October 2023 (still, sorry). Hillsborough, Sheffield.
Monday morning. I had to go to Morrison’s, can’t remember why. Oh yes, to exchange a tin of decaffeinated coffee I’d bought by accident. Have you ever tried decaffeinated coffee ?
Some Japanese visitors were taking photos of the trees, so I did the same.
Ain’t Autumn Awesome ?
Well, trees are great, but there’s nothing like the inside of a pub on a Monday at noon, and I somehow got distracted and found myself inside the still newish Beer House S6 at opening.
We do need to cherish the Monday openers, particularly after CAMRA Discourse was banging on about the lack of them last week.
The manager, a lovely young man who subsequently admitted he was *****, chatted trade (and the draw of Madri), and Sheffield, and good breweries, and Hitchin. And served a top pint of the Anarchy Citra (3.5), and I enjoyed his company so much I had a can of the Brew York Milk Stout, which was merely interesting.
And then a chap came in, ordered a double brandy, and sat down in tears.
The manager came round from behind the bar, sat down with him, and asked what was up. The chap didn’t speak any English, but by deduction we worked out he had family just south of Tirana who I guess he was missing. I sat down, put an arm around him, and tried to work out what was up. Mrs RM berated me later for not getting Google Translate working, but all he wanted was a bit of company. And a double brandy.
Hope he’s OK. He wanted to buy us a drink, we wanted to buy him a coffee.
That’s why people go to pubs, for those sort of experiences. Pubs are life.
retiredmartin 
The manager admitted he was BRAPA?? You’ll really drink anywhere / with anyone, won’t you!!!! Good on you for consoling the distraught customer.
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I’m not sure I’ve tried any of the new generation of microbrewed milk stouts (the first pub I drank in as a teenager in the late eighties was a Whitbread house and stocked bottles of Mackesons, but it was mostly ordered by older women).
Well done for consoling the homesick Albanian guy – maybe you could find out where he lives and then wander unannounced into his family’s house on your next country-ticking tour of the Balkans?
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Funny you say that, Matthew, we have flights to Albania this month and I had a plan to visit his hometown but due to my own family ill health that might not happen.
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Good call on the decaf coffee, I’ve never been a fan. Agree that pubs are life!
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Ain’t Autumn Awesome ?
Finding Fall Frustrating, myself.
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