Back to England

I have to say, it's good to be back. Back to real beer, cheese and that lovely, welcoming cool English weather. The last two weeks have been mostly spent chilling out, drinking Rum and cooking lager, smoking Cigars and going on trips out around the island. Don't get me wrong, unlike Hawaii, Cuba is a much more raw, unadulterated place. Lots of culture, sun, sand, old American cars and blokes trying to flog you fake Cigars, hand made items or sometimes drugs. But for me they get it wrong. Any back street hustler offering even a can of Bass or something, I would have taken up the offer. But despite my issues with the lack of decent beer on this island I have to say it's been a good holiday, and what I have gathered is that the Cubans are  actually very enthusiastic about beer. Or to be more accurate enthusiastic about cooking lager, which I have to admit in the baking heat does offer one refreshment. But the Cubans didn't complain about it, they always seemed happy.     

Professional Dancers take to the stage for an evenings entertainment at the hotel.

(You can prance around all you like, it ain't going to get me a proper pint) 

Another thing that's good about being back is getting up in the morning and not have to cover ones self in factor 30 sun cream. Some sun burn was encountered, but so were a few brutal storms and spells of heavy rain. But luckily this didn't overlap with our trips snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, horse riding, visiting little villages and the likes, and at the end of the day it wasn't all hard work.

Swimming in the crystal clear Caribbean sea and enjoying neat Rum and Cigars in the Cigar Lounge were some other good moments. I still can't wait to try Cigars with Whisky. A nice Ardbeg maybe, but they go nicely with dark Rum like Havana Club Barrel Proof.

Thinking of barrels, next week I hope to get my Operation Elizabeth underway for a lengthy fermentation. All I need are the malts then everythings in place. Its gonna rock! Back at work now I have managed to get a try of the new Nightjar Brown Ale (single batch reserve for now) which head brewer Craig is concerned about it having too much bitterness, I think it has a nice edge to it, but I suspect it may be redeveloped if we decide to brew it again. Mind you my judgements might have been swayed by the fact that every beer Ive had since getting back has been like the most awesome experience. That's all for now.