Where There's a Will...

I did it. With a massive haul of 37 yesterday, I managed to visit each and every one of the 258 Edinburgh Fringe venues. It was a long day yesterday but was definitely worth it. I only managed to get lost four times as well which is always a bonus!

There have been some unbelievable highs and lows on this amazing journey. The highs include seeing some incredible acts such as Milton Jones, Daniel Sloss and all the new 'unknown' acts like 'How To Be A Phsycic Conman'. And, of course, having the opportunity to try Deuchars in so many different settings which has to be the biggest plus.

The lowpoint, obviously my illness, was clearly an unfortunate setback, but it did allow me to really appreciate the quality of the beer I was drinking when my health improved. Getting lost in Musselburgh yesterday wasn't the most fun in the world but at least I found the venue eventually!

In the perfect pint competition, there are two solid contenders and first prize is split between them. Firstly, Ryans Bar (venue 6) at the West End. Quite an upmarket pub, there is a classy feel about the place without being snobby. The Deuchars purchased from here was just perfect for the moment. Refreshing, good-tasting and just the right temperature, I didn't think anything could come close to competing. Then I went to Bannermans (venue 357) down on the corner of Niddrie Street and the Cowgate. This was a completely different style of bar, geared towards entertaining younger, student types. The performance stage here usually plays host to live music from new, up-and-coming bands when the festival isn't on and is a very friendly place to have a drink. Whilst I was at Bannermans, the Deuchars was sublime and very similar to the drink at Ryans although it was very slightly warmer, bringing out even more flavour while retaining its refreshing qualities. The Southsider, Voodoo Rooms and Malones Irish Bar all deserve honourable mentions as well.

All in all, I thought this was a very successful and enjoyable trip. If anyone has any questions please continue to tweet @DeucharsIPA and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you all for following my posts and I hope this blog has been both entertaining and informative, and that it can provide some sort of guidance on where to grab a good pint of Deuchars.

Cheers,

Andy

One More Day...

As it turns out, I don't know my days of the week so I do in fact have one last day to try and complete the challenge.

Today was cut short at 7 venues due to prior committments but I am still just a few short of my target. Tomorrow is going to have to be a massive day to do this, but I'll give it my all in my quest for the perfect Deuchars.

Andy

There is no way I'm going to make every single venue and I am genuinely gutted about it. On the penultimate day of the Edinburgh Fringe, I completed my visit to every venue that can be seen on this map without an arrow on it:

I went to another free comedy today as well, a chap called David Bratchpiece doing his show called 'Beer and Loathing and Lost Wages' at The Counting House. Whilst enjoying a fine bottle of Deuchars I witnessed a very eccentric show with some cheap, throwaway gags and a little bit of self-depriciating humour, all of which made for an enjoyable viewing.

So tomorrow is the final day and I shall be finishing my job with my head held high and so much better off after this experience.

Andy

The End Is Nigh

Not long now until the end of the Edinburgh Festival and today was a frantic push to try and cover all the venues, with my most prosperous day of another 32 venues.

My trip took me to all corners of the city centre, starting at the Edinburgh Playhouse and the surrounding area and from there to the northern section, in and around Queen Street. There were not many outlets for Deuchars to be sold in this part of town as it seemed to be the highest concentration of art exhibits in the city so from there I moved swiftly on to cover all remaining venues in the Old Town. Not before I stopped for a quick Deuchars at the Mound, where although it was a fairly dull day, people were still out enjoying a nice drink outside.

It was up near Bristo Square where I stumbled across Malones Irish Bar (venue 258) and also the Deuchars of the day where I had the last pint of the stuff before it ran out! The place itself has a very relaxed atmosphere and you can enjoy some good craic with the barstaff while enjoying your drink. I definitely reccomend this place with live, but not intruding, music on most nights and a fine pint.

Tomorrow will be another hectic day in my final dash to the finish line, Here's hoping I'll make it.

Andy

Just What The Doctor Ordered. Or Not...

Firstly, apologies for the delay in posting, I had yet another doctors appointment on Tuesday where I was told to take it very easy and relax. Which I did to an extent until yesterday, however, when I went straight back out. My intention after that was to come home and write this post but I ended up looking after a friend of mine after she took very suddenly ill. Lucky charm me! She is ok now though.

At the start of the day I went to Bannermans Bar (venue 357) at the bottom of Niddrie Street for a quiet pint of Deuchars, that ended up in a couple because it was that good a pint, so Bannermans has to win Deuchars of the day. It was also here I decided to go to the show that was on at the time, a comedy sketch show by a group called 'Four Screws Loose' in the small, but not uncomfortable, stage room accomodating around 80-90 people. The show itself was a bit hit-and-miss but when they hit, they nailed it perfectly. My particular favourite sketch was a conversation that took place in the form of song lyrics. I'm not doing it juistice in words, but I was in stitches.

One of the sketches included a school photographer taking pictures of the 'year 3' crowd, can you spot me in the audience?

You can find more 'class photos' here

After the show I took the bus to the West End and covered all the remaining venues in that area including 'St Georges West' (157) where they also served an admirable pint of Deuchars.

Tomorrow I'll be picking up all the venues that I may have missed on previous ventures into the town centre and will be likely to revisit some places, so again, I'm happy to listen to suggestions for shows and venues.

Andy

Less Than A Week To Go, Another 12 Down

Determination prevailed over illness today, for a little while at least, as I clocked a further 12 venues around the top of Lothian Road.

While I'm still not at full health I am not drinking, so again there is no Deuchars of the day. Tomorrow I will be taking it easy as all my energy was sapped today so I will see how it goes. I didn't manage to catch any shows today because I managed to go everywhere when there wasnt a show on for at least another hour, but tomorrow I'll try and get to a couple to make up for it.

Andy

Knocked Off My Stride... Again

This virus just refuses to go away.

I began my day brightly enough, walking in to the new town with a positive spring in my step but very quickly my energy levels began to sap and I found myself really struggling to keep going and eventually had to call it quits after only four venues. Despite this, I found myself a decent spot on the Royal Mile and watched a few street shows and tried to enjoy myself despite the best efforts of this illness.

Not sure how I'll get on tomorrow but will keep you posted.

Andy