The Rooks vs The Seagulls

In honour of two of Sussex's fine football clubs, tonight I've compared beers representing Lewes FC (my club, the mighty Rooks) and Brighton & Hove Albion (the Seagulls).

Harveys is a sponsor of both clubs and with BHA's recent move to their new stadium at Falmer, has produced Albion Ale to be served in the stadium bar.

Last year was Lewes FC's 125th anniversary and Harveys produced a commemorative ale. I've drunk several bottles since it was released and tonight I finished my last one to celebrate our 4-0 victory over Wick in the Sussex Senior Cup.

So, how do the two beers shape up? The Albion Ale's label says that it is derived from Harveys Sussex Best and that's definitely evident. It comes across as a sweeter, less hoppy version of that classic brew. It's lower in alcohol (3.6% rather than 4.0%) but not noticeably thinner. Copper colour, little head. Sweet aroma, similar to Sussex Best without the hopping. Flavour is toffeeish. Clean finish, good weight for 3.6%. Overall, I think it's a drinkable beer and the low strength should be commended.

The Lewes FC 125th Anniversary Ale is considerably stronger at 4.7% but doesn't feel too heavy. It is a bright golden amber colour with a small diminishing white head. The nose has cloves, dusty hops and some toffeeish malt. The finish is quite sweet with a hint of oranges. It's quite lively fresh from the bottle but as it warms and settles it develops a pleasing honeyed feel.

So, who wins this East Sussex derby? It's a hard-fought affair but for me, the Rooks' beer is more complex and more satisfying. That said, I'd certainly recommend that any fans of the Tesco Carrier Bags (sorry, couldn't resist) use their Amex card to purchase a pint of Albion ahead of Carling, Budweiser or whatever industrial lager they are otherwise offered.

The very best of luck to both clubs this season and most of all, continued success to Harveys Brewery. Don't forget...

Brighton & Hove Albion FC: founded 1901.

Lewes FC: founded 1885.

Harveys of Lewes: founded 1790!

GDC 2011 in some strange words

The Game Developers Conference (GDC), held in San Francisco in early March is the conference highlight of the year for a lot of people in the industry. I see quite a strange side of it, being cooped up in business meetings for nearly the entirety of the week. I've been going to the show since 2004 and have yet to attend a session. That doesn't mean that the show isn't a huge amount of fun. Meeting after meeting does wear you down but the excitement of never knowing quite what the next half hour will hold drives me on.

I'm also lucky to work in an industry that doesn't take itself too seriously and which is full of people with a somewhat warped sense of humour. In the course of this year's week in SF a number of interesting phrases were coined and I felt I should share them here.

"Money Fight" - what you do to amuse yourself when your product has brought in an absolutely sickening amount of cash. You grab bundles of banknotes and just hurl them at each other. Notch and the guys at Mojang probably have money fights most days of the week. Bill Gates undoubtedly has a subterranean money fight arena (think a Mayan ball game court with better floodlights) for his monthly match against Steve Jobs.

"Legally Binding Twix" - delicious bite-sized snack bar which, when eaten, irrevocably commits you to publishing the game of the person who provided it.

"Filipino Candy" - nice sweets from the Philippines. Usually fruity. Just *sounds* dodgy.

"Not the best selling rabbit" - they may look cute but Mindscape's Karotz are unlikely to outsell the current favourite rabbit.

"Small Penis Laptop" - a "gaming laptop" that's twice as big as a laptop should be, with coloured lights and large fans. The Toshiba Qosmio would be an example. Suggests that the owner may be overcompensating for something.

"Imperial Beef" - dish offered by the food vendors at Game Connection that sounds scary yet is so beguilingly named that I ended up trying it - partly as it reminded me of the 'Imperial Hot' meme. The food? A generous helping of tasty beef teriyaki.

"Trained in business. Bred to reject." - the tagline to the definitive action movie about videogame acquisitions managers. Which is sadly yet to be made.

"Accountancy Party" - at the superb Killscreen party, you played cool indie games on huge screens in a warehouse, cheered on by your drunken peers. Accountants have similar parties except they are reconciling Excel sheets to whoops of encouragement.

That's it for the words of the show. What else?

Best proper food of the week: a superb Beef Brisket with roast potatoes and brussel sprouts at Magnolia.

Best junk food of the week: I discovered a "Make your own frozen yoghurt sundae" place in the Westfield mall and made myself a concoction that included chocolate, vanilla and strawberry frozen yoghurt, whole blackberries, choc chips, sprinkles and a couple of sauces. It was amazing and cost less than $7.

Best drink of the week: Nearly everything on the list at the 21st Amendment Brewery. I bought the t-shirt. And a hat.

Best party: I didn't get to many but the Killscreen indie party was great. Danes know how to party. I had a laugh playing Jesus vs Dinosaurs and ended up drinking aquavit forfeits after losing a dance-off. For a Brit, there was also the novelty of drinking out of the iconic red cups, which we only see in American movies being used for beer pong. I was even briefly a hipster as I was drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon at a warehouse party. For shame.