My office mate asked how to fix her PC and I gave some suggestions and offered to have a look myself if it all went tits up. She wasn’t in Monday but had dropped the PC off and I went ahead and took the initiative and sorted it out. Wednesday there was a bag on my desk with four very nice half-liter bottles of ale, sort of a non-cash payment (we agreed that in these uncertain financial times beer is something like a precious metal). On Saturday, I executed the first Helena PC Repair Beer Festival.
I started the morning with a cheese omelet/quesadilla and the hot sauce really called for a beer. Who could have asked for something more appropriate than Spitfire? The Shepherd’s Neame ale is an old favourite that often appears at Oxford hashes and helped clear the Friday night cobwebs away.
We did our Saturday out-and-about stuff and I came home to start the evening meal. We had a bit of zucchini that was about to go bad and the tomato vines keep producing so I opted for an umido, a sort of stewed vegetable recipe from Italy. I paired this chore with a Fursty Ferret that was bitter but had a sort of citrus odour to it that was very pleasant.
While actually cooking (we had some beef patties on the grill and some chips, as well) and faced with a choice I opted for the Hook Norton Haymaker. This also took me through the feast and met the rich and varied flavours of the vegetables on side and the main dish (with mushrooms and savoury spices mixed into the patties) with aplomb.
Then it was time for dessert as the HPCRBeerFest drew to a close. Timothy Taylor Landlord has always been a good choice in bars and it went especially well with some oat, raisin and hazelnut cookies. As time was called on these festivities the committee (that is, me) agreed that this should become a regular event.
Spitfire… nice ale to start a day!