Something for Sunday Brunch

I did something new today. Emailed a live TV programme. It's all to do with my shouting.

Sunday Brunch (my apologies to those who don't receive Channel 4) in the background is as much a part of Sunday and Sunday cooking as Round the Horne, The Clitheroe Kid and Radio Nottingham's The Golden Years were when I was a kid.

There's one thing I admire about their drinks slot. It isn't just wine and cocktails. Beer figures regularly.

But when they announced they'd be tasting IPA, my heart went looking for Australia. No, no. Not after I'd managed to get all the way through that German beer programme without apoplexy (it was all just a trick - I switched off translating). After my Harvard bookshop experience, I knew exactly what they were going to say in the intro: strong, hoppy to survive the journey to India.

That's when I did the emaily thing. This is it:

"please don't spoil my family's Sunday by saying IPA was brewed strong to survive the journey to India. It wasn't. 19th-century IPAs were weaker than Mild Ale. Every time someone repeats this myth I shout at the television and frighten the kids."

When the slot arrived, I was stunned by Rebecca Seal's introduction. Paraphrasing, she said that it was disputed whether IPA was "invented" in the late 18th century especially to ship to India. And that the top ABV in the 19th Century was 7%, which is also about right.

Wow. No need to shout. Nor to send that email.

It's a weird feeling. Watching a beer slot on TV without the need to scream.

Thank you Rebecca.