Well, I Guess It Was A Good Idea? Well sort of...

British Public Houses To Install Drink Meters For Car Drivers

CARLISLE, ENGLAND - Fourteen public houses owned by the British government are installing drink meters to tell car drivers when they've had enough. The meters test reaction speeds.  The driver drops a coin in the meter, then tries to stop the coin by pressing a button. If he can stop it in less than .12 of a second he gets the coin back. If not, he loses the coin and gets warning that is reactions have slowed up.
The machines are approved by Britain's Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents, though not by some police officers. Sidney Ballance, chief constable of neighboring Barrow-in Furness, called them a menace.  He said they will encourage drivers to drink more to test their capacity.
Some people doubt the drink meters efficiency.   Peter Johnson, a young Royal Air Force officer, wrote to the Observer Sunday to say he and several other young pilots tried out the machines and found their reactions improving as they had more to drink.

As reported in the Muskogee Daily Phoenix (Muskogee, Oklahoma) Monday, 27 June 1960.

Proof Positive - Ale is Good For You

As the story goes: “It is worth mentioning that one William Hunter, a collier, was cured in the year 1758 of an inveterate rheumatism or gout, by drinking freely of new ale, full of barm and yest (sic). The poor man had been confined to his bed for a year and a half, having almost entirely lost the use of his limbs. On the evening of Handsel Monday, as it is called, (i.e. the first Monday of the New Year), some of his neighbors came to make merry with him. Though he could not rise, yet he always took his share of the ale as it passed round the company, and, in the end, became much intoxicated. The consequence was , that he had the use of his limbs the next morning, and was able to walk about. He lived more that twenty years after this, and never had the smallest return of his old complaiint.”

From: Observations on the Popular Antiquities of Great Britian: Chiefly Illustrating the Origen of Our Vulgar and Provincial Customs, Ceremonies and Superstitions, by John Brand (Henry G. Bohn, Covent Garden, London, 1853)

It's British In Spirit, Anyway...

Dinner last night - Sort of, kind of, maybe a bit British in spirit - Fish and Chips. OK, not like you would get down around the corner in Kegsworth, but in thought it's pretty close. Deep fried Alaskan Halibut (with a bit of spiciness in the batter), and twice fried Belgian chips. Hey, at least I was drinking an Old Speckled Hen.

Cheers,

Dave

Now That's A Good Idea

The Walker’s Patent Cask Tilting Apparatus

Oh Yea - hafta get me one of these contraptions. The genuine Walker's Patent Cask Tilting Apparatus. No sense letting any of that ale go to waste.

Cheers,

Dave

Photo: From the "Brewer's Guardian" magazine - 29 October 1889 (London)

Bob's-A-Dyin"

Bob's-A'Dyin'

An entry from the book "Notes and Queries, A Medium of Intercommunication for Literary Men, General Readers, Etc... " (London 1910). This was in answer to a query as to the origin of the phrase. Boisterous Merriment - Yes indeed.

Cheers,

Dave

Just In Case You Happen To Be Traveling Through Kent ... In 1982...

Hey, a person can dream, can’t they? Heck, yes!!! I picked up this book on line just for the fun of it. Although I have done a decent bit of running around the UK, I have not had a chance to run around the County of Kent. I have flown over it a million time, on the way down to the continent, but never on the ground. And, even when I get a chance to travel through Kent, since this book was published back in 1982, I wonder how much many of these pubs are still serving a pint of fine ale. Still, it is an interesting piece of history. The public houses listed in this book number well over one thousand, 1,326 pubs in all. Wow! Although I know differently, one could hope that all of these pubs still exist today. As with all of the CAMRA guide, there is a certain criteria that must be met for a pub to be included. A decent, cask conditioned ale, preferably locally brewed, should be on tap. Fair enough. This book was produced locally, by the folks who know the territory - none of whom were paid for their efforts. These folks use their local expertise to update the reader on the brewing scene in the county. Each pub is detailed - beer, food, music, games, etc… One kind of neat thing about this book, which I did not know when I bought it, was that a previous owner seems to have been keeping track of the pubs he or she had the pleasure of visiting. Take Tunbridge Wells, for example. The previous owner had marked eight of the pubs in the village. There are at least that many more pubs in the town that he or she did not mark. Perhaps these pubs were on the schedule, but something intervened to prevent a visit. Who knows?

Hey, a person can dream, can’t they? Heck, yes!!! I picked up this book on line just for the fun of it. Although I have done a decent bit of running around the UK, I have not had a chance to run around the County of Kent. I have flown over it a million time, on the way down to the continent, but never on the ground. And, even when I get a chance to travel through Kent, since this book was published back in 1982, I wonder how much many of these pubs are still serving a pint of fine ale. Still, it is an interesting piece of history. The public houses listed in this book number well over one thousand, 1,326 pubs in all. Wow! Although I know differently, one could hope that all of these pubs still exist today.
As with all of the CAMRA guide, there is a certain criteria that must be met for a pub to be included. A decent, cask conditioned ale, preferably locally brewed, should be on tap. Fair enough. This book was produced locally, by the folks who know the territory - none of whom were paid for their efforts. These folks use their local expertise to update the reader on the brewing scene in the county. Each pub is detailed - beer, food, music, games, etc…
One kind of neat thing about this book, which I did not know when I bought it, was that a previous owner seems to have been keeping track of the pubs he or she had the pleasure of visiting. Take Tunbridge Wells, for example. The previous owner had marked eight of the pubs in the village. There are at least that many more pubs in the town that he or she did not mark. Perhaps these pubs were on the schedule, but something intervened to prevent a visit. Who knows?

Cherry Chouffe

It’s a nice warm day, and you need a refreshing beer to help you cool off a bit. Cherry Chouffe is just the right beer for the job. Bright, tart, and very cherry-ful, Cherry Chouffe is a fine addition to the Chouffe family of beers. Although is has been in the U.S. for a while, it has now begun showing up in my area. Good for me! Cheers.For more of the Brasserie d’Chouffe story - Click Here.

It’s a nice warm day, and you need a refreshing beer to help you cool off a bit. Cherry Chouffe is just the right beer for the job. Bright, tart, and very cherry-ful, Cherry Chouffe is a fine addition to the Chouffe family of beers. Although is has been in the U.S. for a while, it has now begun showing up in my area. Good for me! Cheers.

For more of the Brasserie d’Chouffe story - Click Here.