Falling asleep on the job

I’m not sure whether it’s an age thing, although I think it almost certainly is, but as time goes on my levels of tiredness seem to have increased. The trouble is the degree of tiredness is quite often at a sufficiently high level for me to nod off. Sleep may well be the body’s way of clearing the mind and allowing the body to repair itself, but when it comes during daylight hours, it’s not just inconvenient, but also counterproductive as well.

The worst times for me to be nodding off are during the evening, between finishing dinner and going to bed, which is a shame as this 3–4-hour slot is my main period of “free time” at the end of a busy working day. I say busy, because despite having reduced my working days to three, with a heavy workload, there is a temptation to try and cram five normal workdays into three. I am enjoying my new role, as the work is interesting and varied, with no two days exactly the same, and with no staff now to manage either. This means I don’t have issues such as holidays, sickness, or other causes of absence to contend with, so I can concentrate on my main task of moving the company forward, and ensuring it remains a safe and secure place in which to work.

Speaking of that four-letter word, I have been known to nod off at work on the odd occasion, which could end up being doubly embarrassing. The worst time is mid-afternoon, during the period when after returning from my lunchtime walk and eating my lunch, I sometimes find myself drifting off. Not a good image, of course, so the remedy is to leave my desk and take a walk around the factory.

One eagle-eyed colleague has noticed my occasional inability to keep my eyes open and has dropped the odd subtle hint, but he also knows I am not alone with this. I have mentioned before that our parent company is based in Japan, and I remember from a work visit to their headquarters in Kyoto struggling to stay awake whilst participating in a few of their rather structure-less meetings. One particular occasion involved a visit to one of their subsidiary factories, in a suburb of Kyoto.

My two UK colleagues and I, sat in the upstairs office of the factory manager, who spoke very little English. One of our Japanese colleagues was interpreting, but despite his best efforts the conversation was rather disjointed, and I found it hard to keep track of the direction it was taking. It was a hot and very humid day, and again I found myself starting to drift off. With no opportunity to get off my chair and take a walk around, I tried everything I could think of, to try and stay awake.

Fortunately, I didn’t embarrass myself, but I discovered not long afterwards that it is not unusual for Japanese people to nod off, even whilst in company, and furthermore it’s not regarded as impolite. I subsequently have witnessed this myself on several occasions, including an “end of exhibition” dinner, held at a well-known Cologne pub, overlooking the river Rhine. There not just one, but two members of our parent company fell asleep at the dinner table. This was in front of several board members, including the company president, but they just laughed, finding the whole incident highly amusing.

Okay, I am not Japanese, and my falling asleep in front of my computer at home, affects no one, apart from myself, but what does this all mean for the blog?? Well, only writing during the evening can mean a post taking much longer than it should. From a physical point of view, slumping in my chair, often leads to me waking up with a cricked neck, wondering where the hell I am, but apart from this, and the misuse of valuable time, no real harm seems to be done.

I did carry out a spot of online research, which revealed the most likely cause of this annoying habit to be, nothing more sinister than sleep deprivation. Most of us are aware that a period of 7-9 hours’ sleep each night is the optimum amount necessary to maintain good health, but in common with many others, I rarely achieve this amount. This brings us back to the same conclusion – sleep deprivation.

There’s no easy answer without changing my lifestyle, but I can report that as part

of my 4-day weekend, I normally enjoy an extra couple of hours in bed of a morning. And as for the blog, I’ve recognised what I knew for a long time that I’m at my most creative, as well as the most wide awake, in the morning. Consequently, I now try to set an hour or so aside each morning, from Thursday to Sunday, in order to concentrate on writing piece for the blog, selecting and editing photos, and generally putting the whole thing together.

Footnote: at first, I thought it would be difficult choosing photos to illustrate this post, but then I had a light-bulb moment.  Japan and its people play a part in the narrative, so why not use a few shots taken on my visit to Kyoto. As well as featuring my hotel bed, there are photos of gardens and temples – in fact all the things that the Japanese do best in order to symbolise peace, quiet and tranquillity.  

