The Great British Beer Festival 2008

It's 2.49 in the morning. I just got back to my little room at King's College - Great Dover Street after the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival final day. I've been volunteering here since Thursday, pulling pints (serving beer) for hundreds and hundreds of punters (customers). If you work both the AM and PM session (which I did) your day lasts from 11.00 to 23.00. Then there's "chill-out" in the staff area upstairs until 24.30 or so, during which the festival director tells everyone how the business went that day, etc. and you get to kick back with a pint or two or three or four. The festival rents buses to take the volunteers to the various accommodations around London. One is really well taken care of volunteering at the GBBF.

Because this was the last day, when the festival closes at 7pm, we have a 3-hour cleaning session and then at 10 o'clock there's a big staff party with free buffet and all the beer you can drink. Plus various beer nerd frivolities. Then there's a 12.30 bus and a 2.00 bus. I took the later one because I was enjoying myself.

On the way home tonight, I got a bit wistful seeing London pass by my bus window. It's a great city with a great vibe. A vibe that you can feel even at 2.00 in the morning. I got wistful because I was thinking about the fact that we are leaving in November. A bit silly since we never even lived in London (we both kind of regret not doing that, at least when we first moved to England), but it's just great to see all the historical buildings and what not. And the Thames river looks amazing at night. At 2.00 in the morning, there isn't much activity and most buildings are dark, but here and there lights are on, the bridges are lit up, and the clock on Big Ben is glowing. Last night we drove past the Battersea power station (the one on the cover of the Pink Floyd "Animals" record). I've only ever seen it from the train, but this time we were on the other side of it and really up close. Quite a building. I will definitely miss this place.

Having said that, I am really looking forward to moving back to the US. We're ready. It's been 5 years living in Europe (four years in England) and it's not exactly easy being in a foreign country by yourself with all family far away.

Last year when I did volunteered at this festival for the first time, I ended up working with a great team and for a really down-to-earth manager. We got along, so they added me as "permanent" staff this year (i.e.- the staffing people assign me to that team permanently and don't try to bounce me around to other bars at the festival as needed). Whereas last year, I went into the situation blind, this year I had an idea what the whole thing is like and went into it already accepted in a team. And more prepared for the whole thing. I had a great time and tried a lot of really good beers. My favorites were St. Peter's Mild, Theakston's Grousebeater, and Regal Blonde.

Hopefully, at some point, even though we will be back in the US, we can come back during the festival and I can work there again. We'll see what happens with air travel, though!

Great British Beer Festival 2008