It has finally happened. After all my planning and fretting, I made it to England on a business trip. I met my friend Len at the Philly airport, flew to Manchester and picked up the rental car. We also found our newest temperamental friend, Tom-Tom. Since we had some time to kill, we went to a local tourist attraction, Chatsworth House (http://www.chatsworth.org/).
Chatsworth House was the home of the Lady of Devonshire, a proud supporter of the American colonists against the crown during the American Revolution. The house was magnificent, a stately country house that was built on a grand scale. The paintings, statues, and furniture were memorable. My favorite was a fake door with a mounted violin that was made to look 3-Dimensional, but was really just a wall. The grounds were a beautiful green and had plenty of fountains, the most impressive being one that was a water cascade that went for about 200 meters. 
I stopped by the gift shop (Jenn was so proud), bought some postcards and what I’ll call a gift shop beer (you know, a gift for dads). This one was a bottled conditioned ale from Peak Brewing called Gardener’s Tap.
Our Tom-Tom died (we had lots of power problems on this trip), but we were able to make our way to Derby (pronounced Darby). Our hotel was nice enough and was close to the railway station. I found the neatest feature of the room was that you had to use your card key to get the lights to work. There wasn’t a refrigerator, coffee maker, ice machine, or ESPN, but I survived. Their sports network covered English football and I have to admit I was starting to like watching the sport. The breakfasts were excellent, hard boiled eggs, various cheeses, beans, ham and cappuccino.
Len and I tried to get dinner at the Brunswick Inn (http://www.brunswickinn.co.uk/index.html), a place recommended by my beer guides (MJ Pocket guide, the Good Beer Guide, Best 500 Pubs of England), and the oldest pub in Derby. They didn’t have any food (I soon found out that this could be common and that I better be ready to go to several pubs to find dinner, but I didn’t mind), but what they did have was a listing of 10 different ales on cask, including some that they made themselves.
Len knew of my love of trying new beer, so he let me order for both of us so that I could try them both (God Bless Len). I tried the Brunswick Black Sabbath, a very dark strong ale (6% ABV, quite high for the English beers on cask that I found), and their White Feather, their version of a White beer. Len got the Marston’s Pedigree, a four star rated bitter by Michael Jackson that is considered one of the bests of the style. We sat and sit, and I found it hard to believe that we were in England. The jet lag was catching up to me so I found a place to eat and then went to bed. It was going to be a great trip! - 5086
"They speak of my drinking, but never think of my thirst." – Scottish Proverb
Chatsworth House was the home of the Lady of Devonshire, a proud supporter of the American colonists against the crown during the American Revolution. The house was magnificent, a stately country house that was built on a grand scale. The paintings, statues, and furniture were memorable. My favorite was a fake door with a mounted violin that was made to look 3-Dimensional, but was really just a wall. The grounds were a beautiful green and had plenty of fountains, the most impressive being one that was a water cascade that went for about 200 meters. 
I stopped by the gift shop (Jenn was so proud), bought some postcards and what I’ll call a gift shop beer (you know, a gift for dads). This one was a bottled conditioned ale from Peak Brewing called Gardener’s Tap.Our Tom-Tom died (we had lots of power problems on this trip), but we were able to make our way to Derby (pronounced Darby). Our hotel was nice enough and was close to the railway station. I found the neatest feature of the room was that you had to use your card key to get the lights to work. There wasn’t a refrigerator, coffee maker, ice machine, or ESPN, but I survived. Their sports network covered English football and I have to admit I was starting to like watching the sport. The breakfasts were excellent, hard boiled eggs, various cheeses, beans, ham and cappuccino.
Len and I tried to get dinner at the Brunswick Inn (http://www.brunswickinn.co.uk/index.html), a place recommended by my beer guides (MJ Pocket guide, the Good Beer Guide, Best 500 Pubs of England), and the oldest pub in Derby. They didn’t have any food (I soon found out that this could be common and that I better be ready to go to several pubs to find dinner, but I didn’t mind), but what they did have was a listing of 10 different ales on cask, including some that they made themselves.
Len knew of my love of trying new beer, so he let me order for both of us so that I could try them both (God Bless Len). I tried the Brunswick Black Sabbath, a very dark strong ale (6% ABV, quite high for the English beers on cask that I found), and their White Feather, their version of a White beer. Len got the Marston’s Pedigree, a four star rated bitter by Michael Jackson that is considered one of the bests of the style. We sat and sit, and I found it hard to believe that we were in England. The jet lag was catching up to me so I found a place to eat and then went to bed. It was going to be a great trip! - 5086"They speak of my drinking, but never think of my thirst." – Scottish Proverb
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