Espresso Beer

Espresso beer is one of those wonderful contradictions, like, er, methampetamine-laced cannabis. Hang on, that's not very family friendly. It's like cauliflower-flavoured bacon. It's like cruelty-free foie gras, it's like a low-calorie cattleprod, it's like a canine-friendly Mitt Romney. (That will be so dated if read in 5 years' time.)

What I'm trying to say is that there are two opposing purposes combined into one beverage. I drink espresso to make myself incredibly angry, whereas I drink beer to ... excuse my behaviour when I'm incredibly angry.

All these analogies are hard going. I think I deserve a drink for getting through this.

Lucky then, that we walked from our flat to Forty Hands, a coffee bar in Singapore that sells the espresso beer I've been rattling on about. I mean to say espresso flavoured beer, rather than ale that has been forced at high pressure through a stainless steel filter. Although that would certainly lead to a more exciting version of Starbucks.

Or it would lead to the burns unit at the local hospital.

Speaking of hospitals, Singapore General is down the road from us, and also next door to the Singapore Mortuary, which is either a magnificent piece of planning or the most pessimistic vote of no confidence in the medical profession that Singapore could think of.

40 Hands is in a rather odd bit of town. Well, it's in the epicentre of a housing estate, and is pretty much as far away from anything as anything can be in Singapore. Thus I don't believe they get much passing trade. When we left and the barista called out "see you tomorrow" I figured that was a bit optimistic; but maybe that's the other side of a national character that builds corpse storage facilities next to medical centres.

Or brews alcoholic drinks with caffeine in them. Singapore, you magnificent contradiction, I even forgive you your paucity of hummous.