Sehr Gut!

I was returning from a sojourn in Europe. Three months in England and a fortnight “on the continent”. My port of exit was Zurich and I had hours to spend before the flight home. I had walked through the whole airport and found myself near a watering hole. Suddenly the idea of a beer felt very appealing.

I had never had a drink alone. I thought that it was as good a first as any and went into the bar. I pushed myself up on to the bar stool. Promptly, the burly bartender with a walrus moustache and huge belly came to me and asked “what can I give you sir?”

“A beer.”

“Which one sir?”

The only name that popped up (or the only one I knew?) was Heinekin. “Heinekin”, I said.

The bartender looked offended, almost.

“We serve only Swiss Beers here sir”, he said, imperiously.

I had to ask him.

“What do you recommend?”

“A Halden Gut* sir”, he replied without hesitation.

“Halden Gut it is, then”, I said. He did not look like a man one could easily disagree with, especially after offending him with the name of a Dutch beer.

He smiled and plomped a huge mug of beer, which looked appetizing. I was suddenly thirsty and took a long swig. It tasted good.

The bartender was scrutinizing me closely. “Good?”, he asked.

I decided to undo some of the offence I had caused by ordering a Dutch beer. He sounded like a German speaking Swiss. I decided to try my luck with my meagre German. I said,

“Halden Gut, sehr gut” and nodded with approval, vigorously.

Now he beamed. Nodded jovially and went on to attend to another customer.

The one and the only Halden Gut I have had in my life.

Sehr gut!

* I looked for Halden Gut on Google after writing this and find that it is brewed by Heinekin Switzerland! Did the bartender not know? Or did it change hands after 1985, the dateline of this story? I do not know!