Let me start by saying that I am on night shift so I'm posting this at my 4 am. Why? I'm not really sure but I woke up and can't get back to sleep so I thought getting some of my excitement out on the web might help me get some more sleep before work.
This next month of my life could very well by the most epic and very drunk month of my life. These are my plans and I can't wait to execute them.
This Saturday I'm heading down to Edinburgh to see my mate Chris, get a small taste of the Fringe Festival and hang out with my good friend Laura before she heads back to the land of fat people, baseball and god blessing everyone. This is only phase 1.
On Monday I'm heading back down to Edinburgh for 3 nights to get a real taste of Fringe. Last time I was down I saw the city just at the start of the summer just as the tourists started to come (I say that like I live there but hey, in a year or 2 it will be home. How ballin' is that?) . I'm stoked to see the city and Fringe at its busiest. I know I'm going to see lots of shows (whatever is free at least) and meet lots of people. I plan on doing what was suggested to me by my friend George. Go around and tell blatant lies to tourists about statues, buildings and the lot. This has to be fun since one of my favourite things to do is mess with people.
After coming back up here I only have 5 shifts left. That is a scary small number and can't really believe it. That is almost 8 months gone and I'm still wondering where the last 7 went. Then I have a MUSA dinner before I go, then 1 more shift. After my last shift I am heading straight out to Glasgow to see the new bar. This might be the most exciting moment of it all because I hear nothing less than it's amazing.
From Glasgow I'm heading to Edinburgh for 2 nights to meet up with my friend Mike who is coming up from Reading for the weekend. Seeing as how we both managed to get jobs in the UK it would be stupid not to get together in the best city during its busiest and raid the BrewDog bar for all it has. That weekend will again be very messy.
After I wake up on the Monday I'm back up here to finish packing my stuff, say my goodbyes and then heading back to Aberdeen for my last night in Scotland. Obviously I'll be spending it at the BrewDog bar as this will be the last time (I'm tearing up thinking about it) I'll get to drink BrewDog beer for a long time since I can't get it in Ontario. This is also the last BrewDog bar experience I'll have for at least a year. I might need to come visit next summer for a week or 2.
After I spend a day in and out of airports I'll be home and I gotta admit I'm looking forward to it. While Scotland is great this town is a bit dead and seeing people will be amazing. I also miss driving (on the correct side of the road, the right) and a ton of other little things. I'm only home for 1 night, cramming seeing my family, especially my cousins Blake and Brooke, into the next half a day before I head off to Hamilton to move into school (shivers). I have a night there and then I'm off on my road trip for 2 weeks. Tours set up for Brooklyn, Dogfish Head, Flying Dog and Southern Tier. There are also a bunch of other perks including a saturday night in Montreal (bound to be epic) and a few days in NYC. If anyone has suggestions as to where I should go and what I should see in New York, let me know. It isn't all about beer.
This seems like it might be the "August of Dreams" and let us hope it turns out that way. I'll be keeping you posted in this space with updates as to how it all progresses in Scotland. Once I leave I'll probably start up a YouTube channel for the US trip and then who knows after that. Maybe I'll just travel the world and not go back to school. All I know is that this year will be the best year of my life and school is going to be taking a back seat to travelling, brewing and living (it already did the past few years but my schedule is such a joke I could just forget it and still pull off A's).
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Sunday, 31 July 2011
August 1- Calibration, Analysis and the Countdown
If you couldn't really tell from my last blog post that actually shared no information, at least not enough to mean anything to anyone, I've had a lot of stuff on my mind lately. Most of it I'm not going to talk about because we know I'm shit at it and frankly, most of you don't care.
This past week I've had a good number of realizations. Some I've discovered for myself and others took a comment from someone else to realize but either way, I'm learning something.
Calibration
Today at work I had my first calibration day in a while. Today reminded me why I really do love my job and why this is about to be the best summer EVER (I still have a month left, put that white towel down). A peaceful Sunday in the brew house was exactly what I needed. Only having slept about 5 hours on Friday and 6 on Saturday I was pretty tired. I didn't do any exercise on my day off and I was feeling a bit like a fat kid. Luckily everyone was tired so it was slow and nice. It was the essentials. Making beer and listening to music. I also got to shovel out the mash tun, twice. This was a good bit of endorphin release. The past few weeks I've been feeling that this brewing thing was actually becoming a job. The same stuff everyday with little to no deviation. Now for you that know me I'm never really content with what I'm doing (or I have ADD, ADHD or some odd combination of the 2) and I'm always looking for more. While I am still learning stuff everyday it isn't as much as I was months ago and it doesn't seem as useful. This is why I have a problem with school, but I won't get into that.
