By
Rob
“This
next question is for you, Rob.”
A
chill raced down my spine. I saw Andy look at me from the opposite
bench. You can do this, said the look on his face. You're a
genius. You're an intellectual powerhouse. You're everything I wish I
could be.
I
took heart from those unspoken words of encouragement and, gripping
the wooden table until my knuckles turned white, nodded to Pete.
“To
date, how many pubs have you visited during Pubquest?”
I
reeled backwards in shock, almost falling from my seat. We were in
the beer garden of The Riverside pub, deep into the second phase of
our interview with the founder of Sheffield Ale Pubs, and Pete had just wheeled out the big guns.
“Well,
that's a great question,” I said, clearly playing for time. I only
had a rough idea of the number and couldn't pin down any precise
figures. I thought back to every political interview I'd ever seen
where the politician didn't know the data. It was time to let loose
my inner Mandelson. “That depends on how you're counting the
figures,” I explained.
I
then launched into a discussion about how there were a number of pubs
we'd visited that hadn't yet been recorded on our blog, which meant
that the number Pete had jotted down on his answer pad was probably
incorrect.
Andy
'Alastair Campbell' Wilson then jumped in, further muddying the
waters by informing Pete that a number of pubs had been visited on
multiple occasions, which made it doubly difficult to calculate a
precise figure. Between myself and the party spin doctor, we did a
decent job of saying a lot while simultaneously saying nothing.
Sensing
that we were somewhat overcomplicating a simple, friendly question, I
cut through the fog: “Let's call it 140 pubs.”
Silence
hung over the studio/beer garden for a moment, before Pete smiled at
me and announced, “Correct!”
I
sighed with relief. The day was actually shaping up very nicely
indeed. The sun was shining down on us, The Riverside's outdoor
seating – right next to the river itself – was especially pleasant,
and the two pints of Laima's Luck that me and Andy had ordered were
going down extremely well.
We
both liked the Riverside; it was hard not to. Like all of the pubs in
the Kelham Island scene, it offered a good collection of real ales in
a lovely setting. Admittedly, the pub is a little less impressive in
winter, when the fantastic outdoor area isn't brought into play, but
it's still a great venue nevertheless.
The
questions kept on coming and, now having a bit more beer inside us,
we found the process of answering them to be increasingly
straightforward and, surprisingly, enjoyable.
We
recounted how the journey had begun at The Royal Standard, all the way back in 2012. We reflected on our lives
since then and the ways in which we'd grown as people. We reviewed
some of the highs and mulled over a few of the lows. We thought about
the incredible journey we'd undertaken and the mark it had left on
us; mentally, physically, spiritually.
“So,
yeah,” I summarised, as the last few dregs of beer vanished from my
glass. “We've spent a fortune, hammered our livers, expanded our
waistlines, wasted hundreds of hours, accrued countless hangovers,
and we still have about 300 pubs to go.”
Andy
picked up the empty glasses and headed over to the bar. “We'd
better get moving then.”
Pub: The Riverside (1 Mowbray Street, S3 8EN)
Rating:
8.5/10
Pint: Laima's Luck
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