[Trappist]

Cheers,
Filip

[John B]

Thank you Filip, and a very Happy New Year to you and Katrien, as well as all our Belgian Beer Board members and their families.

Sadly I won't be ringing in the new year at midnight with a Belgian beer, (old guy that I am I'll probably be in bed before 2026 is officially rung in) but I will for sure be stopping by a local beer shop on new years day itself to get some Belgian goodness and making my first beers on New Year's Day Belgians. How does some Rochefort 10 and St Bernardus 12 sound?

I sincerely wish you all the very best year ahead. 

New Year's Cheers - John   

[Viv]

Hi guys, and everyone on here,

Have a very Happy New Year !

John, what a pair of beers to start the new year off with !!! Excellent !

I've been tasting some old favourites, mainly Christmas/winter beers, from Belgium
recently as well as some German favourites along with a few new German ones. Tasting
notes to be posted on here soon............. 

Cheers,



Viv

[John B]

Happy New Year to you Viv! I'm looking forward to your reviews. So many beers I've never heard of, but a lot of them sound delicious.

Cheers! - John

[Jay]

Firstly a Happy New Year to you all 

Christmas 2026 wasn't the beeriest for myself, beer is still pretty much off the cards for me (crazy I know and this since Malaga in September)
I've tried the occasional light beer on the odd weekend but just the one would leave me feeling very uncomfortable (bloated and indigestion) which would last for two days. I have however managed some fruity cocktails with zero ill effects so was able to enjoy a festive drink.
Special beers, Sherry and Port from our trips away remain untouched along with beery Christmas presents. No point opening them whilst I'm still not A1 beer wise...but in saying that -

This weekend I managed a couple of beers (just light ones) and had no problems, either on the day or the day after so it's baby steps for now - fingers crossed  we'll see what this weekend has in store.


Cheers
Jay 

[John B]

Gosh Jay, that's awful. So sorry to hear that you're still not back to normal. Here's hoping it finally clears up soon mate.   

Healing thoughts - John

[Trappist]

This weekend I managed a couple of beers (just light ones) and had no problems, either on the day or the day after so it's baby steps for now - fingers crossed  we'll see what this weekend has in store.

Wauw Jay, this is a real nightmare !!
It seems the Covid virus has messed up things with your body.
I do know that one side effect is a loss of flavor at tastebud levels, and can last for a long time.
I can witness having had a similar experience very long time ago when I was in my 20's.
I had too much Duvel and Hapkin that day. This happened after a beer tasting contest from which I thought the Duvel was the Hapkin, or otherwise (can't remember exactly). I didn't win because of that.
Afterwards, I did the side-by-side again and over again but didn't spot any difference at all !!!
Apparently I went over my limits and was so drunk that I really needed to vomit 
It took me months to appreciate a good Belgian beer again. It seems my body was programmed 
But after a couple of months things gradually became better.
It's only a matter of patience and letting your body know that beer "with moderation" is the best drink in the world 
Cheers and a fast recovery for you 
Filip

[Viv]

Hi Jay, Filip and John,

Sorry to hear you've not fully recovered yet from whatever ailment you have Jay.

I had about 5 months without alcohol in Lockdown because I had some kind of stomach issue,
mainly bloating which felt like a balloon in my stomach all the time regardless of what I
ate or drank, and I lost 15% of my body weight. Eventually haven taken omeprazole for several
weeks I got better although the worst time was at the highest medication when I could barely
walk half way round the garden and spent most of the day on the lounge floor. Awful, and made
worse because the only medical help and diagnosis was a telephone consultation! About as much
use as a chocolate fireguard!

Anyway, that's all behind me now, and it doesn't sound as if you have issues as bad as I did
Jay. So I do hope you get back to 100% again soon, but you will. Have you had any tests?

Filip, I would regularly "bring my feet up" or sick up peas and carrots although I hadn't eaten
any peas and carrots! All because of total over-indulgence!!! Hangovers lasting all day
( at least ) were the norm, and most Sunday mornings I thought I was dying!!  Folly of youth eh!
Madness really. Albeit extreme fun at the time. It just felt normal as a lot of my friends were
doing the same.

Take care guys, with moderation in everything.   


Cheers!



Viv


 

[Trappist]

Take care guys, with moderation in everything.

That's the key Viv !!!
ALWAYS with moderation, because our health really is the most important.
This is also the ultimate message the BBB wants to spread.
Cheers guys,
Filip

[Jay]

Thanks guys 

First and foremost my beery friends I'm feeling a LOT better than I have been the previous 12 plus weeks, my stomach cramps and bloating have seemingly disappeared 

It just came completely out of nowhere at the start of our trip to Malaga, unbeknownst to me it was beer that was causing me an upset stomach which in turn knocked me off my food, thankfully after kicking beer into touch I was able to enjoy the rest of our holiday (foodie wise)

Funny how Covid can affect you and how just one item can knock you sideways - carbonated drinks, cocktails, Vermouth and Port had no negative effects but just one beer would have me suffering for a couple of days.
We're still at a loss as to what exactly the root cause was and had it gone on for much longer then I would have booked a doctors appointment but for now things seem on the mend.


As a general rule I only have a drink on a Saturday and Sunday (not when I have work the day after) holidays are far more relaxed but still in moderation.
Both me and Linda are currently doing Dry January (me seemingly since September  ) so come February I should be back to fighting fit...but only on a Saturday and Sunday 

Cheers
Jay

[John B]

Great to hear you're making progress Jay. I think sometimes we tend to take good health for granted, like it's something to be expected, and then Boom reality slaps you in the face when you least expect it.

A little over a year ago I smacked my knee pretty hard on the edge of a desk. It hurt like hell when it happened, but I've done similar things before on a couple of occasions and so I just figured like before it would hurt for a few days, maybe a week or so, and then it would be ok.

Well no, not this time. Here it is a year later and the knee is still not back to 100%. Thankfully though it keeps making steady progress and it's in far better shape than it was. For a while just after it happened if I had to walk more than 20 feet or so I had to stop and wait. The pain literally sucked the breath right out of me. And unfortunately at that time for reasons it would take too far to explain here I had no health insurance, so I couldn't afford to see a doctor.

As it stands now I'm able to walk fine, but if I make a sudden stop or twisting motion on that knee a bit of pain reminds me that "Hey fella, you're not out of the woods yet".

So I still take every precaution not to do anything that might set me back to where I was a year ago. And I'm thankful that progress is going in the right direction, although it's taking it's sweet time.

Once again wishing you Jay steady and complete progress in your recovery. And don't forget to give thanks and appreciate it when you're back to being completely healthy.

Recovery cheers! - John