Wednesday 15 January 2014

Beer and Dieting Week 2

I probably won't be updating my progress each week but I will certainly post an update every couple of weeks.  This week has been interesting.  My wife has joined in which is helping as she follows the Anna Richardson Body Blitz diet.  This ensures I get excellent meals so I'm never feeling too hungry.  My sugar intake is vastly reduced and my weekly cake / biscuit / chocolate count for week two is a (low) fat round zero.

In week one I lost 6 lbs so I'm sure you are all waiting with baited breath to know whether I was able to lose any more in week two.  This morning I weighed in and I have lost a further 2.75 lbs so I am now 8.75 lbs towards my 30 lb target with fifteen weeks left.  I'm feeling confident.

In week 1 my beer intake was low.  This week has been a bit closer to my usual intake with three pub visits and a few bottles at home.  This is a beer blog after all so I think each update should contain some highlights and beery recommendations not reviewed elsewhere.  All the bottles I consumed this week have been reviewed (Thwaites and Adnams) so that leaves me with the cask highs and lows.

What has happened to Palmers Tally Ho?  I had a pint of this on Friday in my local and it is now at a strength of 5.5% ABV.  I am sure this beer was less than 5.0% ABV when I last tried it (I am talking many years ago here).


It was perfectly drinkable and it looks very inviting but the liquorice flavours were too dominant.  Twenty years ago this was one of my favourite beers.  Can anyone tell me if I am correct regarding the increase in strength or is my memory playing tricks here?  One final grumble is the pump clip design is now pants.

It was a good week for dark beers.  A pint of Kings Old Ale (4.5% ABV) was enjoyed at my local Wetherspoons.  This dark classic is not as good as the unbeatable Harveys Old this year but it is still a lovely pint with plenty of dark roast malt character with some caramel and liquorice notes.

Last night in the Bull Inn, Chichester, I came across a beer from Yorkshire.  Clark's Knee Deep (4.4% ABV) was absolutely beautiful.   Clark's of Wakefield have a long history going back to the turn of the last century and after a break in brewing operations they resumed in 1982.  This is probably the first time I've seen their beers on the bar for many years.  This dark winter beer was full of coffee and chocolate notes.  I may not be able to eat chocolate but this more than makes up for it and it was close to perfection.

One beer that was perfection last night, and which receives my first 10/10 of 2014, is the Dark Star American Pale Ale (4.7% ABV).  This hoppy classic is always good but last night it was stunning.  It was the monthly branch CAMRA meeting and vast amounts were being consumed by all.  With other beers to try it was just the one pint for me and I finished the night with a pint of Good Old Boy (4.0% ABV) from the West Berkshire Brewery.  This was a fine malty bitter with plenty of caramel notes and these were balanced by a subtle underlying bitterness.  This beer also scored highly with an 8/10 so a very satisfying end to my week of drinking.

With plenty of beer enjoyed and more pounds lost it has been a good week.  Here's to more of the same.

Cheers.
       

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