Two Bears in a Brewery

 

On the way to visit old Grandad Polar at Christmas, Polar and Grizzly booked us a little pre-Christmas holiday.  We stayed in a hotel in the Cotswolds for a couple of nights, allowing us to break the long journey south.

 

Polar drove us down to the Cotswolds avoiding the motorways, including a long section of the Fosse Way, a route originally a Roman Road.  When we stopped stopped for lunch, Hanley Bear had a sip of bubbles from the top of Grizzly's bear. 

 

Because it was nearly Christmas and the hotel was quiet, we were upgraded to a big room with a balcony and a huge bathroom.  When our humans went for dinner, we had fun sliding on the floor, pretending we were Polar Bears on the ice!  Best of all, there was a settee with cushions where we could make a very comfortable bear bed for sleeps and naps.

Our human guardians had hoped to do some walking but the weather was wet and gloomy, so Polar looked to see if there was somewhere interesting to visit and found the Hook Norton Brewery had a couple of spaces left on a tour.

"We can't take all of you," she said to us.  "But I can probably fit two bears into the bag with my camera."

We decided that Hanley and Huddlesford should go, because they are both interested in industrial history, science - and beer!

Hanley and Huddlesford couldn't believe there was so much beer in the shop, and so many different types.  "I wonder which one has the best bubbles?" Hanley said.  "They obviously make beer for Small Bears, as there are Bear-sized tankards here!"

Grizzly told him that he would be able to sample some later, after the tour.  "You'll have to stay in Polar's bag for that," he said.  "There are a group of builders on their Christmas outing coming round with us, and you don't want to get accidentally stepped on."

 

Hanley and Huddles found Polar and got into Polar's bag, then they all set off to join the tour.  The group started with a walk across to the stables, where the lovely Shire Horses live who pull the carts that deliver the beer to local pubs.  They were huge, but very kind and gentle.  Then they went to see some of the old machinery that used to power the brewery back in Victorian times.  Hanley liked the old keys to all the store rooms.

Then thay had a very long climb up lots of steps to the top of the building, to see where the beer mash used to cool, in big open pans in a loft area made with louvred walls and ceilings.  The guide explained that they weren't allowed to use that any more, because insects and small birds used to get in and could contaminate the mash with their poo, although the alcohol in the beer used to kill any bacteria.  Everything is very clean and hygenic these days, and no creatures can get into it.

Down in the cellar, Hanley and Huddlesford found that beer was available in Bear-sized barrels, as well huge ones to deliver to pubs.  There was also a collection of old inn signs, including this one with bunnies on it (the guide says the pub still exists - it's near Banbury).

Polar was driving, so Grizzly could try several beer samples - and so the Bears could sip the bubbles.  Hanley liked the Old Hooky bubbles best, while Huddlesford said the Twelve Days Christmas ale was very nice, though they tried several others too.  By the time they had finished sampling, they started to feel as though there was fur inside their heads as well as on the outside, and they both had very, very long naps in the afternoon.

We had a little visit to our good pal Gecko on the way to Grandad Polar's house, where we enjoyed a lovely Christmas.  On Christmas Day, after Christmas dinner, we had some presents to open.  And, in one of the gifts from Gecko, we found a new pal - little Ilsley Bear!

 

We are such lucky bears to have kind pals and human guardians who take us on adventures, and I hope to be writing about more of them very soon.