What's new?

What's new?  Well, everything at the moment.  Take first of all, my inaugural experiment with blogging.  A foray possibly never to be repeated, based on a combination of technical incompetence or indecision over a suitable future topic (I am, unfortunately, quite an indecisive person).

What else is new?  Well, the news this morning that preliminary research indicates that very high levels of vitamin B could protect against Alzheimer's, one of the most under-researched and devastating diseases of old age.  And where do we find vitamin B?  In cask ale, for one thing.  However, given that your average pint of beer provides only around 1/12 of your RDA of vitamin B6, and the research in question used doses up to 300 times your RDA, we could be looking at gulping through 3,600 pints a day in search of some protective effect.  I think we can safely say that studies would show that anyone who drank 3,600 pints a day would not die of Alzheimer's.  But perhaps we ought to leave that research to the scientists for now.

Finally, and the thing that makes me most happy (between the hours of 7 and 11pm, at least) I discovered a new brewery last night.  My new favourite pub - Cask Pub & Kitchen in Pimlico had another one of their brilliant "Meet the brewer" evenings (I'm still devastated that I missed Thornbridge).  Last night's treat was the brewers from Marble brewery.

And what a treat!  The whole spectrum of hoppy goodness was served up from the fantastically zesty session beers "W97" and the aptly named "Pint", through the grassy but not overly bitter "Lagonda IPA", to the full bodied, but still fresh and clean (and deeply dangerous at 5.7%) "57".  "Ginger" is also worth a mention (sorry Dominic) as definitely the most intense and interesting ginger beer I have tasted, but not a session beer if you want to preserve your palate - might be interesting to try with curry though?  Let me know if you have.

Sadly, I didn't make it through the whole range before they ran out, but at least two more Thornbridge beers appeared on the pump in their place, an apt consolation.  I'll be keeping my eye open for future Marble beers at Cask and elsewhere in the future.

Off to 'sunny' Cornwall next week, so we'll see what tickles my tastebuds down there.  Perhaps some Skinners.