I am thinking I ought to have a scavenger hunt (141Cong.Rec.S18311)

Ever since I was a kid, I have been a sucker for a scavenger hunt. For many years, I have wanted to come even close to finishing the Post Hunt, but at least twice I have fallen well short, despite my attempts to recruit ringers for my team. So I was very excited when I discovered that the London Beer Hunt would be part of the London Beer City Festival. I was the only member of my team, but it turned out I was a ringer myself.

For the hunt, you are emailed a vague "treasure map" with clues leading you to five different bars within walking distance of one another. When you get to each bar, you must find the clue word, and when you put all of the words together, you get a final phrase that you must utter at the last bar in order to receive your reward. There is no requirement to drink at each establishment, but if you don't, it's obviously unsportsmanlike.

From the initial map and clues, I was able to decipher two bars immediately because I had already visited them. I guessed the name of the first stop on the map from its clue: "Sing me a song, don't get the words wrong." Then all I had to do was use the interwebs to find the location of The Lyric (left). The bar had a broad collection of craft cask ales on tap: Big Smoke Brew Co.'s Electric Eye English pale ale, By the Horns Brewing Co.'s The Mayor of Garratt English bitter, Magic Rock Brewing's High Wire American pale ale, Two by Two's Monkey Puzzle IPA, and Waen Brewery's Red River amber ale. I went with Goddards Brewery's Ale of Wight, a hand-pulled citrus blond ale, which was a bit bitter, perhaps because it was the bottom of the barrel (right).

Participants can complete the hunt any time within the two weeks of the festival, but I got off to an early start on a Saturday, so The Lyric was pretty empty. When I arrived, there was only one other couple, who didn't appear to be in the hunt. As soon as other competitors showed up, I quickly swilled the rest of my half-pint and headed to the next stop.

From the clue "I'll lure you in, come play with my strings," I immediately recognized The Harp, which I previously visited after the Queen's birthday. I tried to order a half-pint of Raw Brewing Company's Grey Ghost IPA but I got a pint instead. But that was okay because it gave me a little more time to enjoy an enticing view and an interesting talk with John, an ex-barrister who practiced in Magistrates' Court on Bow Street, where Gen. Augusto Pinochet of Chile was tried for international war crimes.

On my way to the third stop, I got momentarily distracted by the sounds, scents, and colors of Neal's Yard (left). My stomach was a little rumbly, so I considered stopping by one of the many cafes along quaint Monmouth Street (right), but I knew I needed to stick to my mission. I thought a doughnut snack might create only a short delay, but when I saw that a single Krispy Kreme cost $2.50, I reconsidered.

 

The clue for the third stop, Craft Beer Co., was "No tricks here, just a lot of great beer," which twas true (left). The drink list was lengthy with a lot of intriguing options: Dark Matter, a black gose by Chorlton Brewing Company; Eve, an elderflower sour by Orbit Beers; and The Dude's Rug, a chai cider by B. Nektar (right). I picked a half-pint of a Cherry Stout that was part of the venue's current Tyne Bank Brewery tap takeover.

 

The fourth stop was also a bar with which I was already familiar. The clue "Be quick off the mark, to beat the top dog" led me to Holborn Whippet, where I had had a pint after doing my placement test for Russian classes at the Pushkin House down the road. After my test, I had Siren Craft Brew's Love of Work, an Earl Grey pale ale. Now off the clock, I opted for Mallinsons Brewing Company's Columbus, a single hop pale ale.

As I headed to the last bar, I got a little tripped, or tippled, up. The clue was "The final destination, the pantheon of beer," accompanied by a drawing of a pyramid with the Eye of Horus at the top. When I passed by The Knight's Templar, I was sure I had won. It was only after I ordered a celebratory beer that I realized a Wetherspoon's outlet with numerous pokie machines was probably not in keeping with the craft-beer spirit of the hunt (left). I was also waylaid by The Temple Bar, which seemed to fit the clue but was shuttered (right).

Just a street away I found Temple Brew House, which I was planning to visit after the hunt anyway because it was offering "Inside the Temple" brewery tours as part of the festival (left). When I sidled up to the bar, the final word of the phrase wasn't as obvious as in the other stops, but the nice tenders gave me a hint of where to look. I sipped Essex Street Brewing Company's Tempale as I surveyed the bar (right).

Finally, I had the last word, and when I spoke the phrase "Remember, beer speaks, people mumble" to the brew crew, they handed me a free London Beer City Summer Ale, created by Fourpure Brewing Co. specially for the festival. The beer tasted so citrusy it was almost like a shandy, but it also tasted like victory because the bartenders told me that I was the second finisher of the day, and since it was only the second day of the festival, I was most surely in the top 10 of the competition. I had finally found the scavenger hunt I was made for.