The duvet still pinned me down today even though I knew I was getting up to go in search of beer rather than work. When I was nearly ready to go, I asked Dave to go to Brian's as agreed and then I'd catch up with them on the way. They hadn't left by the time I was ready so I went round there too and we walked up together. Steve and Matt met us at the station. Later we added to our numbers at Folkestone Station. On arrival at the beer festival, 2 more friends were in the queue already so we joined them. This was the first time that I'd been to this one. Dave has been trying to twist my arm for years to go with them. I think I only had two pints there. I started with the Double Stout (Westerham) as Dave recommended. “Rich stout made with coloured and roasted malts. A beer with dark fruits and smooth body followed by a hint of bitterness”. My choice next was Nutz (Bowman): “Aroma of chestnuts, chestnut flavours and chestnutty in colour. Which is as it should be, as it is brewed with organic chestnuts. May contain nuts!” My next selection was Crackle (Tipples): “A real winter warmer. Dark malty swirls and fruity hop notes with a burst of whole spice”. The guy serving said “if you like Christmas pudding, you'll love this” and he was right. Christmas pudding in a glass. So my fourth half was also Crackle. I'll have to keep a look out for this one in future.
Early in the afternoon, we returned to Folkestone, stopping for a drink in the Park Inn by the station, possibly the worst drink of the day, then onto the Lifeboat where we had some dinner. I had chilli and rice. Not bad for £4! Brian left us mid-afternoon, then we were back to 6. As England were playing Wales, the pub served up a lamb casserole a bit later, (Welsh lamb, of course) with bread rolls. After the meat dish had all gone and we were still tucking into the bread, some brie appeared, as if by magic! We decided to move on to another lesser known pub nearby which I think is the East Cliff Tavern. I decided that I'd had more than enough to drink during the day and switched to lemonade. We played darts and then we caused havoc getting the piano cleared so that some could show us their skills. They weren't very keen to play in front of strangers but were persuaded briefly. Soon it was time to find our way home. Back to the station for a chilly wait for the train. There were no benches or waiting rooms on the platform, and the toilets were closed. Once we were on the train, I noticed that I'd lost my mobile which upset me. I later phoned a friend who was still in Folkestone and he went to the pub where we last remembered seeing it. Thankfully it was still under the table so it will be returned to me tomorrow. What a relief!!
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