Respect Yourself.

I'm just the beer guy, and so I can't speak for everyone at Pints&union, but it's a great feeling to know you're working for/with people who take public health seriously, who are NOT science doubters, and who are doing their very best to observe pandemic protocols, and to implement best practices for the benefit of customers and workers alike.

If a food service establishment's or bar's priorities are in the right place, it doesn't matter that these various governmental pandemic mandates lack the necessary enforcement mechanisms to dissuade miscreants from mayhem. You follow the mandates because it's the right thing to do in a public health emergency.

We all know some establishments aren't, and to be perfectly frank, I struggle mightily with the "code of silence" as traditionally observed by the food and drink sector pertaining to withholding comment about what occurs elsewhere in the hospitality business.

I appreciate those of you who have sent me accounts, photos and videos of incredibly unhealthy scenes at local eateries and bars. I applaud your candor and grasp of the issues.

However, I won't lie to you; there's nothing I can do to help. You might try informing your elected and appointed local government officials, although in all honesty they'll probably do little apart from kicking the can a bit further down the road. Regrettable, but true.

I know that there are no sure things in life. Perfection isn't attainable, but the object is to bust your ass pursuing it, and this is what Pints&union is doing with respect to dining and drinking indoors during a pandemic. I can attest to it.

Those of you who have no intention of visiting a restaurant or bar any time soon, you have my complete support; my own household still is doing curbside carry-out (Dragon Kings Daughter and Legacy Pizza and Bakery most recently), and because I'm extremely grateful to Pints&union for allowing me to do my work in the morning, and remotely from home whenever possible, I will not be shaming anyone else for refraining from old haunts until the pandemic is under control.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a community-minded, responsible place to have a sandwich and a drink, and you have not given Pints&union a try, please do. We're doing everything in our power to make the experience safe and enjoyable. Give us feedback, and let us know what you think about your visit.

(I have no ownership stake in Pints&union. As noted, I'm just the beer guy, and I didn't tell anyone else I was planning on writing this. COVID is real, and it's going to be with us for a while. We should be taking the virus seriously; what's more, we should be positively recognizing the efforts being made by those who DO accept their responsibilities toward this end. Thank you for your support.)

Open Arms: Indiana enthusiastically welcomes COVID-cuted Kentucky diners, drinkers.

"Duh" just doesn't do it justice. Not only that, but every now and then, 125% is the new 75%.

Some Louisville bars report losing business as Indiana competitors face less stringent restrictions, by Sara Sidery (WDRB)

Some Louisville restaurants say they're losing business to competitors across the river, as Indiana has less stringent restrictions on patrons.

Indiana is keeping bars and restaurants at 75% capacity for another month, but Kentucky establishments are still stuck at 50% and likely will be for a while.

Eine kleine Nachtmusik.

It's complicated. If the solution is outdoors, there'll be understandable NIMBY in response, at least in some cases. As usual, Berlin is ahead of the pack; the author also looks at Paris, London and Madrid. Will we see the return of the speakeasy?

The Nightlife Rescue Plan That Could Save Your City’s Scene, by Feargus O'Sullivan (CityLab)

As bars, clubs and music venues emerge as high-risk sites for Covid-19 outbreaks, a team of experts has developed a playbook for nightlife survival.

In March, just days before the city locked down, three young people in Berlin began experiencing symptoms and tested positive for Covid-19. All three had been partying at the nightclub Kater Blau. Could they, doctors wondered, have infected other people during the same evening?

The answer was a resounding yes. One clubber, called Sina by the newspaper Welt Am Sonntag that investigated the outbreak, estimated that she had hugged and kissed at least 50 people during her visit to the club. She had talked very loudly, in very close quarters, to many others, trying to be heard over the booming sound system. Within just a few days, the three clubbers diagnosed with Covid-19 had been in close contact with over 1,000 people, likely making them unwitting super-spreaders. It’s unknown how many of those clubgoers ended up contracting the disease, but the potential toll is high indeed. A single person infected with coronavirus who visited Berlin’s Trompete nightclub earlier in March ended up infecting 17 others in a single evening.

Since then, it’s become clear that such outbreaks were no outliers. In Japanese karaoke haunts, Zurich nightclubs and Florida beach bars, the indoor places where people gather to drink, dance and listen to music have emerged as major super-spreader risks. South Korean public health officials traced more than 100 cases to a single infected Seoul pubcrawler who hit five nightspots over two days. In communities that appeared to be successfully controlling the spread of the virus, reopened nightspots appear to be fueling fresh outbreaks.

