Have A Drink With Me

Well, there you have it. 2010. I hope it was better for you than it was for me.

Health was the main issue, ruthlessly struck down in January. A tad dramatic, maybe, but I didn't even get the chance to attend the Salisbury Beer Festival.

I've not been properly unwell before and the dizzy spells continued long into the year. Some medication and a bit of counselling later, and I'm still justabout hanging in there.

It meant I didn't drink as much, which also meant I didn't brew as much. To make myself feel better I invested in some smart (read expensive) brewing equipment.

Trouble was, when i finally wanted to brew, that little avenue of pleasure was closed off to me too. The new gear had several shortcomings that took a while to get to the bottom of.

Even the last few days of 2010 couldn't pass by without another dig in the ribs. This time, the pump started to leak on the new brewery. I wasn't going to abort my final brew of the year, so I dusted off my old stockpots and brewed with my old gear.

Okay, so I don't lose any limbs, or any family members - apart from Pickle, but she was a chicken and probably doesn't count. There's plenty worse off than me, that's for sure, but I'd rather not have another year like 2010 thank you.

So tonight, I'll sup quietly on my home brew as the last few minutes of the year pass by. And once we've seen the lousy year out, I've got a bottle of Fullers Vintage Ale (2007) I've been saving to see the new one in.

Slightly sozzled, maybe even a little teary eyed, I'll raise a drink to you all. 2011 - may we all have a good'un. If you feel like it, have a drink with me...