Stewart Brewery Pilsen and my pick of the Fringe
It was Tuesday, and I was going out to see a show. Environmentally conscious as I am, and a decent enough evening as it was, I decided to ride my bike to the bar where I was meeting my dear friend before going to a comedy show (the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is the world’s biggest comedy/arts festival, is on at the moment). Inevitably, I ended up having just one or two more pints than I probably ought to, and decided it would perhaps be a bad idea to ride my bike home. What I didn’t think was that someone would spot my lonely bicycle and go “hey, wouldn’t it be super-fun to destroy this?”, but of course they damn well did.
Hence I wonder: who are these absolute mongrels anyway? Walking home after dropping my bike off to be fixed (which will cost at least $75, apparently) I actually spotted 3 (THREE) other bikes that had endured similar treatments. Who? Why?
Anyway, enough moaning. The show I went to see was Pappy’s All Business and it was actually hilarious – perhaps not worth the extra $75 on top of the $18 ticket, but definitely worth seeing. The only negative was that the beer on offer at the bar outside the venue wasn’t great… I had to drink Heineken! The pub we went to beforehand did have a pleasant surprise in stock though, namely the new-ish Pilsen from the Scottish Stewart brewery. I’m not normally a massive fan of theirs; I like Edinburgh Gold but their 80/- is about as boring as beer gets.
The Pilsen, though, actually reminded me a bit of BrewDog Punk IPA, except rather milder and more readily drinkable. You might even call it a session version of the Punk. That said, I was slightly under the influence when I had it and it is entirely possible that I’m wrong, so if you’ve got a differing opinion feel free to share it!
As for the festival, my current Top 5 shows would have to be:
- Pappy’s – All Business – $18
- Axis of Awesome – Songs in the Key of Awesome – $15
- Axis of Awesome – Axis of Awesome and Friends Sing Songs.. and Friends! – $15
- Jarred Christmas – Jarred Christmas Stands Up – $16
- Shappi Khorsandi – The Moon on a Stick – $18
I know those aren’t the cheapest shows around, but most of the time you get what you pay for. The worst shows I’ve seen so far are:
- One Kiwi, One Aussie, One Hour – free
- Your Days Are Numbered: The Maths of Death – $13
I’ve been to a few others as well, and most of them were actually good. The ones most worth mentioning would be:
Magnus Betner – Cum All Ye Faithful – $12
Laughing Horse Free Pick of the Fringe – free
…And that will probably cover it for now. Not sure if I will be going to any more shows, I overdosed in the first week!