#sorry if the quality got jacked up during exporting

[usps-first-class]

"Unhealthy Obsession Part 2"

(Warning! The following content contains mentions of:

blood,light mentions vomit, and heavy mentions of stalking!)

This chapter also includes the artistic works of:

@azumetapraline

@taranzas-biggest-fan

@somethinginworl

(Thank you for the help!)

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The very first thing to hit them was the smell of mold and decay, the second was the humming from the dim light hanging just above them, providing just enough light to make out the scene before them. Once they'd recovered from the scent attacking their senses of course.

"Oh Nova…" even the stoic Meta Knight couldn't keep his face from forming an expression twisted with disgust and concern.

Magolor did his best not to gag at the smell of whatever foul fluid seemed to puddle on spots on the floor, not wanting the flavor of puke to mix with the taste of blood already on his pallet.

Taranza stared in horror as he slowly inched forward, staring at each photo plastered onto the wall, and then at the dates written in what he prayed was red ink. He found himself not wanting to look at the photos with him violently scratched out.

"...I don't think this is good for my mental health…" he inhaled, shutting his eyes for a moment, wishing he hadn't gotten a closer look.

"Indeed…" Meta nodded, taking notice of the numerous tooth brushes gathered on the vanity along with the pillow stuffed with blue feathers in front of him before cringing slightly and turning his attention to look at the fluid on the floor, he inspected it, but didn't dare to touch it before pulling away in revulsion...that was definitely what was causing that stench.

Magolor had wanted nothing to do with observing the photos or the collection of stolen personal items, or whatever was on the floor, or anything of the sort. He was disgusted enough from the horrible smell alone, he remained by the door leading back to the dungeon, he'd much rather enjoy the scent of mildew and mold rather than the stench of that room.

Taranza was quick to turn away from the wall of photos and observed the other spots of the room before he noticed something on the ceiling, shining through cracks of a small cellar door in the corner of the room. It was daylight! He almost couldn't believe it!

"Here! This must be the exit!" He exclaimed, a relieved smile spreading across his bloody face as he looked up "I'm sure of it!" the handle was just barely out of his reach "We need something to stand on."

Meta nodded "here." He waved for Magolor who then helped with pushing the vanity against the wall so they could have some leverage.

Taranza hoisted up onto it, gripping the latch, praying that they wouldn't be too late, hoping they could get there in time, before turning it quickly and pushing upwards…

the rattle of the door hung heavy in the air as he tried again…and again…

"....Something's blocking it..."

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[willridgard]

Adnams - What a story!

Give the gift of the perfect present

Buying gifts for loved ones often comes with its challenges.

Christmas presents. Birthday presents. Valentine’s Day treats. Mother and Father’s Day gifts. It can be hard to decide what to buy. And stressful, laborious, and expensive.

I mean, we’ve all been there haven’t we? Wrong style. Wrong colour. Wrong size. No warranty. No refunds. And while vouchers can be seen as boring and too safe, we can easily insult and upset the ones we care about by not putting enough thought or effort in.

Good presents in my opinion are ones that are appreciated, ones that excite, and ones that offer things to look forward to.  

People like adventure, challenge, and experience… Step forward, the Adnams Brewery Tour!

If you have an interest in beer (who doesn’t?), I highly recommend booking up this gem of a gift. Which is exactly what I did for my old chap.

Maturing taste buds and award-winning beers

The change in my taste buds, from lager to ‘real ale’, has been duly noted by my dad – and in recent years, we have spent many an evening together sipping on Adnams’ award-winning beers. And while Broadside tops the tasting palette for him, it’s Ghost Ship for me – but there are plenty of other tasty beers that also tickle our fancy. Mosaic. Ease Up. Bitter. Lighthouse. Explorer. Blackshore Stout. Dry Hop. And even the more exotic choices in Earl Grey and Cucumelon Sour. We’ve sampled a fair few…  

At the end of the day, I suppose we are just a couple of ol’ Suffolk boys that love drinking quality beer now and again! And so, the Brewery Tour was the perfect, ultimate Christmas gift. ‘Sunday Funday in Southwold’ we called it. Caw’d a Hell buh, the missus came along as well: the more the merrier!

Our excellent tour guide, Rob Denny, was absolutely superb throughout. He made us feel very welcome from the start, answered all questions thrown at him, and also held a popular taster session that everyone enjoyed at the end!

Brewing liquor, tasty samples, and growing beer in coat pockets!

One of the first things Rob asked us was ‘Which four main ingredients make up beer?’ ‘Water,’ answered one enthusiastic tour goer. ‘Correct,’ Rob replied. ‘More commonly known as brewing liquor in the industry.’ I liked that reply. Can’t beat a good bit of brewing liquor! Yeast, malted barley, and hops are the other three answers as he talked us through the interesting brewing process (more on that later).

Good Tours include interaction – and samples. And we were lucky enough to experience both at Adnams. Adnams work closely with a number of local maltsters and we got the chance to taste some of the malt used to make some of our favourite beers. Handfuls of rye and pale ale malt were very tasty indeed – but just a word of warning, if you’re not a coffee drinker / fan, do not get overexcited (like I did) when you hear the word ‘chocolate’ being briefed! I slightly overpoured my take, much to the amusement of Poppy, and had to sneak several grains into my coat pocket! Sorry, Rob!

Ghost Ship: a spooky tale or two!