So should all bars and clubs simply close until we have a vaccine or cure? A blanket ban on all nightlife activities would be economically devastating, impossible to police and socially harmful, says a new report from the nightlife consultancy VibeLab. Co-created with an international panel of night mayors, academics and music promoters, the report recommends that urban nightlife must very carefully move outdoors, and lays out a set of principles for doing that. The advice reflects what’s been learned over a period in which food and drink service in cities around the globe has set up shop outside, often claiming street and sidewalk space from other uses — an ad-hoc solution that hasn’t always succeeded.

The VibeLab report is just the first installment of the group’s overarching Global Nighttime Recovery Plan, due in September. Future installments will focus on a host of pandemic-fueled problems, including finding financial supports for workers and owners of venues that can’t reopen and what the future of dance and live music clubs might look like. Its goal is not just to save a threatened part of cities’ cultural and economic life, but to make some longer-term improvements in relations between nightlife businesses and citizens, and how public spaces are managed and monitored. It would be wrong, the report suggests, to see the pandemic as a unique and unprecedented emergency: The night economy faced a grave threat even before the coronavirus arrived ...

Birds of Prey.

True; the whole class is losing recess because of the actions of a few. At the same time, local governments have refused to enforce their own laws (as Steve notes), and the responsible majority within the food and drink economic sector has looked the other way while the scofflaws deny science and shirk voluntary restrictions. 

Change has to come from both directions. This being America, it likely won't, with the pandemic lasting longer and causing more suffering than it should. 

Opinion: Closing, Opening Bars And Restaurants Hastens Their Avoidable Deaths, by Steve Coomes (The Whiskey Wash)

 ... In 2020, anyone with any sense knows that packing the house is reckless. Still, some insist on rolling the dice and betting their immune systems are superior to an invisible microorganism that’s killed more than 150,000 and infected more than 4 million people in the U.S. alone. Pour alcohol on such stupidity and the gambler just gets gutsier ...

BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: What is a "bar" and what is not; who can open now, and who must wait?

The Frozen Weenie Chronicles of 2014.

Last week my friend Jeff at Riverside Cigars/Match Cigar Bar in Jeffersonville posted a conundrum at this Facebook page.

So, Governor Holcolm says:

Restaurants and bars that serve food may open (on May 11) at 50% capacity with operational limitations. Bar seating will be closed with no live entertainment. Servers and kitchen staff must wear face coverings

But ATC (Alcohol & Tobacco Commission) says:

A business that merely meets the minimum food requirements outlined in 905 IAC 1-20-1 of having hot soups, hot sandwiches, coffee, soft drinks, and milk available does not qualify to open for on-premises sales during stage 2.

So, I have a question. Since when does "meeting requirements" mean one "does not qualify"? Their words, not mine!

The answer: Whenever the ATC says it does -- or doesn't.

However, in fairness to the ATC, if making sense of the laws handed by legislators to the agency is confusing during non-pandemic times, it can only be more impenetrable when some rules have been suspended, others have not, and there exists no real road map for wandering through the maze.

According to the governor's Back on Track economic reopening plan, bars without full food service cannot reopen until Stage 4, which lands on June 14th.

The ATC's official clarification can be found here.

May 8, 2020: Frequently Asked Questions on EO 20-26, Roadmap to Reopen Indiana

1. What is a “bar area”? The bar area for the purposes of Executive order 20-26 is the counter over which drinks are served. During Stage 2, this area should be for employees only. Chairs should be removed or marked as unavailable. Ordering, serving, and consuming food and drinks for on-premises consumption is prohibited in this area. To the extent that this area is being used for ordering and serving of carryout food orders, a business may continue to do this while following the CDC guidelines.
2. What is a bar or tavern that must remain closed under Paragraph 10. e. during Stage 2? A bar or tavern is a premises that prohibits the entry of anyone under the age of twenty-one and is not in the business of providing in-person full dining service. A business that merely meets the minimum food requirements outlined in 905 IAC 1-20-1 of having hot soups, hot sandwiches, coffee, soft drinks, and milk available does not qualify to open for on-premises sales during stage 2.
3. Can a retail restaurant permittee that is limited to customers twenty-one and over allow on-premises dining during Stage 2 at 50% capacity and following other social distancing and sanitation measures? Yes. The bar area must remain closed and the business must provide in-person full dinging service. A business that merely meets the minimum food requirements outlined in 905 IAC 1-20-1 of having hot soups, hot sandwiches, coffee, soft drinks, and milk available does not qualify to open for on-premises sales during stage 2.

It's clear enough to me. Bars not normally engaged in food service on-premise cannot reopen until June 14, and the ATC isn't allowing the frozen weenie dorm fridge or even a food truck to alleviate this interpretation.

