When is the Right Time

We're enjoying our beer home deliveries from breweries we know well and love - and occasional new finds.  But it's really not the same.

We miss cask beer.  Only the natural light carbonation of well conditioned cask ale - it's a texture like no other.

Whilst we might not generally miss company per se...the light interaction with bar staff and other customers, with the occasional longer conversation adds value to the experience of drinking beer that pulling a nice can from the fridge, and sharing it on the sofa doesn't quite replicate.

Don't get me wrong, we're incredibly lucky to have our health, our home and the ability get lovely beer delivered to our door - and we know it...but we really miss the pub.

We've actually been working pretty hard of late, putting together a project to make 3D printed face visors for frontline workers.  This uses our skills extremely well and we really enjoy it.  The fact that it's so appreciated and that not everyone can do this makes us happy to be running it even as we tell ourselves that it's "not like a real job" and that for harshness it's not a patch on the frontline workers our shields are being given to.
But I know that, after a "shift on the farm", what we'd really like is to stroll home via a good pub and relax over that first couple of mouthfuls of lovely, perfect cask beer.

I'm fearful for the industry.  The small brewers who have turned their hands to canning, bottling and delivery are reacting well but I can't imagine it's easy.

Publicans, on the other hand, have fewer opportunities to hunker down and keep going.

The question is, with all the talk of gentle release of the lockdown, just when will the right time be to allow pubs to open again?  And how many good pubs will have been lost in the meantime?