Southwick Revival

Southwick Revival (Sat/Sun 10/11 June 2017)

Good grief, what’s going on here? The wife and I pop into Southwick for a quiet pint and look at all this to-do! Couldn’t even get into the centre of the village – it was blocked off to traffic unless you happened to possess an army jeep, a bus or a steamroller. Trucks and guns and military vehicles all over the shop. Must be half a battalion of squaddies, too. And with them comes all the support stuff – food stalls, tents, bits and bobs for their sweethearts back home, bands and singers to keep up the morale.

One things for sure: this is a village ready for anything Mr Hitler might throw at us. Personally, I think this is part of something bigger. Mr Churchill has got a plan here. Keep it to yourself, though. Walls have ears, and all that. Don’t want Jerry getting a whiff of this.

There were also rumours around town of a mysterious Map Room, a dance with some suspicious-sounding characters called The Regular Joes, and a flypast by some of our plucky RAF Johnnies.

So, did we find beer? Did we ever! Lots of pale ales, including Five Points Pale, Langham Decennium and Butcombe Bitter, plus something rather more malty and dark in the Hogs Back Traditional English Ale.

Rumour had it that the Golden Lion ran out of beer on the Saturday, what with all the troops, but they seemed to be back up and running on Sunday with an emergency supply of … Spitfire, of course!

I didn’t get around to the Hogs Back Surrey Nirvana, or the Adnams Ghost Ship, or the … Well, one can’t get too tipsy. Never know when Churchill’s going to give the order.

Yes, that’s right: I signed up on the spot. Got a bit swept up with all that patriotism. Right thing to do, of course. Wife wasn’t too happy, but there you go. King and country. King and country.

Oh go on, then, another half. Might be the last bit of English beer I have for a while. Something’s in the air, that’s for sure.

Written by Richard Salsbury