Analysis
Looking at yourself in a honest sense is a hard thing to do. I've been watching a good bit of Demetri Martin lately (he is a genius, so go check it out) and his show "If I" and it was kind of an eye opener. He does a "full" analysis of himself as a person and even though it is a comedy show it isn't all that funny. You get a sense of who he actually is and why his comedy is what it is. Obviously he is acting so the potential for over exaggeration is high it still makes you think. I've realized that my attitude towards partying and actually partying were converging, something I've never seen before. I'm usually all about partying verbally but when it comes down to it I like to maintain my composure and sit back. Analyze a situation and pick things apart. Since being here this sense of wonder about general interactions seems to have faded a bit. It very well might be that when I see people I get so excited that I can't help but go all out but when it is readily available (eg. at school) it seems so much less interesting. I also noticed that I have developed a need to see people as much as I can, whenever I can. This is also a fairly new. I love people, they get me thinking and entertain me but I never had such a strong urge to see people all the time. Again, it might be solely due to isolation but I just need to get out and interact with people. At school I was never like this. Most people need to spend time alone every now and then, it's a fact, and I'm no different. Now that I've been forced to spend my time alone I'm not such a fan of it. I like the option of chilling alone. Maybe I just have a problem with being pushed around by circumstance which is why I make the effort to see the people I like when I can. There was a point where I was kind of down, a bit confused and worrying a lot about my life and the fact that real life is creeping up and I think I lost track of what I'm about. I can safely say that I know again, at least for now. Shit happens and things change. It's life.
The Countdown
I have 9 shifts left. I have just over 3 weeks left in this country before I take a step closer to real life. There are loads of things I haven't done yet that I really wish I had but there are tons of things I never though I'd do that I have so I think I have, at the very least, broken even. I wanted to do some more travelling but my position at the brewery became more crucial each month as I learned more, got trained up and proved myself. I know I'll have another chance to travel so I'm not so concerned. I didn't know what a céilidh was before I got here and BAM, I've been to one. I have a few days of the Fringe festival coming up which will be awesome to see. Sure, I've missed things on my list but I've added more than I've missed and with just over 3 weeks left, I have a few more to add I'm sure. I am super excited about going home but not for the usual reasons. I'm stoked to see the rest of my family, especially Blake and Brooke, I'm pumped to see my friends and a bit excited to get back to school (not for classes. I'm dreading that the most). I'm most excited because I have a good number of adventures lined up. 2 week road trip with 2 good friends to the US to meet brewers, visit breweries and live it up. Trip to Michigan to see a real college football game (not soccer, football) sometime in the next few months and oddly enough, I'm excited to get home and drink all the beers I used to drink. I'm sure most of them will be dismissed as bad because I've been spoiled the past 7 months but I'm not going in hoping that. I hope this gives me a better appreciation for what they are.
I'm actually not sure where this blog came from, journeyed through or has ended up but I think it makes sense. If you want to get this information as it happens in 140 characters or less you should follow me on Twitter. btaylor55 . You might also get some cool updates about BrewDog, new beers and what secrets we are cooking up. I'm just saying, it is probably worth your while.
Rock on.
This past week I've had a good number of realizations. Some I've discovered for myself and others took a comment from someone else to realize but either way, I'm learning something.
Calibration
Today at work I had my first calibration day in a while. Today reminded me why I really do love my job and why this is about to be the best summer EVER (I still have a month left, put that white towel down). A peaceful Sunday in the brew house was exactly what I needed. Only having slept about 5 hours on Friday and 6 on Saturday I was pretty tired. I didn't do any exercise on my day off and I was feeling a bit like a fat kid. Luckily everyone was tired so it was slow and nice. It was the essentials. Making beer and listening to music. I also got to shovel out the mash tun, twice. This was a good bit of endorphin release. The past few weeks I've been feeling that this brewing thing was actually becoming a job. The same stuff everyday with little to no deviation. Now for you that know me I'm never really content with what I'm doing (or I have ADD, ADHD or some odd combination of the 2) and I'm always looking for more. While I am still learning stuff everyday it isn't as much as I was months ago and it doesn't seem as useful. This is why I have a problem with school, but I won't get into that.
