What began as a cold, calm and typically frosty late-autumn week soon descended into something far more challenging, courtesy of the arrival of Storm Bert.
Thursday morning started in familiar fashion. I stepped outside shortly after 4:30am and was greeted by ice everywhere. It coated the cars, glazed the grass and shimmered across sections of the pavement. Fortunately, I'd anticipated as much and reached for my trusty trail shoes rather than my usual road runners.
The footwear of choice was my Asics Trabuco Max IIs—or, as I've come to regard them, the Land Rovers of the running world. Heavy? Perhaps. Elegant? Certainly not. But when conditions turn rough, slippery or downright hostile, they're absolutely magnificent.
As it turned out, that run couldn't have come at a better time.
The day that followed wasn't exactly one for the scrapbook. In fact, it neatly rounded off what had already been a less-than-stellar week. Work-related frustrations are best left out of this blog, but it did serve as another reminder of why running remains such an important part of my routine. It clears the mind, burns off the stress and resets the mood far better than anything else I've found.
Even if it only normalises me to a certain degree. Retail Therapy, Beer Edition
By Friday evening, I decided some self-administered therapy was required. Thankfully, Black Friday was providing assistance.
Rather than buying anything sensible, I did what any fully paid-up beer nerd would do and ordered a selection of beers from Burning Sky and Duration.
Burning Sky is a brewery I've only scratched the surface of, but everything I've tasted from them has been exceptional. Their beers have a depth and character that make them stand out from the crowd, particularly their darker offerings.
In fact, their Baltic Porter currently sits second in my Beer of the Year rankings, beaten only by the legendary Heady Topper.
Not bad company to keep.
I also placed an order with Duration, an old favourite and a brewery whose beers rarely disappoint. Between those purchases, my hastily brewed Gamma Ray clone, an India Pale Lager quietly conditioning in the background and the considerable volume of beer accumulating for the annual Christmas shared box, I reckon I'm now pretty much sorted for the festive season.
At least that is what I'm telling myself.
The Most Obvious Way to Pass Two Hours
Saturday morning presented an unusual challenge.
My wife's car was booked in for a main dealer service. Or, as I prefer to describe it, a £300 car wash accompanied by a complimentary coffee. Having dropped the car off, I discovered I had between two and three hours to kill before collection.
Naturally, I went for a twenty-mile run.
What else would anyone do?
The route itself wasn't ideal. It was effectively an out-and-back route, something I generally avoid. I much prefer circular adventures where every mile reveals something new. Retracing your steps always feels slightly uninspired. Still, needs must.
The bigger problem was that the run coincided almost perfectly with Storm Bert.
Wind: The Great Equaliser
The route was largely flat. Ordinarily, that should make life easier. Instead, it was absolutely brutal. The rain arrived first. Then the wind. Then more wind. And then some even stronger wind for good measure.
There is a common misconception that hills are a runner's greatest enemy. I disagree. A relentless headwind is far worse. At least a hill eventually ends.
A headwind simply sits there, mocking you for mile after mile while making every step feel like hard work.
There were points during the run where I felt as though I was putting in the effort required to run seven-minute miles whilst actually moving at the speed of continental drift.
By the time I returned, I was utterly spent.
Absolutely wiped out.
Beer O’clock to the Rescue
Thankfully, salvation was only a few hours away.
The Saturday Beer O’clock session featured beers from:
- Thornbridge
- Verdant
- Pentrich
- Allagash
Remarkably, after a few carefully selected beers and the usual FaceTime nonsense with my mate, I felt significantly more human again.
Beer may not technically be classified as recovery nutrition. But I'm prepared to continue my own research programme.
How Many Breweries Have I Actually Tried? One interesting thought emerged during the run itself. I was listening to a beer podcast that discussed the sheer number of breweries currently operating within the UK craft scene.
The conversation got me thinking. How many breweries have I actually tried?
The answer surprised me.
When I started jotting them down, the list became much longer than expected:
- Abbeydale
- Azvex
- Anspach & Hobday
- Baron
- Brass Castle
- Brew York
- Bristol Beer Factory
- Bullhouse
- Burning Sky
- Burnt Mill
- Buxton Brewery
- Copper Beech
- Cloudwater
- Deya
- Double-Barrelled
- Duration
- Elusive
- Emperors
- Floc
- Full Circle Brew Co
- Glasshouse
- Gravity Well
- Green Duck
- Helmsley Brewing Co
- Kernel
- Left Handed Giant
- Marble
- Mash Gang
- Moor Beer
- Northern Monk
- Nothing Bound
- North Riding Brewery
- Pentrich
- Phantom
- Pressure Drop
- Rivington
- Siren Craft Brew
- Sureshot
- The Barrel Project
- Thornbridge
- Track
- Two Flints
- Twisted Barrel
- Vault City
- Verdant
- Vibrant Forest
- Vocation
- Whitby Brewery
- Wylam
- Yorkshire Heart
And that's only the ones I could remember while battling gale-force winds.
There are undoubtedly more.
Looking at the list, it's interesting how many of these breweries now shape my beer-buying habits. Some have become regular fixtures in the fridge. Others I've only sampled once or twice but still remember fondly.
The next challenge, however, is far more difficult.
Ranking them.
That's a dangerous rabbit hole and one likely to cause arguments with fellow beer nerds. Perhaps that's a blog for another day
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