Bhasad

This weekend is always one of the highlights of the year as it was the Leeds International Beer Festival. Running for its eighth year, and the seventh straight we have been attending, we always tend to do the Friday evening and Saturday evening sessions. This was the case again, with me upholding my record of being first in the queue for the sixth successive time. Indeed, the security guards outside the main gate - which had changed from its usual place to be actually on the Headrow this year - joked with me that they had seen me standing at the front the day before on the Saturday. Indeed, I turned up about ten minutes before anyone else and forty-five minutes before the place opened, with just six traffic cones for company. Being in the new office made it easier for me to get to the venue early, and with my insistence that I was leaving at 5pm helping, I got in line far earlier than Wolfie did. Meanwhile, on the Saturday, we hit the venue at the same time.

The beer festival had its usual wide range of beers, but the Maine Beer Truck was sadly not in attendance, while there did seem to be fewer breweries represented. Part of this I think was due to each stand being smaller, with the new beer dispensing systems being more compact, but I also think numbers were limited by the council due to toilet overuse. There were a few portapotties there, including some emblazened with the British flag for some reason which I had hoped were called Red, White and Poo, but alas not. We managed to try fifteen beers on Friday - all in special edition Magic Rock schooners - while we opted for another eleven I think on the Saturday. The beers we had on the Friday were definitely stronger in quality, although weaker in ABV. However, this didn't stop Wolfie from getting quite ill as he headed over to a colleague's leaving do after we had finished at the festival where we ended up ordering two beers instead of one and being force-fed sambuca. This meant that he missed much of the Saturday, only turning up for the beer festival itself rather than the event we had planned to attend. I was still there though and felt pretty fine considering.

We flittered around the beer festival, spending much of Friday in the deck chairs on the right-hand side of the portico enjoying the warmth of the sun. We did the same on the Saturday too, starting both sessions with a beer and an excellent King of the North parmo from the ever-present Parm Star. We kept getting beers until nightfall, then moving inside as it was getting increasingly cold. On the Friday, we pretty much encampled ourselves in the Tiny Rebel bar which is where the arcade machines were, watching the 1980s style Japanese animation on the big screen. On the Saturday, we spent a lot of time in the teepee, along with under the bowels of the Town Hall, where we were delighted to see the old prison cells being used as the Northern Monk bar, complete with monk mannequin locked away. This was a nice touch and added to the whole feel of the event, while we also enjoyed poutine from Blue Caribou which although it took half an hour to come, was delicious in its meaty unctuousness, making me feel very sad that we can't regularly get poutine in this country. It also provided excellent soakage for the alcohol. After the event, on both days I went to Brewdog - on the Friday to try (and ultimately fail) get their new beer Hello My Name Is (Unelected) Boris and on the Saturday as I had time to kill to get the last bus. I was pretty drunk both times.

We thought that the actual daytimes would be write-offs this weekend, but it turned out not to be the case. Yesterday, I headed to the Second Anti-Brexit Conference hosted by the excellent Leeds For Europe, with a number of fantastic keynote speakers. These included former BBC journalist Gavin Esler and Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn, whose excellent work this week on preventing a No Deal Brexit has enabled parliament to assert its authority. It was interesting to hear his motivations and thoughts on this, as well as his discussion of the future. This is particularly important as work have pretty much made me their Brexit adviser, asking me to highlight any key problems a No Deal Brexit would pose as well as write reassuring emails to my European colleagues. This is proving difficult what with the current shitshow, so it was reassuring to see that MPs are taking back control and doing everything they can to prevent No Deal. The conference itself, though, was actually more forward looking and debated issues such as climate change, the rise of the far right and how data and AI is changing politics. There was also a good debate on the type of country Britain should be, and although I didn't get chance to ask any questions, it was a very encouraging affair. The highlight of the event though was Lord Michael Hestletine's speech at the end. I have seen a number of public speeches, both in politics and outside, but never have I heard a speech with such gravitas and heft. The oratory was sensational and evoked the memory of Winston Churchill, while I admit at one point it had me welling up. It was truly brilliant and real honour to have seen.

Today was something of a lazy day, but I did get opportunity to go into town and meet Enteirah, who was here on cheap 10p tickets courtesy of Northern. I couldn't get there before 3pm as I had a number of errands to do, but it was great sitting down and catching up for a couple of hours, first in 200 Degrees with an English Breakfast Tea and then with a beer at Craft Asylum #1. Sitting on the dock watching the boats, with the sun reflecting off the window of the hotel next door, was quite pleasant and I had forgotten the joy of just sitting down with one friend and talking - I don't do much of that these days. We also got a free donut as the guys next to us had bought a pack of three and there was only two of us. This too was exceptional, as I shared it with Wolfie once I got home. Anyway, a pleasant afternoon in the late summer sun after what has been a very full but exhilarating weekend.