Where’s The Beer?
[This is one in a series of blog posts written by Charlotte the Intern. Tune in daily to find out about what she’s been up to, what she has been learning about, and all of the crazy things she does as part of the Manna from Devon team.]
Well, things have been getting pretty serious around here, haven’t they? Lately I’ve written about the value of taking time off and gotten all misty-eyed about the month of October, which is all well and good but not very much fun is it? So what am I going to talk about tonight?
Beer.
I’ve tried a few of the local ales, but nowhere near enough. And I certainly haven’t had the requisite number of awkward pub encounters in which I mispronounce everything on tap and ask for things in incorrect measurements. Until this point in my life, “a pint” has meant a carton of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and don’t you for a minute think that I haven’t polished off a few of those in my day. But now we’re on to a different, albeit no less tasty, type of pint.
There is a motive for this. You see, my boyfriend is visiting from Italy in less than a week and I need to make sure I show him a good, English time. Being Italian, he is very skeptical that there is anywhere else that can make wine as good as the wine from his home region (don’t worry, I plan to show him the error of his ways), but he will readily admit that the Brits do beer much better. But the pressure is really on for me. You see, he’s a bartender, and has already expressed that he’s really excited to check out all of the great local pubs around here. I assured him that I’ve gotten the lay of the land and have a full pub itinerary set out for us. I totally lied.
So now I need your help!! Which are the most quintessential pubs that we shouldn’t miss? And the beers we absolutely have to try? What about the best cider? Like I said before, I’m totally hopeless with the stuff! How can I look like a pro at navigating the Devon pub scene instead of the complete novice that I really am?!
Please help. I’m depending on all of you!!