Beer in the evening...and the morning...afternoon...and night!

For anyone who likes beer and, let's face it, who doesn't?! there's another chance to sample lots of different real ales at the South East Beer Festival on the 16th, 17th and, if you can still stand up, 18th July at the back of the Rugby Club. Now I know the event attracted quite a few fans of the brown stuff last summer but there were alot who thought, probably due to the location, that it was just for rugger boys. Well it's not so tell your friends all about it; and, what's more, it's free entry with, I'm told, very reasonably priced ales. I'm sure that local ale enthusiast, Paul Bailey will have more on his beer blog about it so I'll leave it for him to provide us with more info or at least a link to his site. Last year there were a few negative comments (not mine) on this blog saying that the festival was encouraging people to be be irresponsible drink and too much but, surely, this is nonsense. Better to sample various different, lovingly brewed, beers from independent breweries than to neck seventeen pints of nondescript lager in the Castle Inn before jumping in the river (as I noticed a few lads were after a recent England game.) What is it about hot sunny weather, football and continental blonde beers?! Mind you England's performances at the World Cup were enough to drive even the most sober of people to drink, drugs or drowning but that's a different story....