My personal view is that all these reopenings are happening too soon, but no one asked me. However, if it's to be now, then it needs to be consistent. My former brewers' guild board mate Shane Pearson (Daredevil Brewing) said it best, encapsulating his viewpoint as well as mine:

"Some of this deciding what is in which stage seems random or just not trusting people to do the right thing. If you have social distancing then most retail businesses should be able to open at the same pace. Lots of room for people to stay under the radar. I've got no issue if they maintain social distancing & other requirements."

My homes away from home are gone, so the SOCIALIST is having BEERS WITH himself.

And with his wife, of course. Let's take a look at the calendar.

Oktoberfest? Nope.

The Fiesta of San Fermin in Pamplona? Canceled.

Poperinge Hop Fest? No word yet, but "no go" would seem to be a foregone conclusion.

I'll concede to no longer being the type who enjoys large gatherings like Octoberfest and San Fermin. Poperinge's triennial paean to the magic cone is vastly smaller and better suited to my preferences. It's clear that all such gatherings will succumb to the coronavirus in 2020.

That's part of the reason why as years go, 2020 already has ceased to exist. For all intents and purposes, we're playing for New Year's Day, 2021.

My reaction to the global pandemic response recalls the words in 1914 of British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, who remarked to a friend as the United Kingdom's prepared to enter the First World War, "The lamps are going out all over Europe, (and) we shall not see them lit again in our life-time."

The lamps were lighted again, though it took a while. 106 years is one thing, 75 another (since the end of WWII), so nine years is sufficient for the rehash of an essay, given my inability at this late date to even remember the rationale for the original column.

First published in October of 2011, this essay was an attempt to explain the central place that pubs, libations, travel and their wonderful third spaces have occupied in my life.

However first a few words about the current fate of these third spaces.

During the pandemic an atheistic Dionysian public imbiber like me finds himself just as deprived of religious worship as any conventional believer. Without exaggeration, all the things I've truly cherished outside the boundaries of my own home are gone, with their return utterly uncertain, or whether they’re to come back in any recognizable form at all.

Depressing isn’t the word. It’s worse than that, of course in a metaphysical sense and not to be confused with a clinical diagnosis.

Seldom do I reference motion pictures to make a point, but I’m reminded of the Star Trek reboot a few years back wherein Spock watches as the planet Vulcan disintegrates before his eyes.

That’s the last six weeks for me, and for so many of us in the food and drink industry. 40 years and an entire working career, suspended in a flash. Forgive me if I’m unwilling to contemplate life without boisterous pubs with pints in Dublin, or relaxing beer gardens in Bavaria with 2,000 of your best friends. Being unable to go to places and experience them? Might as well amputate a limb or two.

Right now, I can’t fathom it. For me, here in America, pub culture always was the one sure antidote to our failed political experiment. Now the coronavirus has exposed the latter beyond any shadow of doubt, while also depriving us of the means to cope with (cov)idiocracy.

Hemingway’s empty bottle as a means of sovereign action serves no purpose if it cannot be thrown at the oppressor -- and if your oppressor is with you sheltering at home, your problems are far larger than a garden-variety hangover.

I’m not tremendously well. I’ll get better. Revolution works for me; it always has.

As Vonnegut would say, so it goes.

Here’s the 2011 rumination, touched up just a bit to fit my circumstances a decade later.

---

Homes Away from Home (2011 - 2020)

We went for a stroll one Sunday a few years ago and passed a fly-by-night evangelistic church occupying an old shotgun house that had witnessed better days.

A graying middle-aged man I’d never seen before was standing out front, and he waved animatedly as we passed. I stopped and looked at him with as dull an expression as I could muster, but he was undeterred.

“Some Sunday, why don’t you come to church with us?”

I stopped and thought about it.

“Sure, as long as you’ll come to my church with me.”

Now he was the one pausing to think.

“Where’s your church?”

Got him.

“Any pub will do.”

We kept walking. I never saw him again.

---

Often in this space I write about otherwise forgettable days both near and far, and the fact of these days being forever marked in my memory by the presence of beer.

Well, isn’t beer always involved?

Whether opening a growler of lager on my own porch with a cigar nearby, or schlepping bottles filled with ale via bicycle panniers through the Belgian countryside, times are better with beer.

Human life spans are long and short all at once, and most of our days and nights are passed and beyond recall, and yet I’ll never forget that one time in Bohemia, walking to the neighborhood rail station pub tap for pitchers of draft beer, and then spending the afternoon drinking with good, kind, giving people, even though communication was a challenge owing to our linguistic divergences.

On that occasion, we brought the beer back with us, but during the course of my decades as a professional drinker, I’ve preferred my consumption to be on premise, out in the open, and part of the public record. It’s a tightrope I enjoy walking, even if such openness sometimes has resulted in less than flattering recollections, both on my part and in the minds of those forced to witness my drunken antics.