 

The good, the bad and we'll just forget about the ugly for the time being

As we move into October, and the nights really start to draw in, there’s a lot of beer and pub related stories for the blog to cover. Some are good, one is bad, and the rest are somewhat in between, so let’s start off with the good, before looking at some of the other issues.

The news that Sheffield’s iconic Kelham Island Brewery has been saved, following its closure in May this year, has been widely reported, and obviously well-received. Pete Brown covers the story from a factual point of view, interspersed with some rather interesting, and at times, quite touching, thoughts of his own. Rather repeating on this blog, what Pete has written, click on the link and read what he has to say regarding this most welcome news.

The story has a personal interest for me as well, because back in May I made a long overdue trip up to Sheffield, primarily to meet up with pub-ticking legend, Retired Martin, but also to explore and enjoy some of Steel City’s equally legendary pubs. I kicked off my time in Sheffield, with a couple of pints, plus a bite to eat, at the Fat Cat, where I was joined by both Martin and Sheffield Hatter – another pub man extraordinaire. The Fat Cat is sited next to Kelham Island Brewery, who actually own the pub, so was a good place to sample both Kelham Island Best, and the brewery’s best-known product – Pale Rider.

The latter is a classic, hop-forward, pale ale, light in colour, as its name suggests, but anything but light when it comes to taste and flavour. The beer also provided inspiration for a host of similar “copy-cat” beers, although none could quite rival the original. At the time of my visit, the landlord of the Fat Cat said they had around a fortnight’s worth of KIB stock remaining, so given the four months that have passe since then, it’s a good job that the brewing kit was left in situ in order for production to recommence.

If you don’t want to read through Pete’s article, the knights in shining armour, who have rescued the brewery, are a consortium that includes Thornbridge Brewery and Sheffield Tramlines. The latter group, organise one of the longest running, and most successful music festivals in the UK; an event centred on Sheffield and named after the city’s tram network. If you want to learn more, then I strongly advise you to read Mr Brown’s piece, especially as it details the story of Kelham Island Brewery, its legendary founder, Dave Wickett, and how KIB provided the inspiration for Thornbridge Brewery.

And now for the bad news, which concerns a brewery at the opposite end of the country. Last week, Truro-based Skinner’s Brewery announced that it was going into administration, citing funding problems as the cause. Skinner’s has been at the heart of the Cornish beer scene since 1997, supplying local free houses in Cornwall as well as selling directly to customers at the brewery and online. Owner Steve Skinner and his wife Elaine had said previously that they feared the brewery would go bust during the Covid pandemic and had launched a crowdfunding campaign with an ambitious target.

Unfortunately, it appears this was not enough, because at the end of last week, a statement appeared on the company's Facebook page confirming the closure of the brewery, and the appointment of administrators. Mr Skinner and his wife are keeping their fingers crossed for a suitable buyer to come along and buy the business in order for the brewery, that has been a part of Cornish life, to continue in one form or another.

Along with local drinkers, we will have to wait and see what happens with Skinner’s, but it must be heart-breaking to witness the 25 years of hard work necessary to build a successful company, and then see it vanish before your eyes. From a personal point of view, I’m not that familiar with Skinner’s beers, with the honourable exception of Betty Stoggs. I do know quite a few people though who are regular visitors to Cornwall, and who are huge fans of the company’s beers.

On the other hand, because of the relative isolation of Cornwall from the rest of the country, I get the distinct impression that apart from locals and holiday makers, Skinner’s beers aren’t quite as well known as Kelham Island’s. I also get the feeling that some beer writers aren’t keen on them for other reasons. For example, in their weekly Saturday roundup, veteran bloggers, Boak & Bailey rather dismissively admit they were never hugely fond of Skinner’s beers, or of what they call their “old skool branding,” but then acknowledge that the company were a major player in Cornwall.

So, with the good and the bad news covered, I will leave things there for the time being, whilst awaiting further developments. As hinted at the beginning of this article, there is quite a lot else for me to write about, but as it’s getting late, I shall leave these stories for next time. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

 

 

Farewell the Beer Seller

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that a well-known and well-regarded Tonbridge free house, had announced its sudden closure. This decision, whilst obviously known to the pub’s owners, came as something of a shock to local drinkers, and local townsfolk too. It might even have come as a surprise to the staff as well, although some at least may have had an inkling as to what was about to happen.

