In an English country (pub) garden

Like all beer lovers I am looking forward to the day when the nation’s pubs are finally allowed to re-open their doors. Amongst the many suggestions put forward in relation to relaxing the lock-down of our pubs and bars, is that those establishments with gardens, or other outdoor drinking spaces, should be allowed to re-open first.

The science behind this is sound, as the chances of contracting Corona-virus outside are practically zero, especially if so-called “social-distancing”  measures are maintained, but even if these guidelines are occasionally breached, being outdoors is far safer than being crowded inside a busy pub or bar.

As a scientist, I have obviously been paying a lot of attention to what’s going on with regard to the pandemic, but as there is so much conflicting information regarding Corona-virus, it would be foolish for me to speculate here. Instead, I’ll leave that sort of thing to the politicians.

I have been wondering though why pub gardens and other outdoor drinking spaces haven’t been allowed to open before now. Germany and Denmark re-opened their beer gardens a couple of weeks ago, albeit with restrictions on the numbers of people admitted at any one time, and earlier this week, the Netherlands did the same. 

It seems that here in the UK we’ll all just have to be a little more patient; after all our infection and mortality rates from Covid-19 have been far higher than in most of our European neighbours. Science has not been able to explain this discrepancy, and neither have politicians, but whatever the reason,  if we leave the opening up outdoor drinking spaces until next month, we’ll have passed the summer solstice and the time when daylight hours are at their maximum.

Somewhat typically the weather has taken a slight turn for the worst. This isn’t surprising after two solid months of wall to wall sunshine and scorching temperatures, but I really feel for all those struggling pub and bar owners who, almost certainly could have been open, and open safely.

Still, no point crying over spilled milk, or should that be spilled beer, and leaving science and politics to one side, let’s down to the question that’s vexing the real pub men. I’m speaking here about those individuals who claim, not without some justification, that drinking a pint outside a pub, is not the same as enjoying one inside. Some would argue there is no comparison, and that the two are completely different experiences.

These people would much prefer to be inside a pub, sat on the bar, on the finest of days, rather than enjoying a pint out in the fresh air. It’s all about the banter and the craic, as the Irish would say, but perhaps better summed up as that indefinable quality referred to as “atmosphere,” that makes a good pub a truly great one.

I can empathise with this viewpoint and can recall countless occasions when everything combined to create that perfect pub moment. Despite these obvious pleasures, I also enjoy a beer out in the great outdoors; in fact, I’d go further and say that a pint, in a pub garden, on a perfect summer’s day, is one of life’s simple, but great pleasures. This applies equally to whether it’s a traditional, English pub garden, or the slightly more raucous setting of an equally traditional Bavarian Biergarten. 

We’ll forget about the latter for the time being, as they’re already open, thanks to a combination of a much lower Covid-19 mortality rate and a more enlightened government. Instead we’ll stick with the idyll of an English pub garden, the joys of drinking in it and the benefits associated with re-opening these places first.

The first thing to consider is the dreaded “social distancing” – boy how I hate that phrase! There’s nothing sociable in plonking yourself down six feet away from your fellow humans, and what’s more the science behind this magic two metre figure, is questionable, to say the least. The WHO guideline is one metre; a figure adopted by much of the rest of the world. If we were to follow suit, it would make re-opening our pubs that much easier, and we wouldn’t even be having this conversation about pub gardens.

So, from some of the rumblings I’ve heard, there are those who say that allowing beer to be served and consumed in pub gardens, rather than in the pubs themselves, won’t be the same. Well of course it won’t, but despite the obvious difference, it is still a step in the right direction, and for publicans desperate for trade to return, and to generate some sort of income, even these limited moves cannot happen soon enough.  

I’ll leave you with the vexed question which I’m sure will be asked by that small, but dedicated band of Good Beer Guide tickers. Does a beer in a pub garden count as a “tick,” or is it necessary to consume that beer inside the pub?  Even if you’re not a dedicated ticker, I’m sure some of you will say drinking outside isn’t the same. 

However, in these extraordinary times we are living through, we should perhaps be grateful for small mercies and raise a glass in grateful thanks, when our pubs can finally start pouring beer again.