Fist of fun

Let's fist again: A highly enjoyable
experience well worth repeating

Well it didn't take long for me to get morose and interest levels to plummet like a badly constructed Russian aircraft over the Siberian plains, did it? 

Usually takes a good 10 days or so, but this year it's come early. Big and early. Barely 10 per cent of the visitors I got on Saturday have bothered today and who can blame them? A whining blogger is not one you'd want to read regularly, never mind one who seems to moan about drinking beer as well.

So enough. Time to crack open the bottles and break out a smile and see if we can't keep it up for the rest of December. There's only so much misery you can take before you have to start laughing right in its stupid face, really.

And with the end of what's been a pretty poor year for many people on the horizon (although it's been considerably better for me, I have to say), why not start spreading some Christmas ruddy cheer around the place instead of moping around like a sullen teenager told he has to be back by midnight?

Today's beer is from one of a fairly new breed of Italian beer makers. I like the Italians almost as much as I like sweeping generalisations, so I'm delighted there's an emerging artisan beer scene bubbling under over there. Will give me a damn good excuse to call in there on next year's pilgrimage to Slovenj Gradec (more on which later). It's an India Pale Ale, which I can't imagine is a traditional beer in Italy, but as it's a style I do like, I'm happy to give it a whirl.

But can today's beer turn it around? Will I be able to come up with enough amusing similes to drag people kicking and screaming back to the calendar? Does anyone care? Find out the answers to these questions and much more by tuning in to the next episode of... soak!

Beer: Brewfist Burocracy
Strength: A sprightly 6%.
Colour: Autumnal leaves rain-stained into the pavement.
Smell: A musty old sweetshop that used to sell cheap chocolate.
Tasting notes: Ha! This is the first one I've had this year that's made my taste buds recoil like they're under attack. Without asking any quarter, this flamboyant. headstrong hunk of hops bowls in gesturing furiously and upsetting the regulars. It's causing untold mayhem and looks like it's on the point of getting thrown out, but finally it calms down, sweet talks the barmaid and regales the bar with tales of long walks in the Dolomites searching for truffles with a dog called Guiseppe.
Gut reaction: A mite on the gassy side, but it'll settle and all will, I expect, be well.
Session factor: Fairly high. This is quite a sensation that I'd love to repeat.
Arbitrary score: 1870