Thirsty Work

‘WILLIAM Hague once famously boasted that as a teenager he drank 14 pints of bitter a day when he worked as a delivery boy for a brewery. We were all most impressed, even if various low-lifes crawled out of the woodwork to dispute the claim.

Sultan was gagging for another pint

But now the crown has been stolen from his shiny head – by a draught horse. The Sun reports that Sultan, an 11-year-old gelding, drinks 15 pints a day in the course of his job.

The black shire waits in pub car parks while his owner Simon Powell heads to the bar. He steadies the glass with his teeth, then downs a pint, Hague-style, in 20 seconds flat.

”I love people’s faces when he grips the glass and swills his tongue round inside,” says Simon. ”He likes lager, Guinness or bitter and he’s such a whopping beast a few now and again do him no harm. The only problem is he never buys a round.”

Surprisingly, the RSPCA agrees that beer does no harm in moderation, containing barley and grain as it does. Indeed, one only needs to look at Hague to see a fine advertisement for its restorative qualities. ‘

Posted: 20th, August 2002 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink