The Barrel Olympics

The ancient art of barrel rolling is little known nowadays. It’s only handled by a chosen and trusted few of the hostellers; partly because of its value but mostly for safety. But imagine an event where you’re required to have hundreds of the things. Could you organise a race and make it into an event? Could there be a track with obstacles like pits to avoid or bollards to dodge? Could people bet on the outcome? You could even offer to wash the barrel out for the brewer; it’s a task that needs to be done anyway; though it may bump up the water bill a bit. That way you could have both adult and child competitions with both full and empty casks. Of course, you’ve got to be sure that the brewer will be OK with this; and you’ll have to accept liability for any damage done to product or person. But it’ll be an interesting method to get more people volunteering. Just don’t tell the safety elf.