paging Pip in particular & alkies in general

I've used these guys a few times:

http://www.beersofeurope.com/

expensive, but they have a good range (though they don't list
Westvleteren - you could enquire though)

 

A. likes that. I don't mind it, but prefer "thicker" belgian beers (if
that makes any sense).

heh. You could try Grimbergen Blonde (most Tescos stock it) - it's
sort of similar to Duvel, but a less punishing ABV.

 

They won't be able to sell it. It can only be bought in person from the
abbey gate, all purchases have to be booked with the abbey by phone in
advance, with a maximum of two cases per vehicle. The aim being to
completely eliminate commercial reselling.

It's not far from Calais, but they only sell it on certain weekdays, so
a weekend run is out.

 

Probably, but IIRC it was only cooking leffe at the hotel, where nige
got himself a bit wibbled.

 

I made the mistake of knocking back three bottles of Duvel on a train
back from Paris one day last year. The meeting I'd been there for had
finished fairly early and I'd grabbed a couple of Leffes in some shitty
bar near Chatelet before heading for Gare du Nord.

To say I was a bit tipsy by the time I got to Waterloo would be
something of an understatement.

 

What's a "session beer"?

 

Nige will be referring to his overconsumption in Lille this year, where
it was definitely the blonde on tap. The triple's alright but it's still
basically just posh stella.

 

a beer where you drink a lot of the same beer in a single "session".
generally speaking a session bear would be fairly week - Chris is
atempting bravado.

 

OIC.

That would account for why I've never heard of it.

 

One you can drink for an entire session.

For example, if you were to knock back pints of 3.5% ABV IPA over the
course of an evening, you'd be rather less trashed than if you were
drinking something like Fullers 1845 at 6.3%

One would keep you merry through the whole session, the other would have
you flat on your face before teatime.

 

It's the only one of the big trappist brews I've not tried, simply
because it's so hard to get hold of.

 

I was in the bar directly across the road from the Gare du Nord with
Cab a month or so ago. The waiter enquired if we were English, and it
transpired that he had assumed this because we were fucking swearing
so fucking much.

Well, I travel Business 1st[1] and so have access to both the free bar
in the station, and as much as you can convince the servants on the
train to supply you with. I think my current record is something like
3 quadruple Bacardi and Cokes in the station and 7 glasses of
Champagne on the train. Autopilot engaged between St.Pancras and
Enfield.

 

It's a beer for drinking over a length of time (a "session") without
getting too pissed too early.

 

A week beer drunk by lightweights who can't cope with the proper stuff
but nonetheless want to be seen to drink as much as everyone else over
the course of a 'session'.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
\`\ | /`/
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

Unfortunately Duvel is the only drink on the whole train they don't dish
out free in the business cars.

 

Only a little bit.

I do generally drink stronger lagers or ales (5%+) which over a session
could be 8 or 10 pints. I'm not saying I'm not bladdered by the end...

 

" "

I am a shandy drinking puff, then. I prefer a 4.5% beer is possible for
an all dayer.

 

see the second "e" in "weak", that should change places with the "a"
in "beer".

 

^^^^
Sheesh, not you too!

"This beer is so week it's almost a fortnight"

 

now that, I didn't know. Mainly because when champagne is available,
that's what I'm going to be drinking.