Most of the time it doesn’t come to that, and there is a fundamentally positive dynamic at play. The reason why bars, pubs and other watering holes are the only places I’ve ever truly felt comfortable – my natural habitat, as it were – is in part a statement about my innate proclivities, and also owing to the historical function of those places as third spaces.

Nowadays most of us in America have living rooms of our own, but a social instinct still impels us to find another milieu to spend time apart from home and work, another comfortable spot – perhaps a gym, coffee shop, park bench … or even a church, in a pinch derived from sheer desperation.

Well, churches can be interesting to look at, preferably while drinking at a sidewalk café across the square.

These are functional examples, but all of them a bit dry for my taste. I prefer my third spaces to offer the possibility of consuming beverage alcohol, most often beer. When I’m surrounded by people who feel the same, anything is possible. This is especially true when you’re a wandering stranger, and find yourself welcomed, albeit temporarily, into the public living room of the locals.

It never gets any better than that.

An inviting barroom shifts the perspective of the traveler from the expansive outside looking in, to the inside looking back out ... at times, tightly. From five thousand miles away, you enter a cozy room and ask for a tankard of whatever is made right there, whether in the building, the town or the region.

Granted, one might have a lovely experience in Munich at a mock Pampas restaurant specializing in the beef and wines of southernmost South America, but really, shouldn’t you be going somewhere else for those?

---

The late Bostonian ward-heeling politician Tip O’Neill rather famously commented that all politics is local, and in like fashion, my pathway is leading me inexorably to this conclusion: All beer drinking culture is local.

Although I’m no longer a craft brewery owner, and allow myself a broad range of geographical libational constructs, there remains an essence and primacy to what is being brewed at or near the place one drinks beer.

Truthfully the homebrewer’s self-made bounty is the purest possible example, followed by local commercial brewers and their products. If the beer comes from elsewhere, whether down the road or around the globe, there remains a commensurate importance in choosing genuinely local ownership of the establishments serving it.

I’ll be damned if I’m going to drive all the way to Chico, California, and drink Sierra Nevada at the “neighborhood” chain restaurant, Applebee’s. They may serve it, but chains don’t deserve my patronage.

Returning full circle to the man’s invitation those many years ago to come to church, it may sound as if I’m formulating commandments and theological doctrine. You bet it does. What do you think this philosophy major has been pondering all these years while balanced, at times precariously, atop those thousands of bar stools?

Beer drinking is my sacrament, and pubs are my sanctuaries. When the collection tray was passed, I put all of my money into beer. I got the true religion for sure, but it came from drinking the beer … not the Kool-Aid.

Sam is stepping away from Sam's, but the institution abides with new ownership.

Photo from Payne-Koehler Road in 1980, with
the Fourth Dam Tavern (future Sam's) on the left.

Sam Anderson is stepping away from the restaurant biz. Below you'll find the local chain newspaper's coverage.

Sam as an individual and Sam's as a bar/restaurant are iconic institutions in New Albany. "Legend" is overused, but entirely appropriate in this instance. How many local eateries have been in business for the better part of 37 years under the same name and ownership? Sam is the link between the Lancaster's and South Side of old, and the explosion of new dining and drinking establishments today.

I believe the footprint of the original Sam's now lies beneath asphalt near the intersection of Charlestown Road and Blackiston Mill Road. In olden times it was called Kamer's Tavern, then became Fourth Dam Tavern for a very long period. It's what the business was called when I attended university at IU Southeast.

It will suffice to say that the Fourth Dam Tavern was a dive in the old-school sense, not at all cuddly in the contemporary parlance. The door on the Blackiston Mill Road side, which was used by customers, was less than a sidewalk's length from passing cars. It was insane.

I turned 21 in 1981, which proved briefly embarrassing when revealed to staffers in the joints where I already was a regular. Around the same time Fourth Dam Tavern closed, and the new owner remodeled it into a German-themed eatery (no joke) called the Gasthaus. The redesign includes stucco and exterior murals of Bavarian scenes, pained by a local artist Rene Delisle, who died in 2002.

Gasthaus lasted maybe two years, and was followed by a short-lived bar and grill called Ye Olde Mill Inn. Then in early 1984 came Sam's.

Friends of mine knew Sam from high school, and we all became immediate barflies. This will come as a shock to some, but one of the beers Sam kept around for us was Michelob Classic Dark in bottles. We drank the living hell out of that one, along with St. Pauli Girl, Beck's and (yes) draft swill when money was tight.

Sam's under Sam was an institution. Let's hope it stays that way under the news owners -- and, by the way, the fire at the original location of Sam's was in December 2013, not 2014. Minor point, I know. The reason I remember is that is happened right before Christmas.

Sam's Food & Spirits founder stepping away from business, by John Boyle (News&Bune)

After nearly four decades, Sam Anderson is selling his namesake restaurant, which has been a part of the Floyd County community since opening in 1984.

