On and On

 ...so this thing drags on.

I'm extraordinarily lucky that I have most of what I need to continue to work and to still enjoy some beer at the end of the day.

I'm also lucky that I don't suffer from cabin fever as much as others so, for the most part, I'm not feeling the impact on my mental health that others are.  It never really escapes my mind that this this will come to an end and this helps prevent what could become despair.  Thank goodness (or genes, or whatever).

I am bored by it, though.

Nevertheless I have learned some new things - like making shortcrust pastry with bread flour gives you fantastic pasty dough. That has kept me entertained recently.  The boy reckons it's in my West Country roots but, hey, I've been experimenting with how to make interesting fillings with leftovers.  It's fun.

The company I help run has changed immeasurably recently and I'm hopeful this will translate into a much more sustainable model coupled with more opportunities for young people in the community to learn how to be in work.

But a couple of times I have fantasised about being able to go to work in a building that isn't here; to leave around 4.30pm with a thirst on; pop to the nearest decent pub with the boy and then, on the spur of the moment pop to a restaurant on the way home and not have to plan what we're going to have for tea.

Little things, and we will get them back.

It's just a matter of digging in, I know.

Tiers for Souvenirs

 We've just arrived back from Bristol and for the first time ever, since I started this part-time nomadic existence, we didn't have beer in a pub the whole time we were there.

Bristol was in tier 3 when we arrived and had just gone down to tier 2 when we left.

I still enjoyed sitting in our flat, working whilst watching the world go by from our high perch but the lack of relaxed time in our favourite sort of out-of-home experience has meant fewer "what if" chats than usual.  Our chats have been much more - need to do this, how's that going sort of thing.

It was a slight compensation that we were able to walk to two tap rooms, buy our canned beer and express some appreciation to the staff and assure them we'd be back as soon as we could.

Before we left, I also booked deliveries from the breweries we were unable to visit.

I'm confident that most of our beloved Bristol beer businesses will be back just as soon as it's feasible next year.  They're well run organisations who have proved themselves adaptable over the years - and especially this year - and they deserve the benefit of their extraordinarily hard work.

No, they're not heroic surgeons, ICU nurses or care home assistants but only a philistine would believe they don't bring value along with their passion into society.

 The job I do, I can do because I've been lucky and this year, our skills have been celebrated because we did "good things" for the community.  We 3D printed faceshields, we loaned and donated tech equipment to people who needed them,  we coached people to help them with their digital skills to help them rebuild their practice, or just connect better with friends or clients.  Until now, people thought all we did was a "nice little after school club for geeky kids".

You have to be really careful when you judge the worth and the skill of someone's occupation. Good brewers and bar staff are a special breed.  The implication that "just serving beer" or "just dancing on a stage" or, "just telling jokes" are somehow unimportant, or can be done without is, frankly, offensive.

When I've had a day "cat herding" as I juggle finances, people, and other things my preferred way to unwind from that is a couple of pints: well kept and well served from someone who is skilled at making me feel welcome (trust me, that's no easy feat).  They give me the time away from emails, slack, other media channels  and let me just...be.  Other people get what I get from going to the pub by going to the cinema, or to a stand-up club, or to the ballet.

My home has been a place of work for so many years that sometimes the only place I can take my work head off is in the pub.  Without that time out, which I've so sorely missed this year, I would burn out pretty quickly and not be there to do the things that people have suddenly realised is quite important and supports them in their work and personal lives.

So before you tell people in the arts and in the multifarious parts hospitality industry that their job isn't important and if it disappears then they should just retrain in cyber - just remember where it is you go when you, rightly, deserve a bit of R&R from your doubtless vital job.  

Specifically, to those in brewing and pubs, I salute you and thank you for helping maintainng my grasp on what's important. 

 

On and on and on and...

 So the 2020 hell-hole of never-ending shitness continues.

I suppose there was a bit of light in the US election result but there's a pretty low bar for what's "good" just now.

We've been pretty busy with work since the lockdown ended, and we managed another trip to Bristol but the best bit was a trip to Brownsea Island - we took beer and wine and we walked and communed with squirrels.  This was our highlight of the year.

Since then there has been sad family business to deal with and now, here we are again in lockdown.

Our beer deliveries from our favourite breweries continue and we've added darker beers into the mix, reflective of the change of season.

