Beer and the City – The Olympic Survival Guide
Its official! Finally some sensible advice from the men up high... Drink more beer!
The much touted Olympics are finally upon us and a healthy cynical British population seems to be finally warming to the concept and embracing its true spirit. Indeed, with momentum building following on from Bradley Wiggins’s torturously inspiring achievements and a rare Vitamin D infusion from the British sunshine, there is an almost intuitive urge to reach for the trainers and do something energetic. Good luck with that.
At Perfect Pint HQ we have resisted the temptation to ‘treat the ladies’ by shoehorning our finely honed physiques into garish Lycra and instead, for once, we have elected to take some official advice. As instructed, we are heading down to our local real ale pub and supporting the GB team with a pint of the national drink in hand (The photo shows Dave's olympian effort to earn some Beer Bingo points).
Well, that’s how we are interpreting the missives from up on high anyway. Resident city dwellers not just in London but elsewhere don’t need reminding of the sweaty, interminable nightmare that is British transport infrastructure. So it is refreshing (potentially in more ways than one) to see Boris Johnson pragmatic Olympic solution; “There may be times when people will experience delays, congestion. There may be moments when you’d be well advised to go and have a beer and wait for the situation to ease off a bit.” Well, that’s the morning commute sorted, what about the evening?
Thankfully those of you who do elect to participate in more athletic endeavours do not need to miss out. Keeping with the theme of whose supposedly know better than us, Granada University Professor Manuel Garzon’s recently published research has shown that “A beer after playing a game of football, a long run, or a strenuous round of golf can be good for the body... In a rare piece of good news for those who like a pint, Spanish researchers say beer can help someone who is dehydrated retain liquid better than water”. Translation: ditch the Lucozade Sport and enjoy a traditional real ale instead.
As the Olympics progress, we can expect the usual burst of temporary enthusiasm from those distinctly unequipped to follow in the path of their heroes. We have all witnessed the queues of rosy cheeked ‘athletes’ at the local courts post Wimbledon, and Evans cycles have already reported that bike sales are up 15% since the Tour de France. Many of us, I am sure, will guiltily admit to have a flashy piece of kit gathering dust deep in a cupboard, bought on the last crest of sporting success but now hopelessly under-utilised. Such equipment, of course, cannot be disposed off as to do so would expose the pointless but psychologically important charade that we are merely looking for the ‘right opportunity’ to retake up the relevant sport.
The Olympics celebrate the pinnacle of sporting endeavour and achievement. I have tremendous respect for their efforts and their achievements. I am also proud it is happening in Britain and hope we can put on a good spectacle. As we have previously blogged, it is a real shame that these momentous events cannot be enjoyed at the venues with a genuine British beer in hand. Rather than labour this point though, here at Perfect Pint we instead hope to be celebrating GB success at the best pubs around the UK, which in their own way also deserve our respect for their efforts and achievements. Pubs are a huge part of our cultural ideology and come into their own when bringing people together at times of national and sporting significance. I sincerely hope that the Olympics’ visitors enjoy their warm hospitality and the fantastic beer within. And at least when we join them in raising a glass, for once we will be doing it with (just a little bit) of the bureaucracy on our side...