Analysis
Looking at yourself in a honest sense is a hard thing to do. I've been watching a good bit of Demetri Martin lately (he is a genius, so go check it out) and his show "If I" and it was kind of an eye opener. He does a "full" analysis of himself as a person and even though it is a comedy show it isn't all that funny. You get a sense of who he actually is and why his comedy is what it is. Obviously he is acting so the potential for over exaggeration is high it still makes you think. I've realized that my attitude towards partying and actually partying were converging, something I've never seen before. I'm usually all about partying verbally but when it comes down to it I like to maintain my composure and sit back. Analyze a situation and pick things apart. Since being here this sense of wonder about general interactions seems to have faded a bit. It very well might be that when I see people I get so excited that I can't help but go all out but when it is readily available (eg. at school) it seems so much less interesting. I also noticed that I have developed a need to see people as much as I can, whenever I can. This is also a fairly new. I love people, they get me thinking and entertain me but I never had such a strong urge to see people all the time. Again, it might be solely due to isolation but I just need to get out and interact with people. At school I was never like this. Most people need to spend time alone every now and then, it's a fact, and I'm no different. Now that I've been forced to spend my time alone I'm not such a fan of it. I like the option of chilling alone. Maybe I just have a problem with being pushed around by circumstance which is why I make the effort to see the people I like when I can. There was a point where I was kind of down, a bit confused and worrying a lot about my life and the fact that real life is creeping up and I think I lost track of what I'm about. I can safely say that I know again, at least for now. Shit happens and things change. It's life.
The Countdown
I have 9 shifts left. I have just over 3 weeks left in this country before I take a step closer to real life. There are loads of things I haven't done yet that I really wish I had but there are tons of things I never though I'd do that I have so I think I have, at the very least, broken even. I wanted to do some more travelling but my position at the brewery became more crucial each month as I learned more, got trained up and proved myself. I know I'll have another chance to travel so I'm not so concerned. I didn't know what a céilidh was before I got here and BAM, I've been to one. I have a few days of the Fringe festival coming up which will be awesome to see. Sure, I've missed things on my list but I've added more than I've missed and with just over 3 weeks left, I have a few more to add I'm sure. I am super excited about going home but not for the usual reasons. I'm stoked to see the rest of my family, especially Blake and Brooke, I'm pumped to see my friends and a bit excited to get back to school (not for classes. I'm dreading that the most). I'm most excited because I have a good number of adventures lined up. 2 week road trip with 2 good friends to the US to meet brewers, visit breweries and live it up. Trip to Michigan to see a real college football game (not soccer, football) sometime in the next few months and oddly enough, I'm excited to get home and drink all the beers I used to drink. I'm sure most of them will be dismissed as bad because I've been spoiled the past 7 months but I'm not going in hoping that. I hope this gives me a better appreciation for what they are.
I'm actually not sure where this blog came from, journeyed through or has ended up but I think it makes sense. If you want to get this information as it happens in 140 characters or less you should follow me on Twitter. btaylor55 . You might also get some cool updates about BrewDog, new beers and what secrets we are cooking up. I'm just saying, it is probably worth your while.
Rock on.
Sunday, 24 July 2011
July 24th- Too Much
I know I skipped the last day of my trip with my parents but I'll tell you all in person since it is that unreal. You need to see me get all bent out of shape with excitement for it to count. Trust me.
I also know most of you are thinking "too much what? beer? this kids an alcoholic."
I'm not, and it has nothing to do with beer.
It just kind of occurred to me that I only have 4 weeks left in Scotland. I've been gone for almost 7 months now and only have one left. I don't know where the time goes. Home maybe? (an old Bill Nye joke from the electricity episode. Yeah, I remember stupid shit from grade 9 science).
I'm currently juggling loads of things, trying to plan for my return and departure for my road trip, I just found another house mate, setting up and paying for my courses, finding time to go visit friends in the US in Sept/Oct and obviously starting to pack my stuff, sort out what I'm doing with days off and deciding what whisky i'm taking home with me (my collection made it home with my parents if you were wondering. that's one less thing to worry about)
I've hit a point where my brain is spinning faster than ever because I have so much to do. I'll be honest, I do kind of like it but sadly there is no one to share my ideas with. I've started to do some serious planning for my future business endeavours, considered where I'm going next year for my placement and reading lots of books that motivate me. I can't wait to get home because I'm sick of the weather here, I need my friends around to listen to my random ramblings about ideas I have and I need stuff to do. I'm actually going bat shit insane stuck in my own head. That is one cost of working for BrewDog: your sanity.
As you can probably tell from the spastic nature of this post I just needed to get some of the shit on my mind out there, even if its only the tip of the iceberg.
If you detox after a trip to feel better (eg. running, eating healthy, cutting down on drinking), do you pretox before a trip? To me pretoxing sounds like you are getting trained up for a trip of liver destroying consumption so is there a word to describe the act of detoxing before a trip. Eating healthy, little drinking and working out before a trip so you fell less bad sounds like a good idea. Can we make a word or just use pretox? I need opinions.
