We've only really been perching in Norwich for the last 18 months, but this week we finally sold our house in Bury St Edmunds. Norwich is now the only place that we live and in a week’s time we get the keys to our brand new permanent abode. Living in two places might sound glamorous, but believe me it is no fun.

By way of a celebration, and also putting right a grave omission, I decided I would hike out to the Norwich real ale pub, twice winner of the CAMRA National Pub of the Year, the Fat Cat. I feel quite guilty that I've not been there since moving to Norwich, although I have been to the Cider Shed, its sister pub and home to their brewery, on a number of occasions.

I dispensed with my chores in the morning, had some lunch, and this afternoon I toddled off through the city and out along the Dereham road. On previous visits, prior to living in Norwich, I'd always had half pints because being faced with such choice and being used to limited choice I wanted to drink as many different beers as possible. Now living here I've become somewhat blasé due to the choice overload, so I drink pints. It was fortuitous that I’d got stuff that I needed to do out of the way earlier as I plumped for two very strong beers to consume. First pint was Green Jack Mahseer 5% a beer that i'd had before. I’m a big fan of Green Jack, think I’ve mentioned that before. Mahseer is a beer of the same ilk as Brewdog Punk IPA and Thornbridge Jaipur IPA, golden very bitter and citrusy. Strangely it’s a bitterness that I quite like, with a sharpness that draws your bum up to your teeth. Next was Thornbridge John Innes 5.9% an aptly named brown muddy looking brew an interesting mix of hop bitterness and malt; a bitter sweet symphony. Both beers were served on gravity from the tap room, and both in jolly fine condition. They have about twice as many ales on gravity as they do on hand pump which is fantastic. I didn’t even bother looking at the hand pump list. What would have been the point?

The Fat Cat played host to an eclectic mix of punters today, much to the amusement of this solitary drinker. I do hope that most of them are regulars, especially the chap in flat cap, tweeds, riding boots and sporting mutton chop fuzz. It was a pleasant stroll back into the city, lubricated by strong hoppy bitter. I passed a billboard advertising Stella; “Only four ingredients: hops, maize, barley and water”. Why boast about maize I thought? But then what did I care. I’d just had two most delicious pints. Democracy is about a peoples’ right to choose, and if people wish to drink over-priced shit, thankfully they are free to do so.