I suspect all pubs that sell cask beer have their fair share of opinionated cask ale drinkers. People whose opinions vary as to what constitutes a good pint.
Thare are many areas of contention and much room for debate.There is a consensus, for example, that cask beer should be kept and served at between 10 and 13 degrees. For many that represents an industry standard. But for others, and I include myself in that number, I often find 10 degrees too cold and equally, I am not necessarily unhappy with cask beer at 15 degrees. As I say, opinions vary.
Whilst I respect everyone's right to hold opinions I am not necessarily so forgiving when people venture their opinion publicly.
I have struggled over the past twenty years to competently manage the cask beers available to me. I think it is fair to say that, in that time, I've more or less managed to deliver a consistently decent pint. I've always argued it needs three characteristics; it needs to be the correct temperature, it needs to be clear and it needs to have condition.
Condition being that elusive characteristic that, without resorting to artificial gas, provides life in the beer. It is a matter of intense pride. Without decent cask beer the whole package falls apart. I keep damned good beer and I fight to consistently deliver it. I've always been supported by the Good Beer Guide and CamRA seem happy with what I serve.
But, inevitably, there are times when the beer quality isn't as I would wish it. It might be an error on my part. It might be the particular batch of beer from the brewery (although I suspect they'd argue all their beer was of a consistently high quality). It might be, simply, the very end of a cask of beer.
And so it was last night. I returned to the bar at around seven to see three regular cask beer drinkers drinking lager. Discreetly I checked with the barperson working who told me that one of the three people had described the bitter as "toxic". He had made a small scene.
Two issues arise from this. The first is when complaining customers decide their best approach is not to enquire but pronounce. Public demonstrations of sniffing. That imperious gesture of holding a glass at the top in their fingers and staring at the contents ~ implying they can see faults in it. Even if the other customers drinking the same beer are, or were, content this customer has now sown seeds of uncertainty. Is the beer actually cloudy? Sour? Faulty? Who know? Judgement has been called.
The second issue is far more worrying. These same customers, probably in your absence, can pronounce that "there is something wrong with the beer" in such a forceful and convincing way that staff are bewildered into believing them.
On at least two occasions I have visited the cellar to remove empty casks and discovered that, far from being empty, they still contained beer. The staff, defensively, have informed me that these wise customers have persuaded them that the beer can no longer be on sale. This arrogant belief that their opinion overrides my business will cost me money. Dearly.
It is a foolish licensee that simply ignores criticism. No one should be immune from the feelings and concerns of their customers. But at no stage should this permit the customers to wield undue power over your business or, as suggested, permit them to determine what you do, and don't, sell. That way would be madness....