In a packed Studio 21 in Hilversum, presenter Eric van Muiswinkel reads from the laudatory judges’ report in the industry’s trade journal. ‘Here, you can experience beer in its purest form.’ The Pint, as close friends call it, is an institute in Groningen, but has now obtained praise on a national level. The only pub the jury liked more was In de Karkol in Maastricht. Harder: ‘Aw, my friend Bart, he truly deserved it! When we went on stage I already knew that he was going to win, so I congratulated my colleague first, as one does.’
‘Put down your glasses’
He never thought he would end up in this high a spot. ‘Last year we came in fourteenth place. The jury had come by a second time, so we figured we were in the top five this year. So I thought we’d be fifth. When they’d announced sixth place, I told the rest: “Okay guys, put down your glasses.” But we weren’t called up.’
Harder is proud, and talks at length about that night, his pub, and his vision. This was not the case during the ceremony, says bartender Martijn Bosch. ‘The fourth place was announced, and the third, and it still wasn’t us. And Eric got quieter and quieter. Then we and the In de Karkol team were called up.’
Did they secretly think that maybe they had come in first after all? ‘No’, Harder says definitively. ‘They simply had a better chance. Us going from the fourteenth to the second place is the best thing we could hope for. We’ll have another good chance next year, but I’d rather be in the top 10 ten times than win once and then fade out.’
Great compliment
His team strives for a constant great performance. The natural turnover of student employees is supported by a team of six called the ‘Harderkern’ (hard core). Off-days are not a thing, says Harder. ‘Tending bar is like theatre. It doesn’t matter if you have the worst hangover of your life, once you start work, you become like the perfect son-in-law. I knew how to do that even before I got married.’
According to the cafe owner, the award is not just a great compliment for the team, but also for the city. ‘We now have the second-best pub and the best coffee in the Netherlands (ed.: Black and Bloom came first in the Coffee Top 100 in September) within one hundred yards of each other. And the city centre also has the Toeter (ed.: 32nd on the list), the Wolthoorn (54th), and Soestdijk (27th). Credit where credit is due: those are great pubs.’
There is a knock at the door. His neighbour from the Uurwerker has come to congratulate him with a big bouquet of flowers. According to Harder, this is typical of the convivial atmosphere in Groningen. ‘Last night, our colleagues from Soestdijk were waiting to congratulate us at the bar when we returned from Hilversum at 1.30 in the morning. And I’ve been getting phone calls all day today. Tomorrow will be all about Clinton, but today it’s about pinten.’