The Session #113

Joining in on mass observations

​Observation starts at 18:33
 
One man is sitting outside, drinking what appears to be a porter.
 
Above the entryway is a wooden plaque displaying the name of the pub, with Victorian-esque light fixtures adorning the outside wall.
 
Inside the pub are beer steins (Steinkruege) adorning wooden nooks, crannies, and display cases. The decorations are akin to a British pub, with the atmosphere to match. For the sake of anonymity, though, it is tough to go into detail about the place as it would be a total giveaway. But there is brewing memorabilia towards the back, with paintings of various beer labels and brewery logos.
 
This is an international craft beer bar and dedicates itself to beers from only one country. An idea normally afforded to the Belgians, and one which I hope catches on. It gives me more reasons to go out.
 
I order a pale ale. There are 19 taps, of which three are dedicated to cask ales. This is the only place (to my knowledge) that offers cask ale in Berlin, despite it not being a British pub. The beer styles range from pilsner to hefeweizen, a hopped bock to double IPA. It is one of the more impressive tap lists, but the majority of the beers are only from one brewery, despite it advertising as a craft beer bar, and not a brewery tap house.
 
There are also around 20 different bottles available, ranging from 11 to 40 euros in price.
 
An Italian woman walks up to the bar and greets the bartenders in a boisterous manner. While they exchange pleasantries, I stand in silence waiting for a freshly pulled beer.
 
I decide to sit outside, as the weather is agreeable and the bar is located in a nice neighborhood. There are six plants in the venue, hedges on the outside, with two trees shading the front patio. People walk by every other minute or so, always looking tempted to join in. Two others enter; this time German. They order a hefeweizen and a bock beer.
 
There are normally no TVs here, but given the European Championships, one is hanging in front of a window.
 
The Italian woman joins the man drinking outside. It appears they have organized a social gathering for a large group of internationals as they switched to English once more of them arrived. Their party eventually grows to eight. They’re all drinking different beer, but none of them have the hefeweizen or pilsner.
 
I finish up my pint and decide to sit inside next to the window. A couple walks in and start asking the bartender for advice on what to drink. Do bartenders get enough credit? It must get tiresome to recommend beer day in and day out.
 
The chef is preparing something, but it involves a giant wheel of cheese. Another man walks in, this time American. He seems to be the most talkative out of all the patrons, as he jumped from group to group trying to start a conversation. He is drinking the double IPA.
 
I try to distinguish what people are talking about, but it’s a touch difficult given the three different languages being spoken in here. Some are catching up; others are discussing the philosophy of death. Typical pub talk, really.
 
There are five people smoking, no vapes. Oddly enough, there are also five people with visible tattoos.
 
As I am about to leave, I notice an ‘American lager’ on tap. I am not aware of any American-style lager that is worthwhile, but to my surprise, it was a good beer despite my palate being wrecked after the session IPA.

It is now 20:02 when I leave, and there are sixteen people in the pub.