It won't be pretty: "You know when I drink alone, I prefer to be by myself."

George Thorogood was right on the money, and we're all going to be given the chance to prove it very soon.

As of Sunday evening, a COVID-19 cordon was descending on those of us in the on-premise food and drink business. Illinois and Ohio already have shut down restaurants and bars, with exceptions for carry-out and delivery (just no congregating inside or lines outside).

So did Massachusetts and California. So has much of Europe.

Several Louisville bars already have announced voluntary shutdowns, and just now I was reading a half-dozen social media posts urging Mayor Greg Fischer to stop waiting for the governor and make the closings in Louisville mandatory.

The duration elsewhere generally is being being phrased as two or three weeks, but everyone would be better off reading these words as "indefinitely," because that's what is meant, even if it isn't being said aloud.

Obviously I'm self-interested, given employment at Pints&union, but this post isn't to be construed as disagreement. Personally I regard the temporary closings as inevitable given the realities of COVID-19. Public health trumps draft beer and tacos.

It simply is, and the realization that there'll be more than a few small, local independent businesses that won't be able to resume operations after it's over is bittersweet, depressing and an enticement to fight the good fight, all at once. 

It's all moving way too fast to capture even a sliver of it in words.

However, allow me to offer this: As the chain of command goes in Indiana, I'd expect the shutdown orders to come from Governor Eric Holcomb, perhaps through the state department of health and the Alcohol & Tobacco Commission (for alcohol license holders). I say this because Caesar's was put on a two-week furlough by the state gaming commission.

Jeff Gahan will have nothing to do with any of this, whether by personal inclination (he's been in the bunker for eight years) or personal authority. Insofar as the Floyd County Health Department is concerned, simply allow me to remind those of you who are just tuning in that its chieftain Dr. Thomas Harris won't screw around. This I learned seven years ago.

In fact, judging from his behavior in 2013 and 2014, when I spent a year of my business life contesting his out-of-nowhere decision to unilaterally demand temporary food service permits of temporary beer event pourers (he was proven wrong by the Indiana Supreme Court, by the way, and I consider beating him the greatest achievement of my entire career), Dr. Tom won't hesitate to act even if no orders are forthcoming from Indianapolis.

He's that sure of himself, and that imperious. If he thinks it's the right thing to do, he'll start padlocking doors tomorrow morning.

In this instance, he also may be right in doing so, although it grieves me to concede it. 

In any event there'll be a immense amount of pressure placed on the governor to restrict or suspend restaurant and bar service. I predict it will come tonight or tomorrow, because of St. Patrick's Day on Tuesday; also, it would be two weeks until month's end at this point, thus offering a convenient time frame for action.

At least if we know tomorrow, we won't be stuck with perishables and beverages we can't sell.

How will small businesses survive this?

I have no idea. It's unexplored territory, and if ever the phrase "taking it day by day" applies, it is right now.

Stay tuned, and thanks for reading.

Amadeo Lázaro and 50 kilos of snails on Sunday: “There are no bartenders like me any more, I’m a museum piece.”

Photo credit: EL PAÍS

This article was suggested by Jeff and Karen, who recently spent time in Spain. I find myself deeply moved. A long-term commitment to one's craft seems such an anachronism, and yet it should be the norm.

This guy gets it, snails and all. 

“There are no bartenders like me any more, I’m a museum piece”, by Julia F. Cadenas; English version by Alicia Kember (EL PAÍS)

EL PAÍS speaks to Amadeo Lázaro, the 90-year-old owner of the iconic tavern Casa Amadeo, about success, preparing snails and why he has no plans to retire

When Amadeo Lázaro is asked if he is the boss, he replies that he’s just the errand boy. “We’re here to serve you, to welcome you with a positive attitude,” he says. Lázaro first began working at a bar when he was 11. Now, at age 90, he has been running Madrid’s iconic Casa Amadeo “Los Caracoles,” in the La Latina neighborhood, for nearly half a century.

Question. You’ve been here a few years…
Answer. A few years less than Cascorro square [where the bar is located].

Q. The square is going to be renamed.
A. After all I’ve done, the square should be renamed after me.

Q. What have you learned in this time?
A. I’m still learning! Because there is so much to learn. I have learned that it is a virtue to be friendly, warm, and humble when accepting people‘s money. You have to know how to hope and how to love ...

Honky Tonk Night at Pints&union is Thursday 11 July, with live music by Hugh E. Bir.

I can't locate the previous discussion in which we tried to determine the downtown New Albany food and drink establishment which has been in business the longest.

Chains don't count; indies only. Sorry, White Castle.

