Who'd have thought it, a pub at Greenbelt? one with alcohol and barmaids and things?
Inaugurated at the 2004 festival as a privately run beer tent, this has become a very popular haunt for social gatherings, a (less frequently recently) quiet pint, and loud, raucous but reverential worship following its transformation into the Jesus Arms at the 2006 grenbelt
This years festival saw up to 3,000 Greenbelters present during Beer and Hymns, closely followed by the Carols and cider event on the Sunday night. the events were streamed over the net, becoming the first ever live web broadcast of any Greenbelt venue event, cementing the venue as one of the GB places to visit during the festival.
I must admit to being a little surprised at finding it there in 2004, but it has become a place to meet people both known and unknown, and could be said to be the hub of certain festival goers GB. I prefer it for a pint in the afternoon when it is less busy, conversation, which after all is an essential part of any drink, is easier, though I do admit to thinking that belting out hymns and carols with a pint in hand ranks among the finer pastimes in life....
I almost started on my testimony to a some nice ladies Who sat at Jer's and My table, about why I was no longer a believer and all that sort of thing. The JA is that sort of place!
And where else can you ask for a pint of confession, then absolution, followed by the very best pint of redemption?
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3 comments:
It is just a wee bit too noisy to be able to hold a proper conversation. If they stocked organic wine it might be just about perfect...I'm no beer drinker but there really is no alternative...'cept cider but organic cider is pretty lethal for a lightweight like me.
I think they do have organic wine, at least it says so on the beer and hymns website. have to agree re the cider, one pint of the weakest they sold was enough. they were selling an 8.5 % cider, but only by the half pint!
I do wonder if the JA has become a bit TOO successful for its own good.....
Glad to hear about the wine.
I know what you're saying about the JA. I first went to GB in 2005and I think that was the first year. We went to a GB feedback session on the last day. They did all that awful stuff - you know where you split into small groups, brainstorm and scribe on a sheet of flipchart paper and feed back to the group (God, I hate all that management nonsense!) Someone in our group says something to the effect (must be said in farty, Christian voice) "Do you really think that it is appropriate to have a beer tent at a Christian event?" They were shut up pretty quickly!
But it was a bit like fresher's week at university! But the tent does seem to have grown year on year. Maybe it' time to have two!
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