As we moved through the Tour, taking in the sights and smells of the Mash Tun, the Whirlpool and the Fermentation Vessels, we learned that Ghost Ship, Adnams’ best selling beer and biggest commercial winner, was originally only meant to be a three-month trial! Thankfully, this decision was reviewed after the ‘hauntingly good pale ale’ proved hugely popular after its release in Halloween 2010 – and it now proudly leads the line in a number of Adnams pubs up and down the country. Life without Ghost Ship would be simply unthinkable! Now just to get Spindrift and Early Grey back on keg…

Rob also gave us the chance to smell some of the hops, which add delicious, unique flavours and aromas to the beer during the brewing process. Intense citrus aromas wafted through the air as we put our noses to ‘Citra’ – one of the most sought after hops in the brewing industry. Rumour has it that Citra made its way over to the UK, from the US, via Adnams’ Ghost Ship – such is the extreme power of citrus given off! 

Citra is also used in Ghost Ship 0.5%. Zero to low percentage beers are proving mightily popular in an ever-growing market. In fact, Adnams recently had to double its production of the low alcohol Ghost Ship. And I must say I’m impressed – the same great taste is produced, but there’s the added bonus of waking up without the hangover the next day too...They offer the perfect solution to driving as well!  

The contrast and challenge of ABV

At the other end of the ABV scale is Broadside – Adnams’ dark ruby red beer which takes its name from the famous ‘Battle of Sole Bay’ sea battle in 1672. Boasting rich and malty fruitcake flavours, Broadside is brewed differently in cask (4.7%) from bottles (6.3%) because of two main reasons: price and ABV. Generally speaking, the higher the ABV, the more expensive the beer will be in the pub. Adnams have therefore adapted the recipe to make it more ‘sellable’ in pubs. It’s also very rare to see high percentage beers in pubs – as they must be consumed very carefully! Makes sense, right?

Adnams all over the world!

One thing I was surprised at was the size of the brewery. I thought it would have been bigger seeing as how rapidly the Adnams name and brand is growing locally, nationally and worldwide! Not only do they own 44 pubs, inns and hotels, they also work closely with 1,000 free trades pubs and bars in East Anglia and 4,000 pubs nationally. They also export to more than 22 countries around the world, with their beers available to try in Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Slovenia, South Korea, Switzerland, Sweden, and USA. Look out for them the next time you’re on your travels!

Being Southwold and proud: a sign of success

All things considered, Adnams are doing a sterling job. It’s been reported that their turnover is in excess of £80m a year and they produce more than 34 million pints of beer and 250,000 bottles of spirits per annum – an extraordinary number seeing as they only brew and distill during the week.

They are also extremely proud of their Southwold roots – and this video perfectly highlights what they are all about and what they are looking to achieve moving forward:

Southwold is a beautiful seaside town in the heart of Suffolk, blessed with a beautiful sandy beach and a promenade of colourful beach-huts. It’s a very attractive and desirable place to live - and brew beer! The first beer produced on site was apparently in 1345 – nearly 700 years ago! It was in 1872 that Adnams was founded. Brothers George and Ernest Adnams bought the brewery from Sole Bay and to this day, alongside the Loftus family, who joined the business in 1802, it remains an independent family business. Current chairman, Jonathan Adnams OBE, has had a massive impact in driving the company forward in terms of innovation and sustainability: two elements Adnams look set to focus on in the future. 

And while there’s no doubting that the Adnams story is a resounding success, things haven’t always been straightforward…

From cranky crocodiles to ‘the beast from the yeast’

Rumour has it that George was eaten by a crocodile in 1880 after moving to South Africa. 140 years on and we’re still waiting for a snappy beer to be released in his memory…

More recently, an overflow in the fermentation vessel meant that yeast escaped its home and started chasing employees down the stairs! How we giggled when Rob told us that story. But brewing is like a scientific experiment I suppose – and it was also fascinating to hear of brewers throwing in malted loafs of bread to the mix. Trying different things to produce more great beers.

It is also the second most easterly UK brewery. Lowestoft-based Green Jack hold that prestigious award – and I can confirm, from testing a few samples in The Engineers Arms, Leiston, that both Gone Fishing and Trawlerboys Best Bitter are two exceptional drops worth trying!

A rum owd dew!

The beer sampling after the Tour was a joy to behold. Rob was a fantastic host and there was a great variety of scrumptious beers to sample. Cask. Keg. Cans. Bottles.

Of course, there was still time to (literally) sprint to the shop before it closed. Which is also very impressive. Boasting an array of their beers, spirits, and wines – as well as other merchandise, Adnams now have 13 retail stores in the UK. These are mainly based in Suffolk coastal towns – and I couldn’t help but purchase an inviting six-pack of award-winning beers for a very reasonable £10. Heck! We even received a free bottle of our choice as part of the Tour as well. After trying it for the first time with Rob’s guidance, I opted for a Blackshore Stout to go alongside my six-pack!

There was even time to visit The Lord Nelson. Situated close to the seafront, ‘The Nelson’ is just one of several fantastic, bustling pubs serving Adnams’ award-winning beers, wines, and spirits. Happy days.  

All in all, we had a wonderful time, and in my opinion, the Tour is well worth the £20. Thank you Rob and thank you Adnams. Book it up. Now! By visiting: https://www.adnams.co.uk/experiences/1

What’s next for Adnams? Well, rumour has it that collaborative brews are in the pipeline, alongside celebrations to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Copper House Distillery, which has now won more than 100 awards. We might have to take up the offer of visiting again soon. Adnams. What a story.