Oakham's 'The Kraken's Ink'

The good folks at Smith Street Taps told us they would be tapping Oakham Ales' seasonal black IPA 'The Kraken's Ink'. Aiiight!!! Hurried down to Chinatown Complex to have dinner, meet this beautiful keg before it's finished, and say hello to Daniel and Meng.

It was a torturously hot humid night; the air was so still that the fans didn't help much. Bit uncomfortable. But we were dressed down and all prepared to sweat it out. We needed a really cold shower after. Phewwww. Don't need fancy venues all the time. It's always about the beer, and the company. Much needed, for me. A time to unwind after long hours at work. During these moods, often, I prefer sitting down with friends over drinks rather than gorging my face with food.

'The Kraken's Ink'. Big hops, lots of roasted nuts and chocolate. YUMMY. Another proper dark ale. I couldn't stop at one. At the risk of filling up the bladder way early, I had three awesome pints. They went down easy. Smith Street Taps pours them good.

We had packs of fried insects brought in by the truckloads, courtesy of my Thai friends. Took out four packs for everyone to nibble on. Certainly not finishing these packs on our own. Forget those pork crackling or chips to complement beer. Like those deep fried Japanese baby squids, insects yo, are the way to go. Environmentally friendly too. Hahahaha.

These packs were fried, dried with a ton of salt and probably MSG. They kinda crumbled like powder in the mouth. Zero nutritional value, but provided loads of laughter and eiooow-ing. No, we couldn't bear to finish all of it. The 'fresh' ones fried along the streets of Bangkok still tasted way better, like...kinda juicier. Hurhurhurhur. However, we draw the line at water bugs and cockroaches. Those really raise goosebumps. I can't bear the thought of chewing them feelers and all. UGH.

And of course three lads from IEHAC were there to down pints. Missing one lad and lass. Extra pints were gulped in their stead. After all, Oakham's special release is right up there with the similar names and graphics, and IEHAC's recent release 'The Kraken'. :)

From left: Bruce of Ale N Cider, the good folks at Smith Street Taps- Daniel, Meng,
and 3/5 of IEHAC.