Blitzkrieg!

I rise a little later, close to 9 AM. Because, well, there's no pressing need to get up early. After a shower, I head downstairs for coffee. Which is what I need to kickstart my day.

I'll need all my strength for today's event: Blitzkrieg at Zebulon.

Some time I spend fiddling on my flipflop. Then, smelling bacon, I go downstairs. Mike has made scrambled eggs and bacon. Which is exactly what I need.

We hang around for a while on the back porch. Drinking some of his Leichtbier, a very tasty low-strength amber Lager.

At around 15:30, we drive over to Zebulon to set up for the evening. I say we, it's Mike who does all the work.

There are eight WW II beers on draught:

1941 Barclay Perkins IPA, 3.3% ABV
1943 Tetley Bitter, 4.2% ABV
1943 Tetley Mild, 3.2% ABV
1940 Younger's No. 1, 7,3% ABV
1945 Fullers BBBurton Ale, 4.5% ABV
1943 Whitbbread Double Brown, 5% ABV
1943 Perry Irish Porter, 3.8% ABV
1941 Barclay Perkins Best Stout, 4.4% ABV

People start rolling in a little before 17:00. For the VIP tasting. Which starts with Mike's Rise and Fall of Porter box set. Followed by the beers I brought over: 1990 Matilda Bay Christmas Ale, 1994 Witte Kerst, mystery beer, 2006 Fullers Vintage Ale, 1991 Westvleteren 12, 1993 Courage Russian Stout.

The Matilda Bay has held up pretty well and is still fully carbed Witte Kerst hasn't fared quite so well. The mystery beer is rather oxidised. Vintage Ale is wonderfully complex and still totally drinkable. The Westvleteren has lost all its bitterness and tastes rather more like Abt than when fresh. The Russian Stout is, well, Russian Stout. Need I say more?

Punters for the main event start filtering in while the tasting is still going on. Rather a lot of them. It's a good turnout. But a bit chaotic.

Gabe is behind the bar, dressed 1940s style. She looks dead cool. Forties music is playing, punctuated occasionally by air raid sirens. Mike and Gabe are really setting the wartime mood.

“What would you like to drink, Ron?”

“A Scotch Ale, please.” I need something to fortify me for all the talking to come.

The Scotch is really good. Quite sweet, but not sickly. Quite caramelly. Considering the strength (7.3% ABV), it’s surprisingly drinkable. Quite dangerously so.

The audience is better behaved than yesterday. There are also fewer questions while I'm speaking. It seems to go pretty well and I get a good few laughs.

Once the talking is done, I park my fat arse next to a pile of my books. I manage to get rid of a good few, while chatting to a succession of audience members. Weirdly, I sell more copies of “Stout!” than I did yesterday. And more copies than I shift of “Blitzkrieg!”. The book that goes with today’s talk.

As the crowd gradually thins out, I feel more and more knacked. I'm totally done in by the time the last one drifts away around 10 PM.

Gabe locks up and drives us back to her house. I'm so tired I turn down Mike's offer of a beer and turn straight in.




Zebulon Artisan Ales
8 Merchants Alley,
Weaverville,
NC 28787.
http://www.zebulonbrewing.com/