As for package, Bridge Liquors is 56 years old. It isn't downtown, but it's inside the beltway. However the current Sunset Spirits on Spring Street might have commenced as Gaslight Liquors as early as 1959.

For food, Sam's is around 35 years old, but it's no longer within New Albany city limits. NABC's original location began in 1987. Who am I missing? This time maybe we should try making a complete list.

In terms of a bar, at 51 years of age surely Hugh E. Bir's Cafe predates all the rest, although Hitching Post might be in the running.

Pints&union will be a year old on August 1, and tomorrow evening (Thursday, July 11) we're doing Honky Tonk Night with live music from the legend himself, Hugh E. Bir. Fried chicken will be served. On the beer side we'll be keeping in the spirit of things with Lone Star longneck bottles and a keg of Shiner Bock.

It's going to be a fun evening and I'm planning on being there for a while tomorrow night. I haven't tasted Shiner Bock in years.

Recbar in Jeffersontown to open second location in downtown New Albany.

NA Social shared RecBar's post.

For more about RecBar Louisville, click here.

That's all I have, seeing as prior to seeing NA Social's post, I didn't even know there WAS such a thing as Recbar. The old Rosita's location has been moribund for a very long time, so this is good news.

LIVE TO EAT: The advent of La Catrina, Mirin and The Earl proves that investments in food and drink downtown are not abating.

It may seem as if there is no connection between The Onion's all-time classic "War Declared by All" and the restaurant/bar scene in downtown New Albany, but look closely at the arrows on the above map.

This is how it seems.

Last summer, Longboard's and Pints&union opened. Dragon King's Daughter moved to a new space, and now La Catrina's will occupy DKD's former address. Double Barrel began where Match used to be, and next to it, Roadrunner occupied the square footage formerly used by Urban Bread.

Now Roadrunner will shift to a nearby address, and a second location of Mirin will take its place. Meanwhile, seemingly out of nowhere, Big Four Burgers ceased and Cox's Hot Chicken & Sports emerged. During all this, Floyd County Brewing Company expanded what amounts to an adjacent sister business, Grain Haus, by adding a wood-fired pizza oven.

No, I personally don't know anything more about River City Winery's operating issues than anyone else does. We need RCW back at full strength.

Finally  ... across the street from Pints&union, where Comfy Cow once held court, there'll be a new bar called The Earl ... and the Gospel Bird floor plan remains up for grabs by a fresh, new contestant.

Before offering a few links to explain at least some of these arrows, just this point: For many onlookers, changes in the food and dining scene connote instability, but while there'll always be an inherent fragility, there's also an ebb and flow to any healthy business segment. It's like an ecosystem.

The glass half full: Each night of the week, even Monday, there are hundreds more customers eating and drinking at downtown New Albany establishments than there were only a few years ago.

It's probably 95% more than it was in the barren wasteland time of 2003, when we bought our house on the 1100 block of Spring. For some current purveyors, it won't be enough. For others, it will. There's always more we can do to promote and project, although often, everyone's in the weeds.

Things will change ... and change is good.

Three links follow. 

La Catrina restaurant in New Albany to offer authentic Mexican street food, by Brooke McAfee (Tome May Content Multiplier)

NEW ALBANY — Chef Roza Segoviano found some of her favorite food from street vendors while spending a few years in Mexico. In early 2019, she will bring an authentic taste of that culinary scene to downtown New Albany.

La Catrina Mexican Kitchen, located at 202 Elm St., will present a grand opening on Jan. 4. The building was previously home to Dragon King's Daughter.

Griffin Paulin of Mirin previewed the New Albany location in a Facebook post, and then Insider Louisville analyzed these social media comments. Following is the text of Paulin's post.

It’s true, we are opening a 2nd Mirin in downtown New Albany. Here’s some info:

We are setting a goal of February 1st for an opening date. This is ambitious and may not happen. Please don’t hold us to this date. There is much to be done, but we have hit the ground running.

We will be taking over the space currently occupied by Roadrunner Kitchen, who I believe will continue operating through December. They aren’t closing- just moving. Check them out in the meantime- really cool people who do Good Shit™️. 145 E. Main Street, New Albany.

Executive Chef at the new location will be Jon Kaelin. Y’all know Jon’s pedigree. Dudes a tank and way talented. Stoked to have him, obviously.

My guy Levi Crandall will be working in conjunction with Jon as his front of house counterpart. He brings necessary experience that Mirin needs to continue to grow and evolve. He is a New Albany resident. And he’s quite handsome.

Michael and David will maintain a role at both restaurants, though the specifics of those roles are gonna be free flowing- we’ll figure it out, man. David is taking an immediate “promotion” to Sous Chef, but he was basically already the Sous Chef, so it’s kind of whatever. Michael will continue to be my go to guy for all Mirin related things.

