| « No thanks | No title (Glasgow) » |
In Lancaster
A couple of months ago I was thinking out loud at the wine club that "it'd be good if we could have something like this, but with beer." As I wandered home, Rosa Luxemburg's words came to me. "If not you, who? If not now, when?", although she was speaking about revolutionary action aimed at the overthrow of capitalism and I was talking about arranging a pissup in a pizzeria.
Bearing in mind Ms Luxemburg's chest-prodding challenge, I arranged the night with the Pizza Margherita, where I had one of my first jobs, scraping off the superglued remnants of lasagne after its eaters had discussed their difficulties in getting their children into a church school, or chatted about last week's conference in Norwich about sustainability and climate change with an interesting academic who'd made the effort to fly in from Mexico City.
My aims for the evening are to acquit myself with an informal, knowledgeable humour which will be maintained despite the disinhibiting effects of what we are to consume; to go home knowing that other people have enjoyed themselves; and to break even. Looking ahead, and if there's sufficient interest, it could become a regular series of beer explorations around Europe. It would force me to learn more about the beers of Germany, Czech Republic, Brittany, and so on.
This was the press release.
A STROLL THROUGH BELGIAN BEERS -- ON MOOR LANE The practice of serving beer to Belgian children with their school dinners may have ended, but the Belgians still enjoy an outstanding range and quality of beer. On Tuesday 26th March at the Pizza Margherita in Lancaster, there will be a chance to sample nine of these, including a couple that will be unknown to all but the keenest of Belgian beer aficionados.
Tasty Belgian snacks will be provided in between bottles and the evening will finish up with another fine Belgian alcoholic drink, rarely encountered in the UK, which will send you home with a warm Flemish glow, if the beers, with their ABVs which will wander over 10%, haven't already done the job.
The event starts at 7.30 and tickets cost £14.50. There are only twenty places available, on a first come first served basis. To make sure you are there for an informative and sociable evening, [get in touch with me]. Op uw gezondheid!
The local paper has put it through its sub-editing mangle, but it's fetched a few reservations. I just hope we won't get anyone coming for the "tasty Belgian snacks", because all it is is shop-bought waffles.
Just in case you are local and are interested--get in touch via the email link on the right-hand side of this page.
5 comments
From each according to his breweries, to each according to his thirsts!
I’d love to attend but, aside from the fact that I’m on the wrong side of the Atlantic, I could never sample all nine beers. I’m a terrible drinker and I’d be under the table after five or six. All nine and I’d wind up in the ER. Perhaps this would have been an opportunity for me to build up my resistance.
SB: To the barri—bar!
UB: I think if you were trying to build up resistance, Abbaye de Rochefort (7.5% ABV) and Bush Dubuisson (12%) are not good starting points.
nine belgians? in one sitting?!?! i love belgian beers, but don’t believe i could survive that night - and my liver is as tough as shoe leather!
we have “beer dinners” and beer tastings in my part of the world, and they are absolutely fabulous! especially when experts carefully do food/beer pairings!
Well–they’re only getting samples. I don’t want anyone getting completely plastered, or if they do, they’ve got to be decorously plastered.
Beer and food–I’d like to try more of that. I’m a bit traditional in that it’s always wine with my breakf—, er, I mean dinner.
Form is loading...
