for purpose" (Mum - fret not - I was very well behaved and still speaking coherently), meaning that an hour transit to Richmond was just not a good idea. KH - I'm sorry!!!!! I suck and I know it.

After that, we rolled to the Salisbury, where AGAIN we somehow got a table and sat there until we got kicked out for a private funtion at 9:00 PM. What did we do at that point? You guessed it - FOUND ANOTHER PUB. But not just any pub - HELLOOOOOOOOOOO CHESHIRE CHEESE, BABY!!!!! That's right - for the SECOND WEEK in a row we found the Cheese open, and business was booming. We did manage to grab a table, which was quite a feat given how crowded that place was.

After finishing our Taddy Porters there, we crossed the river and hit up Dogget's on the South bank, just across the Black Friar's bridge (which we'd never walked over, for the record, so that was cool). We had a final one there (which I just couldn't finish) before saying goodbye and making the walk home. And since they were both "alphas" together (or whatever the hell you call it), I made them do one "diamond pic." After all, "sisterhood IS forever.."

Oh, and it should be noted that it was the walk home when we FINALLY had dinner, taking down a kabob each (and I ALSO had a slice of pizza - I KNOW WHAT HEALTHY IS...). All in it was 10 hours, 8 pints each, and 6 pubs for Team Taylor - not a bad day's work. But let's just say it's morning's after like this are just one more reason why we KNOW that it's time to get out of here, as we need some REST!

Finally, about 1 AM, Team Taylor rolled back to the flat and PASSED OUT. However, as with any alcohol induced sleep, I pop up early (oddly enough, it's the ONLY time), and so here I am cranking out the blog and contemplating a starbucks run to get me going. After all, Hitman is on these shores now, it's like Black Hawk Down - you can't let someone from the homeland drink alone.

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tonight!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

2 comments:

  1. I love it - JT and LFO flashing diamonds after a whole lot of beer. Nothing's changed! Sounds like you guys had a wonderful time!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mel! Yes it was a great time. Couldn't believe it had been so long. I wish I could catch up with you and everyone else regularly. Hope you are well. MISS YOU!!!

    ReplyDelete