It was a fairly typical evening in our Green Man Pub. The weather had turned sharply colder and that meant a steady flow of customers, which kept Finch, my lead barkeep, busy along with one of the Several Annie’s, Iain’s Library apprentices, who was working the floor for us tonight.
So listen as I give you a tour of the Green Man Pub.
The Pub got expanded and modernized when we started hosting music festivals, community gatherings and even the occasional wedding here. The location of it is actually underground as it’s on the first of three levels of cellars under the Estate Main Building. You get in from the greensward side of the building where it has a door out to a stone patio that overlooks the greensward. That wall consists almost entirely of very energy efficient windows which make for a spectacular view, especially during Winter storms.
The other way in is a circular staircase near the check-in area for guests here. It’s interesting to watch first time visitors emerge from the stairs there as they more often than not expect a Ye Olde Pub and get something that looks like a Scandinavian coffeehouse.
Ale, bourbon, cider, mead and whiskey, both Irish and Scottish, are the mainstays, with us making the first three here. We also stock bourbon, brandy and vodka. Don’t ask for a cocktail as we don’t do them ever, though I’ll make you what I consider the best Irish coffee anywhere.
The fireplace is reputed to be a thousand years old but I doubt it. It’s big enough for me to stand in and I’m nearly six feet tall. We made it energy efficient several years back, so it gets used from early Fall to late Spring. We have roasted a whole hog in there and the smell permeated much of the Estate Building.
We can seat upwards of sixty punters here but it’s best when there’s a smaller crowd. I like it best when there’s thirty or so, with the Neverending Session playing tunes as the punters talk quietly among themselves and we serve them as need be. No TVs, but there’s a dart board that gets a lot of use.
There’s an area in left corner that’s always dark and cold. I’ve seen the ghosts that haunt that area and I’ll spare you the nightmares that the ghosts engender. If you’re lucky, you’ll never see them. Just don’t sit near that spot.
Come sit at the bar and I’ll pour you an Autumn Ale for you to enjoy. It’s got a touch of our honey in, the raspberry honey to be exact.
