ITALIAN TOURISTS TAKE THEIR BEER BACK BECAUSE IT’S TOO WARM

June 2023. Rye.

On the Sunday we’d taken a cheeky self-guided tour of Rye’s Mermaid,

and the George, which competes for the title of oldest inn/most gentlefolk in one sitting.

Feeling guilty about nipping in the (posh) loo without buying a drink*, I walked back to the George the next day.

Simon is staying close by tonight (he waited till we left before visiting Rye, note), so I guess he’s staying in one of the Junior suites.

He could have stayed at our caravan for £125. Except there’s already someone in it.

Following a fire last year it’s had any character carefully removed so it resembles an upmarket North Norfolk country hotel, but I’ll not knock it as most of the trade seemed to be foreign tourists and we need to redress the balance of payments.

And the staff in their newly ironed uniforms were really cheery in a Brunning & Price style.

I’ll be frank, when the barman pulls through the Harvey’s at 13:10 you realise that cask isn’t their big draw, but rather that let it lie in the pumps, I guess. To his credit, the barman offered a choice of straight glass or handle. Of course, folk who drink from a handled jug have “666” tattooed on their forehead. Or should have.

A few families had camped in the bar area with drinks, but I couldn’t get comfortable inside,

and found a table outside where the heat could surely only improve a cool if sweet Sussex (3.5).

Not bad at all, and at £4.70 unexpectedly cheaper than in the smart pubs up the road. And amongst chat about “chibattis” and “late lunch” a decent amount of cask, albeit from those jugs.

I tried a half of Romney, which started at 3.5 and drifted in to 2.5, like BRAPA’s chances of completing Sussex GBG by September or something. Still decent enough for a hotel.

And then two Italians conferred, picked up their glasses and marched confidently back to the bar.

I followed them, and watched in amazement as they explained the beer was “too warm”. It really wasn’t, perhaps a bit too beery for European tastes, but the barman poured them too lagers and apologised.

What tremendous service. I doubt they’ll be signing up the CAMRA when they get back to Treviso, mind.

*Oddly I never feel so obliged with Wetherspoons.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

18 thoughts on “ITALIAN TOURISTS TAKE THEIR BEER BACK BECAUSE IT’S TOO WARM”

      2. I’d be curious if that was their first cask beer of their trip or whether they thought it was warmer than previous cask beers they had drunk.

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      4. There’s a couple (may be more) of Italian craft breweries know of that have dabbled in cask beer production. Wonder what temperature it’s served at over there? That said, at 0.0000000000000001% of Italian beer production, it’s long odds these two had tried any examples of that.

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      5. Maybe I’m getting too cynical in old age but wouldn’t “a sign showing when the beer was put on” be a bit like doing away with speed cameras and asking motorists what speed they were driving at ?

        Liked by 1 person

      7. But all too often nowadays my “pint” isn’t an honest twenty fluid ounces, so I can’t help being sceptical.

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  3. “*Oddly I never feel so obliged with Wetherspoons.”

    Resorting to popping into Spoons for a pee is real desperation: three floors, seven doors, and 1/4 of a mile of corridors to negotiate on average. I feel no need to thank Tim either.

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