It's not the beer

 We went to the Belgian Bar twice this week.

Wednesday it was just he and I after a fairly sedate afternoon at work.

Friday had been frantic - a last minute plan to pick up a huge number of council "pre-loved" laptops for work and I was doing tours of the Wish Tower for Heritage Open Days.  We had arranged to meet sisters for beer and the BB is convenient for everyone.

By the time we got to the bar we were knackered from a combination of hauling, logging and stowing laptops, a fair bit of stomping around,  and peopling (in my case, a lot of peopling). 

The beer in the BB isn't very consistent from a flavour point of view  (he favours the Saison, I favour the IPA) but it has definitely improved over the years.  Wednesday's IPA was a bit "new" and not cool enough - by Friday it was considerably better.

Given, for us, "the beer is everything" - you'd think we wouldn't go to the BB as often as we do.

 It's not cosy - it's a large space with tables and benches, together with a slightly raised dining area.  If the door is left open in winter there's often a howling, freezing gale blowing (due to the proximity to the sea).  There are no dark corners in which to lurk.

But there's something else.  It has an ambiance which is unique.  The staff are unfailingly lovely and it's a genuine pleasure to be in their company. The sheer range of people who go there is fantastic and we really enjoy just sitting with beer and seeing who comes in.  It changes over the seasons - after all, Eastbourne is a resort - and include anyone and everyone.

I find it really relaxing and even though we'll chat about work (since it's literally just around the corner) it's an excellent way to wind down.  It feels very much like the Victoria felt when we worked close to that - not the the absolute best pub ever, by a long way but somewhere comforting and familiar and somewhere we seek out regualarly (pretty much weekly when we're around)

There are few pubs/bars where, for me, the atmosphere trumps the beer - but this does it in style.  And it seems effortless, even though I'm absolutely sure it takes a lot of effort.

I'll miss the "nip around the corner" aspect of it when we move business premises over the 12months but I know we'll also make the effort to get there.