I'll stop vomiting my thoughs onto the page now and let you carry on with your day. I know its sunday and most of you are probably thinking a detox might be a good idea after last night so I hope this sobers you up a bit. In all fairness it will probably just confuse you as much as it has me.
I also know most of you are thinking "too much what? beer? this kids an alcoholic."
I'm not, and it has nothing to do with beer.
It just kind of occurred to me that I only have 4 weeks left in Scotland. I've been gone for almost 7 months now and only have one left. I don't know where the time goes. Home maybe? (an old Bill Nye joke from the electricity episode. Yeah, I remember stupid shit from grade 9 science).
I'm currently juggling loads of things, trying to plan for my return and departure for my road trip, I just found another house mate, setting up and paying for my courses, finding time to go visit friends in the US in Sept/Oct and obviously starting to pack my stuff, sort out what I'm doing with days off and deciding what whisky i'm taking home with me (my collection made it home with my parents if you were wondering. that's one less thing to worry about)
I've hit a point where my brain is spinning faster than ever because I have so much to do. I'll be honest, I do kind of like it but sadly there is no one to share my ideas with. I've started to do some serious planning for my future business endeavours, considered where I'm going next year for my placement and reading lots of books that motivate me. I can't wait to get home because I'm sick of the weather here, I need my friends around to listen to my random ramblings about ideas I have and I need stuff to do. I'm actually going bat shit insane stuck in my own head. That is one cost of working for BrewDog: your sanity.
As you can probably tell from the spastic nature of this post I just needed to get some of the shit on my mind out there, even if its only the tip of the iceberg.
If you detox after a trip to feel better (eg. running, eating healthy, cutting down on drinking), do you pretox before a trip? To me pretoxing sounds like you are getting trained up for a trip of liver destroying consumption so is there a word to describe the act of detoxing before a trip. Eating healthy, little drinking and working out before a trip so you fell less bad sounds like a good idea. Can we make a word or just use pretox? I need opinions.
I'll stop vomiting my thoughs onto the page now and let you carry on with your day. I know its sunday and most of you are probably thinking a detox might be a good idea after last night so I hope this sobers you up a bit. In all fairness it will probably just confuse you as much as it has me.
Thursday, 14 July 2011
July 11- Day 5- Edinburgh
Well as I'm sure you guessed, I've been too intoxicated to update this daily as I was at the start.
Day 5 was an early one and I was fairly weathered from the night before so after getting lost in Glasgow thanks to the stupid amount of one way streets and the fact that you can't drive on the correct side of the road like the rest of us we got to Edinburgh. The first sign that our hotel was amazing is because it was beside the Zoo. Why was that amazing? I'm not sure but at the time it seemed pretty awesome even though the zoo looked like shit. We then headed down to the Royal Mile and I gave a faily half assed tour of the city since Chris had been nice enough to do a better tour the next day (I have also only been there twice so I was fairly lost but didn't tell them. It worked out alright in the end). When we finally got hungry I just had to drag them to Oink. Oink is the awesome pulled pork place and it is all they do. The pig sits in the window all cut up and cooked and you see them cut off your bit. You also get a piece of the outside which is very delicious and crunchy. We then decided to pop into an art gallery and three things quickly become apparent.
1) It is obvious why it is free
2) I clearly know nothing about art
3) People who do know something about art don't care for sarcastic comments. Let us just say that when there are 3 women looking friendly while naked the observation "that would be fun" isn't what an art person looks for. I thought it was rather funny.
My parents and sister then wanted to go to the castle but I opted out. They went in and said it was great while I pissed off and went for a walk. I went into every whisky shop on the Royal Mile and ended up in one that carries BrewDog. Since I was rocking the work jacket I was like a strolling billboard all weekend and he instantly asked what my association was. After some chat the owner said they just got it in and said he had moved a few already so he was thinking it was a good choice. I assured him it was.
When my parents came out of the castle they found me, chillin on a bench eating an ice cream cone. While they just laugh and wonder just how many brain cells I've lost since being here I was just happy because you gotta enjoy the little things sometimes. Ice cream on a sunny day is one of those things.
We then headed back to the hotel for dinner. That meal was the biggest piece of shit ever. Over priced, shitty food, small portions, shit service and extremely confused staff. No one was impressed.