Cody Graudick will be getting an expanded role at the Mirin in Louisville, so, like, ayyy, TONY!!!

The menu will be similar to Mirin Louisville, but different. We haven’t finalized it yet. Just scrawled some shit on the back of a Fire Greens invoice. But we’ve gone through enough menus at Mirin.... the actual food is honestly the last of our worries.

Oh, and I am HIRING SO HARD RIGHT NOW PLEASE HELP.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day!

Little is yet known about The Earl. I'm told the owners are veterans of Doc Crow's and the short-lived (but wonderful) Red Herring, both in Louisville. At the moment, their ATC license is waiting in escrow, and interior work is underway.

Courtesy of Facebook, here's the logo.

BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: "When you think of your favorite spot to grab a beer, what architectural features come to mind?"

Jeff Speck forwarded the following link at Twitter, and if you're like the lady who wrote to the newspaper the other day from an anguished but belated realization that someone had changed the street grid in New Albany without bothering to ask her permission, and demanded to know who was responsible, then kindly note: had Speck's revolutionary recommendations been fully embraced by Mayor Deafrey Gahan, this woman's tenuous grip on reality would have eroded even further by now.

Maybe not everyone should be allowed to drive.

However, this column is about beer, not mayoral incompetence or car-centric nut cases, so let's move forward to an interesting glimpse at one writer's selection of nine bars that every architect needs to visit.

To me, the essential ingredient for bucket-list bars is that they're located somewhere else, preferably in Europe, and have good adult beverages to drink -- namely, beer. As such, I've actually been to the Hofbrauhaus and Hirschgarten for lagers, and once walked past the American Bar in Vienna.

This said, taking the author's task as our own, it's hard to imagine a more worthy addition to the architectural list than this gem.

The bar at the West Baden Springs Hotel, just up the road from Nawbany adjacent to French Lick in central Hoosierland, is situated in the atrium beneath a 200-ft dome once dubbed the 8th Wonder of the World. 

Just saying.

The 9 Bars That Every Architect Needs to Visit, by Kaley Overstreet (Arch Daily)

When you think of your favorite spot to grab a beer, what architectural features come to mind? Is it the swanky furniture, themed artwork, or the heavily designed cocktail menu? Today, the aesthetics of bars are now as much a draw as the drinks themselves. From movie set inspired spaces to rooftops that offer spectacular city views, we’ve compiled a list of nine bars and beer gardens that every architect needs to cross off their list.

The Double Barrel bourbon lounge on Main Street is open for business.

Double Barrel opened yesterday. It's on Main Street opposite the forthcoming Reisz Mahal, in the former Match cigar bar location.

I think it's savvy of them to emphasize the bourbon. Establishments need to angle for distinctive niches amid what we all hope will become a pedestrian-friendly downtown zone.

New Albany's only bourbon lounge opens, by Danielle Grady (That Tom May Show)

NEW ALBANY — Louisville has so many bourbon bars, there are online lists devoted to picking out the ones most worth your time. Southern Indiana? Not so much.

Double Barrel, which opened on Friday at 147 E. Main St., will be New Albany’s only.

The lounge, which replaces the former New Albany location of Jeffersonville’s bourbon bar, Match Cigar Bar, will serve over 30 different kinds of bourbon: from I.W. Harper to Knob Creek.

WDRB also ran a segment.

New Albany has a new downtown hotspot.

Double Barrel Bourbon Bar opened for business Friday afternoon on East Main Street. The owners said it's the first high-end bar of its kind in New Albany.

There's no food served, but Double Barrel features a relaxed atmosphere where customers can enjoy drinks before or after dinner.

(Just a thought: best have that freezer in back packed with hot dogs and buns, and a microwave. Instant coffee, powdered milk. Been there, done that ... ATC citation.)

BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: The forthcoming beer list at Pints&union (bottle and can edition).

This one's NOT on the list.

Yesterday I wrote briefly about the opening draft list at Pints& union, but first a quick reminder: when we're ready, that's when we'll open for business, and the best way to know is to follow the pub's progress at Facebook.

BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: Kevin Gibson's look at Pints&union in Insider Louisville.

Today, the bottles and cans I've chosen.

Old-timers will notice the presence of "comfort beers," "neglected classics" and "greatest beer hits" alongside beers like Stroh's, Old Style and Little Kings. The juxtaposition is purely intentional.

Indeed, it's a more egalitarian list than I would have written at the peak of polemical fervor, with fewer local craft brews; as noted previously, in my view the revolution has succeeded in large measure, and there are numerous American craft beers being vended in downtown New Albany.

The best possible outcome for my city is when folks wander from place to place, sampling the offerings.

