Uncommon Skill

 Bar staffing is seriously underrated in terms of skill level.

Like any service industry job, when done well you barely notice the skill involved it appears effortless and normal.  How many times, however, have you been to a pub or bar you don't know well (or at all) and felt largely ignored by the staff and served rather carelessly.  Worse, as a beer drinker, if served with a cask beer that's past its best being told it's fine to drink and, even with insistence, only grudginly given a replacement.

Thankfully it's been a good few years since that latter thing happened - I'm happy to challenge it, but it always makes for a poor experience even if the subsequent pint is the most superb thing ever.

So, whilst I always say that the beer is the main thing in my choice of venue - given the choice it'll be the place with the good staff I'll aim for.

On Friday when we went to the BM I had over 5 hours travel on me after a pretty trying week and I was just relieved to be at Bristol home, reunited with the Best Beer Buddy, and a proper pint in my hand.  Even then, when I went to the bar for the second pint, forgetting (once again) that jugs are the default cask vessel at the pub these days, the defining moment was when the guy behind the bar waved two straight glasses and said "these?" with a smile.  When I expressed delight, the other barman who was perched on a stool on the other side of the bar said "I remembered too!" - and it's moments like this when you feel the transaction is a shared one.

Yesterday, we went to Moor both to enjoy the beer and grab some fridge-beer as they won't be open again for drinking-in until Thursday.

Remembering again that it's the first time we've been there for a couple of months I'm still stunned that the guy behind the bar launched straight into a conversations about Harvey's Bitter and how he thinks that the Nano Cask that was the cask offering is like it, but for the yeast.

This is no random observation - most of the drinkers in the tap room would have no idea what Harvey's is (or where, or that it has a pseudo-legendary status amongst certain sorts of cask drinkers).  Conversation with him is always about the beer.  He knows his stuff and delights in people who know theirs.

This is the very antithesis to the odd drinking experience I've had when a member of bar staff (sadly, always a young chap) tries to tell me what I should drink or what I should drink it out of.  I'm pretty lucky - my age and experience (and general bossiness) means that I'm no longer intimidated by that sort of attitude and an often minded to call it out.  But this is what I mean about bar service done well is almost unnoticeable and we're more likely to remember the negative experiences, then it could appear that job as a whole is unskilled.

So - remember the places where staff make you feel welcome and valued. Remember that bar-work especially in December is really hard work, on low pay and having to deal with lots of people who only go to pubs around Christmas and have no idea how it's done.

Say thank you, as you leave the pub (especially if it's quiet)...and for goodness sake, take your empty glasses back to the bar if you can.  It's a small thing but I can guarantee it'll be appreciated by the good staff behind the bar.