Eating (and Drinking) Out ... without Children

Now that Rebecca has told you about some of the things we've been doing over here, I thought I'd put my two pence in. And what better way to start my posts on this blog than to talk about one of the reasons that we are all over here - beer! Okay, so we're here for my job and all, but gotta have a little fun while we're here, right?

My first beer over here was after those frozen dinners that we had last Saturday. I couldn't just sit around on a Saturday night, when there was a sports bar down the road. But since Rebecca had to stay with the kids, I went there alone. And I didn't know what to try. I walked in, looked at the taps, and picked the closest one to me - Tetley's. I found it funny that it was advertised as 'Extra Cold' after hearing about how English ales are served at cellar temperature. But it was really good. It was a bitter ale, and it hit the spot. But shortly after I got there, they rang the bell for the last call at 11 p.m., and shut down the bar. I only needed one anyway.

But today I finally got to experience a real pub. Some new friends from work invited me to go to The Stone House Inn.



I had sausage and mash for lunch (I was a little disappointed that the menu didn't advertise them as bangers and mash), with a Black Sheep Brewing company ale called Riggwelter. Very tasty. And strong, too. Just what one needs in a lunch beer. The sausage and mash was incredible. It is just three sausages on mashed potatoes, covered with an onion gravy. It kinda looked like this picture, but the sausages were skinnier.

Then I learned about this movement that has been going on over here since 1971 to advocate for the traditional way that English ale is made and served call CAMRA (CAMpaign for Real Ale). Awesome! Now that's what I'm talking about. Soon, I will be a card carrying member. No more 'Extra Cold' English ales for me. I hear they revoke your membership if they find you drinking such things. I'll of course always go for a cold Sam Adams, but I digress.