I am in luck and am served next, so I sip my beer quietly having lost interest in it all. The agitated guy though is still not served. A moment or so later, the manager emerges from the back, carefully avoiding looking at the customers. Agitated man shouts at top of voice "Oi you, you lazy c*nt! People want serving here". Everyone looks up now. This is getting interesting.
They obviously know each other and the manager warily approaches to be told that he shouldn't be "fucking farting around in the back while his fucking useless staff serve fucking coffees and meals. There are people in here who just want a fucking drink if they could get one". Much more shouting of a similar vein follows. He reminds me of Derek "Red Robbo" Robinson addressing a massed gathering of British Leyland Workers, though he'd probably have brandished the Morning Star. The manager waits until the tirade subsides somewhat and then asks Agitated Man "Do you want a drink now or not?" His shouted response and more invective brings a rejoinder of "well you're not getting one here now! When he is asked to leave he rants that he is being barred because they don't know how to run a pub. It's a point that quite probably, if differently expressed, would gain him a lot of support from those still unserved around him. His John Smith drinking chums though carry on supping and offer no solidarity whatever.
My two halves are excellent and contrasting. Lorimers Cask Lager from Caledonian is, unlike most of their beers, neither thin, nor overflowing with diacetyl. It is full bodied, with juicy malt and a nice hoppy edge from what I understand to be a mix of Strisselspalt*, Hallertau and Hersbrucker hops. It is very moreish indeed, even with the addition of wheat malt, not a traditional lager ingredient as far as I know. I can't have any more though - I'm driving. My second half, Phoenix Thirsty Moon is contrastingly bitter, with an American hop finish. As I am finishing my beer, Agitated Man and JDW Manager are outside discussing his case. A handshake is exchanged and a finger is wagged. It seems an apology has been offered and accepted. The noisy complainer comes back in, orders a pint of John Smith's and rejoins his chums. Peace reigns once more.
Agitated Man has made a few good points, but not in a way I'd necessarily recommend!
* A French aroma hop from Alsace
Yep, that's the case in any given wetherspoons at any given time. You pay less, you wait longer
ReplyDeleteOops, you forgot one s in that lovely tongue-twisting "Strisselspalt".
ReplyDeleteApparently it's a derivate of German Spalt / Spalter (itself a close relative of both Hersbrücker and Tettnanger).
"Strissel" means "ostrich" in alsatian dialect, but I don't really see how this relates to hops. #o)
Agitated man sounds like a total tosser.
ReplyDeleteMust say, this pub sounds vile...
AM was and is a total tosser.
ReplyDeleteThe pub isn't vile actually. No more so and probably less so than must urban town centre pubs in an area that while not poor, is not affluent either.
Lauremt - Oops indeed. Spell check doesn't pick THAT one up!
ReplyDeleteThat's the JDW we visited last year, isn't it? Late afternoon, it was pretty decent, although cavernous and too damn cold. Late night, it was packed with clusters of dressed-up birds being ignored by clusters of louts. But the beer selection was decent enough.
ReplyDeleteI did like the Flying Horse Hotel better.
That's the one Jeff.
ReplyDeleteWell, if spell checks don't pick up the words which we really need, such as "Strisselspalt" and "Hallertauer Mittelfrüh", what's the point of having them ? ;oD
ReplyDeleteOr Laurent?
ReplyDeleteAgitated Man said what I have often wanted to, but didn't dare.
ReplyDeleteThis guy's objection that the staff were serving coffees and meals is completely unreasonable. They were serving other customers, it's not like they were standing around doing nothing. He just needed to wait his turn.
ReplyDeleteThe fact he was allowed back in by the manager speaks volumes about the kind of customer Wetherspoons pubs seem willing to tolerate. It's good for the rest of us in the trade - they soak up and tolerate all the jakeys!