The pub/bar in question is the Beer Seller, a well-stocked free house on Tonbridge High Street, offering gravity dispensed, cask beer, alongside traditional cider, and several craft offerings. Occupying the former premises of John Angell, in Tonbridge High Street, the Beer Seller opened its doors to an eager public, in December 2018, and quickly became a welcome addition to the town’s beer scene.

The people behind the Beer Seller, were also the owners of the Halfway House in Brenchley, a thriving, and long-established free house, on the back road between the villages of Brenchley and Horsmonden. The approach they took with their new outlet, was to try and replicate the rural feel of their existing country pub, within a town centre setting. I’m not sure they achieved this aim with any real degree of success, as the inter-war appearance of John Angell’s premises, was transformed into a rustic-looking barn, by means of a lower false ceiling, constructed out of corrugated iron sheeting, along with a new stone-flagged floor. 

It all looked very kitsch, and one local licensee, who shall remain nameless, nicknamed it “Bethlehem.” Unfortunately, that name did find favour, in a light-hearted sort of way, with several members of the local CAMRA branch! It's worth noting, that John Angell Jeweller & Goldsmith was an old family business, which was established in 1830. It ceased trading mid-way through 2017, and as a mark of respect to the building’s long heritage, the old name was left up above the door. I would have preferred the new owners to have tried to preserve something of the internal heritage as well, such as the counter and some of the jewellery display cabinets, rather than giving the place such a dramatic transformation, but that’s just me!

The new owners followed the example of their existing pub, by offering gravity dispensed cask beers, straight from casks, housed houses in a specially constructed, chilled cellar room, just behind the serving area. Here a “beer wall” arrangement allowed the cask beers to be via taps, which protruded through the wall. Other taps, allowed lagers, ciders, and craft keg beers to be served from the same location.

Also, in common with the Halfway House, the philosophy was to keep things local as much as possible, sourcing cask ales, ciders and other drinks from producers based in Kent or Sussex. Cellar Head, Gadd’s, Goacher’s, Long Man and Tonbridge supplied the core range of beers, alongside classic session beer, Adnam’s Southwold. These were complemented by guest ales, again sourced locally, wherever possible. Draught lagers were also local brewed, with Helles Belles from Westerham Brewery and Curious Brew from Ashford, amongst the regulars.

In addition to the bar, were a couple of upstairs meeting rooms, plus a shop, also on the first floor, where customers could purchase a selection of bottled beers, ciders, wines, and spirits. The upstairs rooms provided a welcome meeting space for local organisations and societies, including Tonbridge Beer & Wine Makers, plus West Kent CAMRA branch. On the minus side, and possibly a factor in the Beer Seller’s long-term viability, was the absence of food, although customers were encouraged to order items such as pizza, and other street food items, from a small list of local suppliers.

 I wouldn’t say I was much of a regular at the pub, although it was always a handy and welcoming place to pop in for a quick pint, particularly given its prominent location on Tonbridge High Street. It was only the only pub locally to regularly stock Goacher’s Gold Star, a well-hopped, draught pale ale, brewed by the oldest of Kent’s small, independent brewers. Despite its relatively high 5.1% abv, Gold Star is dangerously drinkable, and the fact it will no longer be available in the town, is a sad loss.

As is the loss of the pub of course, not just for local drinkers, but for the owners of the business and their loyal staff, all of whom worked hard to make the Beer Seller a friendly and inviting place to drink, in the town. The closure was announced on the Beer Seller’s Facebook page and is reproduced above. There was some speculation concerning the lack of a “rent holiday” during the Covid lock downs, and whilst this does tie in with the second paragraph of the pub’s statement, it is just hear say, at this stage.

Whether a new buyer can be found for the business, or whether someone different wants to take the place on, is also pure conjecture. I suspect neither will happen, given the economic straits the country finds itself in, and unfortunately, I also suspect that the closure of this pleasant, quirky and much-loved establishment will not be the last within the hospitality trade.