Irish Red Ale

 Well, not all Irish beers have to be Guinness or stout. So today, we went to out Henley-on-Thames and we sort of celebrated Saint Patrick's Day at the The Catherine Wheel, a Wetherspoon pub. I say sort of, because I was the only one truly celebrating. There was actually a beer festival, ending today, and as I have plenty of Guinness at home, I went for Lough Gill Brewery's Irish Red Ale. Which is Irish enough, surely. More suitable, in any case, than the green coloured lagers too many people drink on Saint Paddy's nowadays. Anyway, enjoy the rest of the day everyone.

The Catherine Wheel

You may remember that last year, I blogged about the The Catherine Wheel, a Wetherspoon pub in Henley. Or, more specifically, the sign of The Catherine Wheel in Henley. The reason was simple: it was Saint Catherine's Day and this was an excuse to learn about the saint and why she is associated to this breaking wheel, which is of course an instrument of torture. The name of the pub and the image always intrigued me. Well, today is also Saint Catherine's Day and I am sharing another photo of the ensign of the Catherine Wheel in Henley. I took it back in January this year, during a visit in the town and I have literally been waiting all year to share it with you today (very sad, I know). So here it is. A gloomy image inviting you to go in, eat, drink and be merry. Gory, but cool.

The Catherine Wheel

I did not take this picture myself: it is one I found online. This is the ensign of The Catherine Wheel, a Wetherspoon pub in Henley. It's only a Wetherspoon pub, nothing special, but we went there a few times and quite enjoyed it. I always wondered what its name meant. Well, today I discovered it, pretty much at random. You see, today is Saint Catherine's Day, which we used to celebrate when I was a good but ignorant Catholic boy. Out of curiosity, I read about it. The Saint in question is Catherine of Alexandria, who according to legends, had to endure ridiculously gory tortures as a martyr. Among them, she was placed on a breaking wheel, which shattered at her touch. She is often depicted on a wheel and this is why there is this cool ensign at the entrance of the pub. Neat. I wish I had been told this story when I was a young and ignorant Catholic boy.