My parents were fairly tired from the walking and drive so they opted to stay in with my sister. I decided to head down town to meet Chris and Colin for a few beers at the BrewDog bar. After a few Colin popped down with his Heriot-Watt classmates who I've now met 3 times (Stone night, Black Isle and this time) and I finally remember their names. It turns out most of them are Canadian. We pretty much owned the bar. Oh Canada! (Much better than God Bless America). After the pub closed we headed down the street to Sneaky Pete's for a quick Red Stripe (of which I only had about half) then to Opium for another pint of something else (not great, much better). After one we headed out and Colin and I went for a walk through Greyfriar's Bobby, the most haunted cemetary in the world. It was about 2 am but sadly no Poltergeist sightings. Guess I'll have to try again.
Also with it being this late I missed all buses and needed to get a cab back to the hotel. After walking about 20 minutes on Princess Street I figured "oh, I'm close enough" and decided I'd walk back. I got home at 4, pretty much sober by then, and passed out.
I've already been told I'm an idiot many many times but at least I wasn't puking somewhere (I might have pissed on the street though..)
I can't wait to move back and call that city home, if even for a year.
Day 5 was an early one and I was fairly weathered from the night before so after getting lost in Glasgow thanks to the stupid amount of one way streets and the fact that you can't drive on the correct side of the road like the rest of us we got to Edinburgh. The first sign that our hotel was amazing is because it was beside the Zoo. Why was that amazing? I'm not sure but at the time it seemed pretty awesome even though the zoo looked like shit. We then headed down to the Royal Mile and I gave a faily half assed tour of the city since Chris had been nice enough to do a better tour the next day (I have also only been there twice so I was fairly lost but didn't tell them. It worked out alright in the end). When we finally got hungry I just had to drag them to Oink. Oink is the awesome pulled pork place and it is all they do. The pig sits in the window all cut up and cooked and you see them cut off your bit. You also get a piece of the outside which is very delicious and crunchy. We then decided to pop into an art gallery and three things quickly become apparent.
1) It is obvious why it is free
2) I clearly know nothing about art
3) People who do know something about art don't care for sarcastic comments. Let us just say that when there are 3 women looking friendly while naked the observation "that would be fun" isn't what an art person looks for. I thought it was rather funny.
My parents and sister then wanted to go to the castle but I opted out. They went in and said it was great while I pissed off and went for a walk. I went into every whisky shop on the Royal Mile and ended up in one that carries BrewDog. Since I was rocking the work jacket I was like a strolling billboard all weekend and he instantly asked what my association was. After some chat the owner said they just got it in and said he had moved a few already so he was thinking it was a good choice. I assured him it was.
When my parents came out of the castle they found me, chillin on a bench eating an ice cream cone. While they just laugh and wonder just how many brain cells I've lost since being here I was just happy because you gotta enjoy the little things sometimes. Ice cream on a sunny day is one of those things.
We then headed back to the hotel for dinner. That meal was the biggest piece of shit ever. Over priced, shitty food, small portions, shit service and extremely confused staff. No one was impressed.
My parents were fairly tired from the walking and drive so they opted to stay in with my sister. I decided to head down town to meet Chris and Colin for a few beers at the BrewDog bar. After a few Colin popped down with his Heriot-Watt classmates who I've now met 3 times (Stone night, Black Isle and this time) and I finally remember their names. It turns out most of them are Canadian. We pretty much owned the bar. Oh Canada! (Much better than God Bless America). After the pub closed we headed down the street to Sneaky Pete's for a quick Red Stripe (of which I only had about half) then to Opium for another pint of something else (not great, much better). After one we headed out and Colin and I went for a walk through Greyfriar's Bobby, the most haunted cemetary in the world. It was about 2 am but sadly no Poltergeist sightings. Guess I'll have to try again.
Also with it being this late I missed all buses and needed to get a cab back to the hotel. After walking about 20 minutes on Princess Street I figured "oh, I'm close enough" and decided I'd walk back. I got home at 4, pretty much sober by then, and passed out.
I've already been told I'm an idiot many many times but at least I wasn't puking somewhere (I might have pissed on the street though..)
I can't wait to move back and call that city home, if even for a year.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
July 10- Day 4
This trip is going really quick. I mean, it is already half over and I'm pretty happy since I wasn't sure if I'd survive.
Yesterday was easily the best day so far. There is a reason I'm doing this in the AM and not last night. Any guesses?
Got up about 7, as usual, to come down, grab some food and check out what I'd missed in the world over the past few hours of sleeping. I'd usually expect all my friends to have emailed me "I miss you!!" messages but it turns out, not much happens when I'm sleeping leading me to believe that either the world stops for me, which is a touch too optimistic, or that no one gives a shit or misses me. I prefer to stick with the first option.
