So where is ted with the write up???
As if by magic, Ted appeared.
Summer beer festivals tend to bring out MEMWNS types in numbers and the Sun's beer festival on Wednesday was no exception.
I arrived a little later than planned and was confused by the apparent lack of bikes in the car park. I then heard some sort of insult being thrown in my direction (it was in Northern so I couldn't really understand what was being said), it turned out that everyone had decided to sit in the beer garden next to their steeds.
Around the table I found Three Buffs, Kaiser Wilhelm, Jonny Faro, Hotblack, Jiberjaber, Tippers, Tomsk and two other chaps (apologies I completely forgot to find out their forum names in all the excitement of being back out on a Wednesday evening).
It was beer festival rules which meant a night off for the Award Winner - but I did make him carry my drink over from the bar just to keep his hand in. Everyone seemed to like Cunning Stunt by Fuzzy Duck so that can have the Quaffers' Choice Award. Poor old Jiber was in meltdown with the number of beers on offer. Once he had got hold of a full list of beers he ordered them geographically - north to south, then he ordered them alphabetically and finally by strength. By the time he had completed his spreadsheet and applied his beer tasting algorithm he looked ready to explode. Somehow or other he not only managed to sample a fair number but also to tweet about every different beer he tried as well. It's fun to watch him work it all out methodically and it keeps him quiet, so a double bonus really.
Meanwhile Tsar Nicholas II had decided to disguise himself as ET, the bit where ET isn't very well and has a blanket over him. Fortunately, at the same time he also went to sit at a neighbouring table so it didn't necessarily look like he was with us.
The usual high level discussions took place. These days it's all fixie chat which everyone loves.
As we readied ourselves to leave, Hotblack treated us to one of his light shows. When I shut my eyes I can still see the array of lights at the front of his bike. The Witham peloton must look like some sort of low level UFO as it hoons around the lanes of Essex late at night.
These long warm evenings are the best we have in the year so it was nice to be able to ride home in sandals and not even have to put on my comedy socks. Hopefully we can fit in a couple of more miles less beer rides before the inexorable descent into shorter evenings.
