15th May - Midlands CBA Meeting at Burton Bridge Brewery

Attending meetings of the CBA tends to be an exception for me these days, not through choice, but I'm usually working. However today I was free and arrived in good time for the meeting.

We started with a trip round the brewery most of which is accessed via an 1823 Malt House. Bruce Wilkinson gave an introduction to the brewery (now in its 29th year) and an overview of their brewing process. The main thing I drew from this was that you can easily have too much information when brewing and taking the pragmatic (some might say "heathen") approach is probably best for one's sanity. actually there are some variables you can take account of and some you can't namely the brewer, equipment and water (liquor.)

The talk was followed by a lunch of faggotts , chips and some excellent mushy peas before getting down to business.

Along the way were sampled Damson Porter ("ours is better" remarked GP) and Bridge Bitter (merely because that was the beer that Bruce concentrated on in his talk.

6th May - Voting Day

For years I've already intended to walk to the polling station and then onwards to the pub afterwards and at last this year offered the chance.

After voting, we headed to the Dug Out chippy and then over to the WMC where I was happily surprised to see a real ale so sampled Marston's EPA and then over to the Bull's Head where Jennings Cocker Hoop was drunk.