After a few hours of reading in the hotel lobby we then headed to WEST beer, a cool little brewpub about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. As usually happens with my planning, coordinated with the unpredictability of the scottish weather, it started to pour half way there. I'll just say that I wasn't the favourite person of us at that point.
After what was a pretty good lunch and some well done classic german beers (the word classic explains their reading on the interesting scale) with the exception of the Hefeweizen I headed back to the room. My parents went off to the science centre. I then headed to the pub.
After getting to Blackfriars and having a beer I gave Becca a call and woke her from her massive hangover coma. She then headed down to the pub and we had a beer together. I heard a lot of rumours (that may or may not be true) that were floating around the bar staff, brewery staff and the old "who likes who" thing. I also got a break down of the Taste festival. It was really funny probably helped by the fact that I was already a few beers in. She also tried to steal my work jacket but don't worry, I got it back. We were then talking about Chris, the assistant manager (maybe?) of the Glasgow bar and that he might be up for a few beers later on. 10 minutes later he showed up behind us. Clearly there is some sort of BrewDog magnetic vibe that draws other staff in. I'm hoping to get back down for the launch of the new pub but I doubt that will happen. You can always hope though.
I then left them to meet up with the family for dinner at Brel, a place I was told had good food and a decent belgian beer selection. It's true. A cozy little restaurant which was very quite, due to it being Sunday and since T in the park is this weekend. Awesome mussels and a good seafood linguine with a DT and a Brooklyn Lager. I'd say thats a good meal. After that we headed down to another pub that the cab driver told us to stop in at for a quick whisky (and 2 half pints of some generic lager for my parents). Back to the hotel then off to the other pub we were told to go to, "The Scotia Bar" which was right beside the hotel for a quick pint of some absolute shit beer. We had to go because apparently it was the oldest pub in Glasgow. Weather it was true or not I have no idea. I then took my dad to Blackfriars (for those keeping track, thats 2 times today and once the night before. I've become a regular in 2 days)
After this drinking spree I was pretty done and my tiredness didn't help much. Does anyone else notice that if you are drinking with someone and having a conversation is a challenge that you just feel drunk faster? It is definitely that way for me.
Todays drinks list
WEST Munich Red
WEST Hefe
WEST St. Mungos Lager
Titan IPA
Cutthroat Porter
Mauldons Peggottys Porter
Snake Dog IPA
DT
Brooklyn Lager
St Andrews Ale
Torpedo IPA
With the exception of 1 or 2, thats a solid day of craft beer drinking. I hope today is more of the same and we are off to EDINBURGH!! Easily my favourite city in the world. I might just not leave. Ever.
Yesterday was easily the best day so far. There is a reason I'm doing this in the AM and not last night. Any guesses?
Got up about 7, as usual, to come down, grab some food and check out what I'd missed in the world over the past few hours of sleeping. I'd usually expect all my friends to have emailed me "I miss you!!" messages but it turns out, not much happens when I'm sleeping leading me to believe that either the world stops for me, which is a touch too optimistic, or that no one gives a shit or misses me. I prefer to stick with the first option.
After a few hours of reading in the hotel lobby we then headed to WEST beer, a cool little brewpub about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. As usually happens with my planning, coordinated with the unpredictability of the scottish weather, it started to pour half way there. I'll just say that I wasn't the favourite person of us at that point.
After what was a pretty good lunch and some well done classic german beers (the word classic explains their reading on the interesting scale) with the exception of the Hefeweizen I headed back to the room. My parents went off to the science centre. I then headed to the pub.
After getting to Blackfriars and having a beer I gave Becca a call and woke her from her massive hangover coma. She then headed down to the pub and we had a beer together. I heard a lot of rumours (that may or may not be true) that were floating around the bar staff, brewery staff and the old "who likes who" thing. I also got a break down of the Taste festival. It was really funny probably helped by the fact that I was already a few beers in. She also tried to steal my work jacket but don't worry, I got it back. We were then talking about Chris, the assistant manager (maybe?) of the Glasgow bar and that he might be up for a few beers later on. 10 minutes later he showed up behind us. Clearly there is some sort of BrewDog magnetic vibe that draws other staff in. I'm hoping to get back down for the launch of the new pub but I doubt that will happen. You can always hope though.
