So as you might have noticed in the first installments of this still very young blog, I got through quite a bit of beer over Christmas and I haven’t even told you the half of it. Unfortunately, since I am just a humble girl, the seasonal festivities weren’t kind to the waist-line and this Bierebelle was in danger of becoming a little beer-belly instead! So, January was to become the age of austerity. Nothing but coffee, tea and juice to refresh this poor girl. However, as usual, all the good intentions came to an abrupt end with the arrival of a long-lost parcel. It was way back in November that my partner and I had unknowingly planted the seed of our downfall, when we placed our order for Bristol Beer Factory’s 12 Stouts of Christmas as an early treat for ourselves. Little did we know that our poor little stouts would be uncaringly man-handled by the courier and left broken in the corner of a warehouse. Needless to say, we grieved for our 12 fallen friends but there was no time to pursue it with the good folk of the Bristol Beer Factory. They were presumably occupied by their Christmas preparations and we were homeward-bound for the holidays so we had no choice but to console ourselves at the jovial drinking establishments of York and Newcastle. And as you no doubt read in the previous post, a lot of drinking was done.

So we went into January with a firm ‘no alcohol until Valentines Day’ policy which we embraced whole-heartedly. Until that fateful day when those wonderful amazing and lovely chaps at the Bristol Beer Factory had replaced our 12 stouts, minus the Chilli but the Bristol Old Ale they put in as a replacement more than made up for it! Then Friday 13th came around and were headed for a weekend away in London. Oops. But before you judge, know that we did go to London to see the Outdoor Show and the Bike Show (which is what healthy people do!) and when in London it is considered just plain rude not to visit The Rake and The Cask http://www.caskpubandkitchen.com/ which are two of the finest drinking establishments our capital has to offer. I can’t even tell you exactly what I drank but I’m pretty sure Mikkeller had some involvement.

Well January was a write-off from there folks. Thankfully, I have also discovered Spinning Classes are actually fun in a sweaty and often-painful way. Where else do they play Sash anymore? And guess what else? I haven’t actually finished the 12 stouts yet (obviously too busy polishing my halo) as I’ve been ‘rationing’ (or rather getting sidetracked by other bottles that somehow find their way to my kitchen). So I promise, at some point I WILL review those 12 stouts! A little birdy told me they will be doing another set next Christmas and if the ones I have already had are anything to go by, they will definetly be on my list!