By Jeff Kennedy
So the bartender sits a half-filled pint on the bar in front of me.
"Tell me what beer this is."
I don't know his name, but I recognize him from a few neighborhood dives. Both arms are covered in anime tattoos maybe a hundred people would recognize. I can name three of them. It's quiet, even for a Wednesday night, so he's gotta be bored.
"Kitchen guys changed the keg but didn't mark the line."
I take a delicate sip of water and then a deep quaff of the unknown beer.
"Kind of a wheat beer with a slightly bitter aftertaste - it's a light pale ale."
A little while later, he puts a full pint down in front of me.
"They found the kitchen notes. You were spot on."
Based on the ads on the taps, I guess the local brewer. He laughs and shakes his head.
"Spot on again. On the house. You in the industry?"
"Nah. Just too much experience with the product."
Jeff Kennedy, a 2025 Pushcart nominee, is a past Thurber House and Erma Bombeck essay contest winner. Jeff’s short form writing has appeared in publications such as Everscribe Magazine, Bright Flash Literary Review, and Sudden Flash. Read his recent work at www.justanotherdamnblog.com and follow him on Bluesky @jkennedy60.bsky.social