I then left them to meet up with the family for dinner at Brel, a place I was told had good food and a decent belgian beer selection. It's true. A cozy little restaurant which was very quite, due to it being Sunday and since T in the park is this weekend. Awesome mussels and a good seafood linguine with a DT and a Brooklyn Lager. I'd say thats a good meal. After that we headed down to another pub that the cab driver told us to stop in at for a quick whisky (and 2 half pints of some generic lager for my parents). Back to the hotel then off to the other pub we were told to go to, "The Scotia Bar" which was right beside the hotel for a quick pint of some absolute shit beer. We had to go because apparently it was the oldest pub in Glasgow. Weather it was true or not I have no idea. I then took my dad to Blackfriars (for those keeping track, thats 2 times today and once the night before. I've become a regular in 2 days)
After this drinking spree I was pretty done and my tiredness didn't help much. Does anyone else notice that if you are drinking with someone and having a conversation is a challenge that you just feel drunk faster? It is definitely that way for me.
Todays drinks list
WEST Munich Red
WEST Hefe
WEST St. Mungos Lager
Titan IPA
Cutthroat Porter
Mauldons Peggottys Porter
Snake Dog IPA
DT
Brooklyn Lager
St Andrews Ale
Torpedo IPA
With the exception of 1 or 2, thats a solid day of craft beer drinking. I hope today is more of the same and we are off to EDINBURGH!! Easily my favourite city in the world. I might just not leave. Ever.
Saturday, 9 July 2011
July 9- Day 3
Well, here we go again.
Today I got up really early and went for a 6 am walk with my mom and let me tell you, Oban is beautiful when you get the right view. I still haven't uploaded pictures but I promise I'd never lie to you. After about a 1 hour walk we headed back for breakfast and met up with the rest of them. At breakfast I had a decent scottish breakfast and just about every pastry I could get. I'm a super fat kid this week. I have good reason though. It's free.
After that we were heading to Fyne Ales which is situated nicely on the way to Glasgow. Well to keep a long story short, we missed the exit. Twice. So I just said move on, I've seen enough breweries. Today was the first day with no distillery or brewery tour. As sad as it is it is also tolerable. I've seen a few breweries in my travels. They got a bit pissed since I was guessing more than reading direction so they were all a bit irritated and I broke into uncontrollable laughter to myself for 10 minutes. I'm honestly losing it.
After we got to Glasgow we got super lost. The driver turned down a 1 way street the wrong way so to fix this said person turned down another street. It was also a 1 way street. We did finally make it to the hotel and within about 5 minutes the funniest string of events I've ever seen unfolded. I'm not at liberty to say what happened to protect the identity of the hilariously guilts. I'm a good person. We then headed for a bite to eat. I managed to add 2 beers to the list on this trip so it was a success. I then hopped in to meet Roy Walton quickly just to say I have. He is a legendary magician if you are wondering.
After that my dad and I wandered about Glasgow while my sister and mom went and bought clothes. Typical women stuff.
After I had a brief session online I went up and it was dinner time. We headed to Bier Halle (or something like that) for pizza and beer. I had a nice bottle of La Chouffe to myself (750 ml) which made everything awesome. I then headed to Blackfriar's for a beer but was too tired for excess pints.
So here I sit, dead tired, and writing the most uneventful blog I've done because I'm dead tired. I need sleep.
Another nigh tin Glasgow then off to the world's best city (to me) Edinburgh. I can't wait becuse it's just generally awesome and b) there is a brewdog bar.
I see no way to lose on that one.
Today I got up really early and went for a 6 am walk with my mom and let me tell you, Oban is beautiful when you get the right view. I still haven't uploaded pictures but I promise I'd never lie to you. After about a 1 hour walk we headed back for breakfast and met up with the rest of them. At breakfast I had a decent scottish breakfast and just about every pastry I could get. I'm a super fat kid this week. I have good reason though. It's free.
After that we were heading to Fyne Ales which is situated nicely on the way to Glasgow. Well to keep a long story short, we missed the exit. Twice. So I just said move on, I've seen enough breweries. Today was the first day with no distillery or brewery tour. As sad as it is it is also tolerable. I've seen a few breweries in my travels. They got a bit pissed since I was guessing more than reading direction so they were all a bit irritated and I broke into uncontrollable laughter to myself for 10 minutes. I'm honestly losing it.
After we got to Glasgow we got super lost. The driver turned down a 1 way street the wrong way so to fix this said person turned down another street. It was also a 1 way street. We did finally make it to the hotel and within about 5 minutes the funniest string of events I've ever seen unfolded. I'm not at liberty to say what happened to protect the identity of the hilariously guilts. I'm a good person. We then headed for a bite to eat. I managed to add 2 beers to the list on this trip so it was a success. I then hopped in to meet Roy Walton quickly just to say I have. He is a legendary magician if you are wondering.
After that my dad and I wandered about Glasgow while my sister and mom went and bought clothes. Typical women stuff.