But there are pubs and breweries that won't come out of this.  Those that do will struggle since many rely on December as a way of ridng out dryanuary and wet Tuesdays in February.  This makes me sad - beyond the missing my regular pub trips - because it's the guts being ripped out of an industry that already suffers from a perception of them being drug pedlars only in it for a quick profit.

When lockdown ends - I'll be in my trusted pubs again; we'll go to Bristol and hope that our favourite places have weathered the storm.

 Until then the only way I can cope with this stuff is to accept that I have no influence over most of it; take a deep breath; make sure the fridge is full of good beer from independent breweries and help the people I work with and work for concentrate on the reason we're in business.  As my grandmother was (apparently) wont to say "the sooner you accept that God sends the weather, the happier you'll be".  I don't believe in God but I totally believe her philosophy on this.

Utter Bliss

 So we needed to go up to Bristol for the first time since lockdown.

We desperately needed to ensure the flat wasn't disintegrating in the total abandonment, we also needed to ensure that our poor old orchids got some TLC.

We did want to be responsible so we decided not to meet with loads of people this time and mostly keep ourselves to ourselves, but make the most of the chance to drink beer at a proper pub again.

We drove, taking some food and some kit that needed transferring.

The roads were pleasant - not empty, but not packed - long roadworks with a 50 mph speed limit slowed the journey a little but the whole thing was relatively low stress.

When we arrived at the flat - it could have been just the usual 3 or 4 week gap. That was a relief.

Obviously, it wasn't long until we ventured to the Barley Mow. 

They had hand sanitiser at the door, we were greeted by masked staff who showed us to a table, and then asked for contact details.  We were served at the table and they operated on card only.

Sadly, they did have a much depleted cask and keg offer but it was in lovely condition, and more than enough to keep us happy.  

The set up was comfortable and felt safe.  Enough that we went back - twice.

Over the next couple of days we did try other places:

 The Swan with Two Necks - indoor, good spacing but other measures not really apparent.  A bit disappointing, to be honest but fortunately well behaved punters.

Tapestry Brewery Taproom - outdoor seating, well managed arrival, details collected, table service, fresh beer.  Not my favourite beer in the world, but we did enjoy being there (except for the yappy dogs).

Fierce and Noble Taproom - outdoor seating and a service one-way system via the bar in the taproom.  No details taken and, to be honest, the service didn't feel especially careful but the outdoor spacing and thoughtful customers made up for most of that.

The Bridge Inn - was a bit of a last minute thought since we were on a time limit. For such a tiny, tiny place the landlord did a great job.  Hand sanitiser, request to complete details via a phone app and careful policing of the door way.  Inside seating was partitioned and there was extra seating outside marked up to manage social distancing.  Wasn't expecting the beer to be the best (Dawkins which isn't our thing, generally) but it was probably the best Dawkins we've had.  All in all, very happy.

Wednesday evening we went back to the BM which was perfection and we finished with a glass of "Running with Spectres" which was the last beer we drank in the BM before lockdown.  Such is the circle of things....

All this shows that it can be done although I suspect it'll get harder over the winter if these measures need to persist.

Mostly, I was so very pleased to see that the staff at the Barley Mow are still there and have lost none of their enthusiasm for the trade. 

We're avoiding the public again for a few days, just to be sure, but we definitely want more of this...

First Pint of Cask

So, as I've said before, we were biding our time on the "let's go to the pub" thing.

We have an elderly parent to visit and we have no idea whether the virus we suffered earlier in the year was COVID or not and, let's face it, with the best will in the world there are so, so many unknowns in all of this.

Still, when friends needed to meet up with us to ask us a favour and to collect some of our 3D printed faceshields the pub seemed the most natural place to do it.

I took a look at a couple of local pubs to see their opening hours and their general approach.

It so happened that the first one that looked promising also replied really quickly to my "what time do you open?" message.

Landlady, Rachel, knows us pretty well and I've always liked her attention to quality.  Her cask offering isn't usually the most exciting but she told us she had a few local beers on cask and had craft cans as an alternative.  She also offered to open up half an hour early to fit in with our timeplans.

Frankly, you really can't argue with that.  So, at 3.30pm on Wednesday - after a visit to the parent - were in the pub, with friends and catching up.

Rachel and her staff had adapted the pub to make little booths from folding glass screens.  This had the effect of giving you a little cocoon but not blocking the view or the light. 

We had table service but it was done deftly, with no awkwardness, and a collaborative, flexible approach when Best Beer Buddy, couldn't help himself and collected beers from the bar (there was no one else even close at the time).  All in all it was a lovely way to pass a few hours.

