Whilst looking through my archive for photos themed along the lines of “Dry January” I came across this street photo I took back in 2014. I would often see this chap walking around Chertsey carrying a can of Special Brew in this rather interesting grip; I wasn’t sure if he was trying to hide it from view or whether it was just one of his quirks.
For those that don’t know Special Brew is a super strength lager that was brewed for the occasion of Winston Churchill’s visit to the Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen. Its alcohol content used to be 9% ABV but in 2015 Carlsberg lowered it to 7.5% in the UK partly in response to concerns about high strength beers, but most likely as the government raised the levy on beers over 7.5%. I’m not sure that would make it qualify for Dry January though!
This photo was taken in 2014 so his can was probably the original 9% ABV lager. Although I had seen him many times I had never managed to find a way to photograph his unusual grip surreptitiously until I was sat at the railway station platform waiting for a train to London. As luck would have it he came and stood right in front of me, and continuing my fortune he stood between two distant posters; one proclaiming “Fatal Attraction” and the other a more simple “Warning”, as if implying that super strength lagers needed to be drunk carefully.
As a photographer this is a great example of always keeping a camera with you and why I love street photography so much. It’s often just a case of biding your time and staying alert to the possibilities for capturing candid imagery.
Dry cheers!
:DK
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