Today apparently was the hottest day of the year so far, but seeing as temperatures in this part of Kent only managed to reach 17º C, this isn’t really saying much. Still we must be grateful for small mercies, and even though we’re already a quarter of the way through 2018, it was nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine.Seeing as it was Friday, and I’d had a productive morning at work, I decided to take a walk up to the Greyhound at Charcott; a pub I have written about at length these past few years. Fortunately the company I work for has a fairly relaxed policy towards the odd drink at lunchtime, and whilst I don’t make a habit of this, it’s good to know I won’t be looked down on if I do treat myself to the occasional pint.
I took the longer route up to Charcott, crossing the former Penshurst airfield, by means of the tarmac footpath which bisects it. This is part of my normal lunchtime walk, and today it was nice to walk across this exposed area without getting blown away, or chilled to the bone.
The Greyhound was busy when I arrived – always a good sign, with a mixed clientele of passing diners and casual walkers. There was a pile of very muddy boots stacked up by the door, and very few tables at which to sit, inside. After ordering my pint (Larkin’s Traditional), I decided to sit outside and take advantage of the warm weather.
It was whilst sitting there, nursing my pint that I began to notice a wonderfully hoppy aroma emanating from the beer, which brought back pleasant memories of outdoor drinking, on a warm summer’s day. It is said that the sense of smell, perhaps more than any other of our senses, can invoke memories which have lain hidden for years, or perhaps expunged from our consciousness altogether; and this was certainly the case today
The hoppy nose I experienced, is most noticeable when drinking outside on a hot summers day. The action of the sun's rays has an affect on some of the more volatile components present in the beer, which gives rise to the most wonderful aroma. The presence of the sun, rather than just high temperatures, appears to be required before this effect occurs, as the hoppy aroma is still noticeable even on sunny days in spring or autumn, when the thermometer can be struggling to register anything remotely respectable.
That hoppy aroma was certainly present today, and added that extra something which definitely enhanced my drinking experience as well as my pub visit. This is one of the many pleasures of beer drinking, and the sense of anticipation it gives to the enjoyment of a well-crafted pint, is one of the bonuses of outdoor drinking. Indeed, from early spring to late autumn, sitting outside in a pub garden, whenever the weather is kind, whilst enjoying a well-hopped pint of bitter is, for me, one of life's great pleasures. Even at either end of this extended period it can be worthwhile finding a sheltered spot, away from the wind, in order to add that extra enhancement to a pint.
Well I trust I’ve made you thirsty and you are now hankering after a beer, but I thought I’d share this little bit of spring magic with you. And as for the Greyhound, it good to see the pub thriving. It just goes to show that in the right hands, even pubs which have more or less been given up on, can have a bright future.
6 comments:
"it’s good to know I won’t be looked down on if I do treat myself to the occasional pint."
Hear, hear!
"and today it was nice to walk across this exposed area without getting blown away, or chilled to the bone."
There's been a lot of that about. Our crocuses were three weeks late and my mother experienced wind gusts of up to 60mph the other day near Toronto. And in Edmonton, where both of our boys live, it was 15F for a high earlier this week!
"as the hoppy aroma is still noticeable even on sunny days in spring or autumn, when the thermometer can be struggling to register anything remotely respectable."
Good to know! All the more reason to sit outside wherever possible when the sun is shining. :)
"sitting outside in a pub garden, whenever the weather is kind, whilst enjoying a well-hopped pint of bitter is, for me, one of life's great pleasures."
You have just confirmed my above comment. :)
"Well I trust I’ve made you thirsty and you are now hankering after a beer,"
Indeed you have... but a hankering for a beer is not hard for me to work up (LOL).
But in all seriousness, I shall endeavour to sit outside more in the summer for a beer; be it at a pub/bar or in my own backyard.
Cheers!
Hi Paul,
I was moved by your piece to reflect on the advertisements of yesteryear, when simple, blunt, imperatives, such as "eat more fruit", or "visit Canada" were commonplace, Nowadays they seem to be confined to election times, with "vote Conservative" and so on.
The slight twist (as to people not knowing their own minds, and perhaps a punning implication that the potential customer might be a touch dim) is my favourite from the Brains brewery, (and one still sees it to this day, painted on railway bridges and so on): "It's Brains You Want".
It's a pity that I can't think of more just now, perhaps.
Cheers,
E
...and if I'd posted the above on your "Drink Moor Beer" blog, then it would even had made sense!
D'oh!
E
"...and if I'd posted the above on your "Drink Moor Beer" blog, then it would even had made sense!" It would have indeed Ethelred, but I knew which post you were referring to.
I've been looking for other beer-related examples from the past, but they're few and far between, Former I.O.M brewers, Castletown, had "Ale of Man", Border Breweries of Wrexham had "Prince of Ales" and Strong's of Romsey's slogan, which was pasted up on hoardings along railway lines in Hampshire, was "You are now in the Strong Country".
Apart from those, the rest were rather straight forward, and hence rather boring!
Russ, my post about enjoying a pint in the sun was somewhat premature, as the weather has returned to cold, wet and windy. To be expected in April, I suppose, but still annoying after being teased with a hint of Spring!
"To be expected in April, I suppose, but still annoying after being teased with a hint of Spring!"
'Never cast a clout till May is out', as my old Mum is fond of saying. :)
Cheers
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