Beer Tastings

Are You Tasting the Pith? - 25th July 04

The Wedding Diary

It's something of a cliche that everybody gets drunk at weddings, but like all cliches, they have their origin in truth. I'm sure every one of us has been to a wedding and, if it wasn't us, then there is always someone who has a bit too much to drink, with the usual crying/aggression/amourousness that this brings. So this week, I kept a drink diary at the wedding of some almost-in-laws that I attended, purely in the interests of scientific research. Here it is.

11.30 am - First drink of the day. I sneak a swig of some Lanson Champagnge before setting of for the church. Barely a mouthful, I enjoy its crisp acidity and slight headiness I get from it.

1.30 pm - Arriving at the reception, I opt for a Greene King IPA shandy. Knowing that this is going to be a long day, cutting drinks with a non-alcoholic option is a smart move, as it means I drink less and rehydrate as I go. Oooh, I sound like Dr John Briffa!

2 pm. - The wedding dinner is washed down with nicely chilled Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay, which goes great with the roast pork on my plate. It's quite a fat oaky wine, and although it has a few sharp citrus edges, it is very easy to drink. I am aware that my glass is filling and emptying quite quickly now. I am quite hot, and trying to quench my thirst with wine is a bad idea.

3 pm - Lindauer Reserve Cuvee is poured - its slightly rose! Its strikes an elegant balance between fruit and acidity, and is a great accompaniment for the toast. It also goes well with the wedding cake, oddly enough.

3.30pm - Outside for air. Knowing that I am drinking a bit quicker than I would like, I opt for a couple of non-alcoholic Coca-Cola's. Although it sobers me fairly well, like the alcohol, it does nothing to stabilise the yoyo-ing of my blood sugar. But I am more sober now.

4.30pm - Bored of Coke now. Liven it up by sticking Jack Daniels in it. A truly great combination, but I also think that I should opt for gin and tonic instead, my (and many others') "endurance" drink of choice. After a couple of JD and Cokes, I decide to stick with it, and try not to mix my drinks any more than I already have.

9 pm - Despite having made lavish acquaintance with Jack, I'm doing OK. A good meal before I started drinking has slowed the absorbtion rate of the booze, as has purloining a plate of fish fingers (great finger food, by the way) from the buffet when it was laid out. Sorry to everyone who never got any. They were great.

10pm - I crack. I'm thirsty, and so opt for a pint of Greene King IPA before leaving. Not a smart choice, but really nice to have something dry and bitter after all that fizzy pop.

And the result of this mild excess? Well, nothing too bad really. I didn't get much of a lay in, as Mrs. BeerBoy and I were babysitting a 2 yr old, but other than a little tiredness and a bit of a woolly head, which was easily walked off, nothing. I can't claim that the above is a prescription for a good night, or a good morning the next day, but it worked for me.