No I didn't crash, read on though.
Had a pretty full on night last night. Spent the day getting a PS3 Slim to talk to a mac over a home network, so that the MAC acts as a media server. Not horribly successful the results were inconsistent. Then got taken on a bike pub crawl. Where, since I am skint I didn't buy a single pint myself all night.
So here goes.
Long Melford to Pentlow Pinkuas Arms. 5.6 miles, several hills, it was cold and my gears are knackered plus I had a laptop to contend with, so stuck in one gear (4th on the middle cog) I made it up all the hills and was glad my bike freewheels so well.
Pint of Shepherd Neame Spitfire 4.2% , which is a lovely beer sweet but malty with some hoppiness, but it went down so quickly it barely touched the sides. Briefed my mates on the just completed World cup draw, then a pint of Woodfordes Wherry at 3.8%. This beer is imperious, this has been the stock ale at Glastonbury in the past, light, flavoursome, flowery, hoppy and as always lovely.
Back on the bikes for a ride accross the plateaux above Sudbury to the West (Sudbury is in a valley, Suffolk is not flat, far from it, admittedly it is hardly Yorkshire, but it has very few flat bits) Another 3 to 4 miles to the Pentlow Red Lion.
First pint was the ever gorgeous Adnams Old 4.1%. This is a dark horse, highly drinkable, indeed I have drank it all evening in the winter in the past, this was really lively as well, the complexity of the beer shone through as did the silky consistency, a very malty beer but not in the least bit heavy, the complexity of it astounds but it never gets too much, a truly and dangerously quaffable beer.
Then to the second pint, Oakhams Inferno 4.0% like Crouch Vales similarly beautiful Amarillo, (there really is only one way to order the Crouch Vale beer, if you can sing in tune) both beers use an american hop called Amarillo, and produce a golden ale that has so much hoppiness but an underlying taste that is unmistakenly that of grapefruit, truly superb, a real thirst quencher and as I discovered later an award winner as well, unsurprised.
My mates told me that it was only two or three miles home, as if, the locals told me it was about six miles. The locals knew best, flat first couple of miles then a long downhill with an inevitable uphill I tried changing gear halfway up to prevent my thighs bursting, Clunky-crunchy-whirr-gedunk-gedunk-gedunk - no gear engaged bugger it and walk. get it back in gear at the top and repeat whole experience twice, by this time it is raining, not heavily but enough to spur you on to avoid giving up and calling a cab. Arrive at Brewery Tap some 75 yards from home.
Pint of Mauldons Bah Humbug 4.9% a lovely beer, fruity and complex, caramel, ruby red but really drinkable. But I am back and even at 10pm only last a pint or two before going home to collapse, exhausted.
My mates cycle the three and a half miles back to Melford. One of them does this every friday night, actually more he does seven miles to Edwardstone then five to Sudbury five to Pentlow and then the 5.6 miles to Long Melford. But then his bike cost a grand and the gears actually work.
This morning I will mostly be making breakfast and fixing a bike.
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