Musings on a Lazy Day

Today was a lazy day. We intended to do a long walk, but the forecast was for storms and the sky was getting dark, so we decided on a short walk and reading. We did our short walk through Crockers End and then settled in to read. As it ended up, the sun was shining most of the day and we had no rain. The day was gorgeous! And we met some more neighbors. This neighborhood has some really nice and friendly people, even to yanks.

On the days we don't do much, I want to offer some general observations on life in the UK.

BEER

Unlike many of our friends and acquaintances, Bill is not a wine snob; he's a beer snob. He drinks the appropriate wine with meals, but beer is his beverage of choice. He dislikes mass-marketed American beers and is always on the lookout for a quality micro-brew (like Red Tail Ale or Boont Amber).

In general, British beers are very good. The pubs serve beer right from the breweries that you can't readily get in stores. Many of the pubs are "tied" houses, which means they are owned by, or tied to, a brewery. A "free" house has no such association. A lot of the pubs in the Henley area serve Brakespear.

Beer is served in pints. At one time, the British pint was 20 ounces. I haven't measured the glasses, so I'm not sure that is still true, but the glasses are big. The White Hart charges 2.80 pounds a pint.

Every place I've been the beer has been excellent. However, in one place I ordered a Strongbow, having been told it was beer. It was sparkling and sweet; I suspect it was cider (cider over here is alcoholic).

In the stores, I have seen some American beers like Budweiser. These are getting more popular-- go figure! Beer in stores comes in cans of various sizes, so comparing prices is sometimes hard. I've seen 500 ml (17 oz.), 440 ml, and 400 ml (13.5 oz.). Good micro-brews in the US cost from $0.75 a 12-oz. bottle (Costco) to around $1.00. In the UK, it varies from $1.50 to $2.00 a can.

British beers come in ales and lagers. I prefer ales, which are darker and a bit heavier. Most American beers are lagers, as are many continental beers (Becks, Heineken, etc.). Many continental beers are wheat-based, and therefore lighter.

As I write this, I just finished a Newcastle Brown Ale (John Fox's favorite) and started a John Smith Smooth Brown Ale (a Scottish brew). Claire is preparing dinner on the Aga, which she will describe in some detail in another post. Other subjects we will address are money (using foreign currency) and the abundance of local wildlife.