After I had a brief session online I went up and it was dinner time. We headed to Bier Halle (or something like that) for pizza and beer. I had a nice bottle of La Chouffe to myself (750 ml) which made everything awesome. I then headed to Blackfriar's for a beer but was too tired for excess pints.
So here I sit, dead tired, and writing the most uneventful blog I've done because I'm dead tired. I need sleep.
Another nigh tin Glasgow then off to the world's best city (to me) Edinburgh. I can't wait becuse it's just generally awesome and b) there is a brewdog bar.
I see no way to lose on that one.
Friday, 8 July 2011
July 8- Day 2
I know this one is much earlier than last nights but I'm still catching up to this awake during the day thing. Night shift really fucks you up.
Today was a lot less exciting as I had much more sleep but the tired level has remained. It has definitely caused for some tension and I'm fairly ready to get back to work. At least at work I get to hang out with enjoyable people who aren't absolute bitches when the slightest deviation from the norm isn't made. They can also accept being wrong from time to time, something said people here can't.
I guess it is just that I'm way more fun. It seems to be the only logical explanation. Anyway.
Today we headed out from the first hotel, which was a really nice old hotel to the Loch Ness visitor centre and took a tour. I'll be honest, the tour was very well put together and kind of interesting but they didn't show us any Nessie. I was pissed. Also, being in the car for long stretches uttering "keep left" to the driver is very boring. It leaves no time for doing anything else. No nessie, cramped legs and not enough beers by this point. It was still fairly fun though. The west coast is beautiful for anyone who was interested.
After what will be called the "Nessie disappointment of 2011" we headed out to Oban for the night, and more importantly a tour of the distillery. While the tour was very formal and the whisky being good but not great it was nice to see. Again, we had a cute tour guide. It seems to be what gets me through these tours, plus a girl talking about whisky (or beer) tends to be a turn on for me. Just a hint for anyone out there who wants a piece of this. Haha. I got a bottle of Distillery only whisky so this trip is great for the whisky but harsh on my wallet.
After that we went out and grabbed a bite to eat and a few pints. Nothing exciting, nothing special just "family time." I'm so happy I don't live at home anymore. Not that it was bad but I now realize why I moved away from home. For the record I do love my family to bits but I'm thinking another 6 nights might be a bit much. Lets hope I, and they, make it through.
Still have some cool pictures to share but not nearly as awesome as bottling my own whisky. I have however had a few cool inspirations for my brewery and learned a lot about the Ontario beer industry as far as structure goes. This will help.
Well I'm going to leave it at that. Can't wait for Glasgow and Edinburgh, my favourite city, for a few nights of proper boozing and new experiences.
This trip is harder than work. Honestly.
Today was a lot less exciting as I had much more sleep but the tired level has remained. It has definitely caused for some tension and I'm fairly ready to get back to work. At least at work I get to hang out with enjoyable people who aren't absolute bitches when the slightest deviation from the norm isn't made. They can also accept being wrong from time to time, something said people here can't.
I guess it is just that I'm way more fun. It seems to be the only logical explanation. Anyway.
Today we headed out from the first hotel, which was a really nice old hotel to the Loch Ness visitor centre and took a tour. I'll be honest, the tour was very well put together and kind of interesting but they didn't show us any Nessie. I was pissed. Also, being in the car for long stretches uttering "keep left" to the driver is very boring. It leaves no time for doing anything else. No nessie, cramped legs and not enough beers by this point. It was still fairly fun though. The west coast is beautiful for anyone who was interested.
After what will be called the "Nessie disappointment of 2011" we headed out to Oban for the night, and more importantly a tour of the distillery. While the tour was very formal and the whisky being good but not great it was nice to see. Again, we had a cute tour guide. It seems to be what gets me through these tours, plus a girl talking about whisky (or beer) tends to be a turn on for me. Just a hint for anyone out there who wants a piece of this. Haha. I got a bottle of Distillery only whisky so this trip is great for the whisky but harsh on my wallet.
After that we went out and grabbed a bite to eat and a few pints. Nothing exciting, nothing special just "family time." I'm so happy I don't live at home anymore. Not that it was bad but I now realize why I moved away from home. For the record I do love my family to bits but I'm thinking another 6 nights might be a bit much. Lets hope I, and they, make it through.
Still have some cool pictures to share but not nearly as awesome as bottling my own whisky. I have however had a few cool inspirations for my brewery and learned a lot about the Ontario beer industry as far as structure goes. This will help.
Well I'm going to leave it at that. Can't wait for Glasgow and Edinburgh, my favourite city, for a few nights of proper boozing and new experiences.
This trip is harder than work. Honestly.
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