The sun beats down, my backpack melted to me. “Why did I pack a coffee?” I think, annoyed at myself—this is not the weather for hot black coffee drunk from a Thermos. After a 40-minute walk, I make it to The Lyons Den, a small micropub in Kingswood, on the outskirts of Bristol. As I push open the door, I’m welcomed by the air conditioning, as well as the smiles of Sam and Kelly behind the bar.
I order four pints of Good Chemistry’s Kokomo Weekday IPA to go, and as my beer is poured into a plastic container, the three of us start to chat. I'm happy to hear that business has been steady for them. Every Friday since lockdown began, they’ve opened up their doors for takeaways beers. The social interaction is buoying, and I stay as long as I can get away with. We talk about the weather, of course, local breweries and lockdown life, and I can almost kid myself that it's a quiet weekday and I’m propping up the end of the bar.
As I finally gear up to leave, an older gentleman appears in the window. He’s a regular, Sam explains, who comes every week to pick up two pints of cask ale for the weekend. The door opens; “Dafydd!” Sam exclaims, “How are you doing?” For a moment, the glimpse of community, and routine, feels like real relief.