We all felt safe and comfortable and like this pub had been operating this way for years.

It wasn't a Damascene beer moment or anything like - it just felt perfectly right.

On this basis, I'd happily go back!

I hope the next place we try is as good.

...and another thing

The "pubs opened" fallout continued on Twitter and in the news yesterday.

Is it possible that at least a part of this is moralising?  I saw no negative comments about people in cafes and restaurants.  Surely, these two types of establishment are no more "essential" to wellbeing than pubs.

Then, this morning, it occurred to me that maybe a lot of the chatter is commentary by people who don't know there are many sorts of pubs.  Or maybe the so-called "amateur" pub goers who only attend at Christmas and so only see how pubs are then.

If you only think about pubs as being city-centre, vertical drinking establishments, perhaps with Sky Sports liberally plastered around the place then I can see how you'd be worried about "pubs" in general.  Chain places owned by large companies who may or may not be sympathetic to their employees (yes, Wetherspoons I reckon I'm looking at your, amongst others here).

Don't forget, though, that the employees of these establishments rely on the work to pay for food for their families just like we all do.  They are not evil or thoughtless for working for those organisations - they may not have much of a choice just now.

And there are other sorts of pubs.

Smaller pubs which might well be quite quiet at 5pm on a Tuesday in March, but pride themselves on high quality products (especially beer, obvs).  Run by people who understand pubs and people.  People who are professionals in what they do.  They don't earn a lot from this business - it's a matter of passion.  They get a lot of pride from being responsible publicans, from awards from CAMRA, from people recommending their pub as a "brilliant" pub.  These are what my mind conjures up when someone says "pub".

Some of these pubs opened at the weekend too.  From within the beer industry I saw a lot of people attending those pubs and commenting on how well run they were, I also saw a lot of those pubs thanking their patrons for coming along and behaving well.  But I guess that's not mainstream news.

These are the pubs I'm craving...

The pubs where you take a friend who has never been there before and they fall in love with it just like you did.

No one ever feel in love with a Wetherspoon pub - it's a place reflective of little choice of budget or of venue in a place you don't know well. Or of a desire to get wasted as quickly and cheaply as possible.

In love, really, with a pub?  Yes.  Places like this allow me to relax, get things done, chat with the beer buddy and enjoy being in another building.

It's OK that you don't ever get the same buzz from a pub.  Maybe you get it from a brilliant coffee shop or outstanding restaurant, or perhaps it's the feeling you get with a bag of pick and mix in the cinema, or a box in the theatre.

All I ask is that people don't write off a whole industry based on only a tiny part of the story, simply because it plays to moralistic narrative.  It's as unfair and naive as Jacob Rees-Mogg saying we should all go to our local and drink a yard of ale because it's the "Bristish" thing to do.

Fallout

So, my Twitter timeline is full of contradictory comments this morning...

In general there's a lot of "look a these people crowding in streets with pubs" and "my daughter was working in a bar and punter kissed her on the face" and stuff like that.  A lot of finger-pointing and judgement.

There's another thread of "I didn't go to the pub because I care about people whereas others..."

And there, quietly in the middle, is a small but determined voice and it's saying "thanks to our customers for coming to see us yesterday and behaving well" and "I went to the pub and it was well-managed, and great to be out".

There's probably no objective proof of which is more prevalent.

Is it possible that people are finding the stories they're looking for?

Is it possible that some people and some businesses have behaved in an exemplary way and others have behaved like arseholes?  You know, like in real life where not all cyclists are paragons of virtue and some cycle thoughtlessly and dangerously, and like some motorists are caring,thoughtful and give way for pedestrians and old ladies, where some pedestrians walk and stop carelessly, paying no mind to anyone behind them?

I think we need to allow for some nuance in all contentious issues.

I'm getting fed up of seeing people "othering" other people because of fears, because of an inability to understand grey areas and, most of all, a lack of empathy for other people's situations when you have no idea what they're going or have gone through.

If this is the time for anything, it's a bit more critical thinking, a little more patience and rather less hysteria.

Meanwhile, I'll be drinking beer from my fridge for a few days yet.  I might venture to a pub I trust before too long, if the opportunity presents itself.  As always, by choice it'll be a quiet pub, at a quiet time of day. I'll respect the fact that a publican's livelihood is dependent on me and I'll try to be an exemplary customer because, that's what we all want to be, isn't it?