curry, beer and the gentle pleasures of a fine conversation

Dear Sheddists,

another terrific afternoon in the company of my dear friend, Clive - a very special gentleman indeed!

We feast royally at the legendary Asha's a cheeky pint of refreshing Kingfisher being the ideal accompaniment to an Executive Special Lunch. Neither of us lays the remotest claim to being an executive, but it's cracking curry all the same and is dispatched with customary gusto.

Suitably replenished we make our way across the road to Birmingham's finest real ale emporium, the The Wellington.  Possibly the only pub in town to have no food available bar nuts, crisps and pork scratchings, the fact it's full by the end of the afternoon is testament to the expansive range of fine keg beers on offer from around the country, the names of which are helpfully displayed on a screen by the side of the bar.

We begin with halves of Brother Rabbit, a delicious pale golden brew with a light frothy head perched precariously atop that is reminiscent in certain lights of the new President of the United States.  Regrettably, the former is capable of recycling in the adjacent Gents whereas the latter is not, much as one might wish to be the case.

Brother Rabbit goes down a treat, as does the following halves of Masterwork. At 5.6% it's the strongest beer on offer which sets us up nicely for ....

Ruin - a beer the young bar-tender assures me is a fine choice, being brewed with native botanicals.  I should have spotted a 'ringer' when he goes on to observe it is the beer equivalent of gin. We taste it, look at each other with shocked expressions before replacing our glasses on the table.

"Washing-up liquid", opines my learned colleague and I find little cause to demur.  We pass on this one and a swift return to the bar is made for halves of Fireside, an ever-dependable Black Country brew and two bags of salted nuts to remove the last lingering taste of Ruin.

Conversation flows throughout the afternoon across a wide range of topics that include the origin of the God gene, bereavement, the trials and tribulations of our beloved Aston Villa, the importance of family life and the current position in Sierra Leone.

Time for our last halves, the coffee-coloured Simcoe Stout and then it's out into the light once more as we go our separate ways.  All in all a fantastic way to spend an afternoon!

Best regards,

electrofried(mr)