When available choices number in the hundreds, decisions must be made. I've opted for stylistic diversity, and relaxed my vigilance a bit. In point of fact, Stroh's, Old Style and Little Kings are what I drank in my twenties, until the imported bug bit. However, the beer list's Trappist and traditional German games are strong, too.

I'm still adjusting the wording for the styles. Anyone can look on-line and identify a beer by style; the problem is that different sources don't always agree on terminology. I reserve the right to tweak and make these identifiers as comprehensible as possible for the general public.

We're still in the process of sorting through our cooler space. Once we're up and rolling, another 12-15 beers in bottles and cans slowly will be added to the list. If those beers with a shorter shelf life don't move, we'll remainder them and flip another coin. The somewhat permanent list should land in the range of 45 selections.

Other Indiana wholesalers will get into mix as time passes. I've opted to keep things simple at the start, and once the ground game is established, we'll fire up the passing game.

What else? Prices are yet to come, sorry; we just got there today, and the POS is being programmed.

BOTTLES AND CANS (bottles unless noted)

Anchor Steam (California Common; 12oz; 4.9%; CA)
Boon Oude Geuze (Lambic; 12oz; 7%; Belgium)
Central State Garden (Gose; 16oz can; 3.6%; IN)
Daredevil Vacation Kӧlsch (Kӧlsch; 16.9oz can; 5%; IN)
Duvel (Strong Golden Ale; 11.2oz; 8.5%; Belgium)

Little Kings (Cream Ale; 7oz; 5.5%; OH)
Newcastle Brown Ale (English Brown Ale; 11.2oz; 4.7%; England)
Old Style (American Lager; 16oz can; 5%; WI)
Orval (Trappist Ale; 11.2oz; 6.2%; Belgium)
Orkney Skull Splitter (Wee Heavy; 11.2oz btl; 8.5%; Scotland)

Rochefort 10 (Trappist Ale; 11.2oz; 11.3%; Belgium)
Rodenbach Sour Ale (West Flanders Red; 11.2oz; 5.2%; Belgium)
Saison Dupont (Classic Saison; 12.7oz; 6.5%; Belgium)
Sam. Smith’s Oatmeal Stout (Oatmeal Stout; 11.2oz; 5%; England)
Sam. Smith’s Organic Perry (Perry/Pear Cider; 11.2oz; 5%; England)

Schlenkerla Marzen Rauchbier (Smoked Lager; 16.9oz; 5.1%; Germany)
Schneider Aventinus (Wheat Bock; 16.9oz; 8.2%; Germany)
Schneider Weisse (Bavarian Wheat; 16.9oz; 5.4%; Germany)
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (American Pale Ale; 12oz can; 5.6%; CA/NC)
Smithwick’s Ale (Irish Red Ale; 11.2oz; 3.8%; Ireland)

St. Bernardus Abt 12 (Trappist Ale; 11.2oz; 10%; Belgium)
Stiegl Grapefruit Radler (Lager & Fruit Soda; 16.9oz can; 2.5%; Austria)
Stone IPA (India Pale Ale; 12oz; 6.9%; CA)
Stroh’s (American Lager; 12oz can; 4.6%; OH)
Three Floyds Alpha King (American Pale Ale; 12oz btl; 6.5%; IN)

Upland Wheat (Belgian-style Wheat; 12oz can; 4.7%; IN)
Upland Champagne Velvet (Pre-Prohibition Pilsner; 16oz can; 5.2%; IN)
Vander Mill Hard Apple (Apple Cider; 16oz can; 6.8%; MI)
Westmalle Tripel (Trappist Ale; 11.2oz; 9.5%; Belgium)

ON THE AVENUES: Thanks to Joe Phillips, there'll be pints, union and good times downtown.

ON THE AVENUES: Thanks to Joe Phillips, there'll be pints, union and good times downtown.

A weekly column by Roger A. Baylor.

I'm always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where I've been.
-- Billie Holiday (Lady Sings the Blues, 1956)

Well, it’s about to get real. The theme from the television series Cheers will be playing constantly in my head for the remainder of July, and I intend to cherish every moment.

The precise timetable for the opening of Pints & Union remains in flux, because if a cookie-cutter franchise atrocity like Dunkin’ Donuts on Charlestown Road can tease local chain addicts for months on end, we’d obviously rather not emulate their weird delays – and small, independently-owned businesses are labors of love as well as agents of commerce.

As the Motown song informed us, "you can’t hurry love."

The advent will be soon. Very soon. Construction is almost finished, and the equipment’s in place. It’s a matter of finishing touches, permits and inventory.

Earlier in the week, I referenced both Pints & Union and Pints&union. Fortunately, the words are the same, if spaced differently; may St. Arnold of Soissons spare me yet another experience of running one joint with four, maybe five names. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

As such, perhaps you’ll enjoy three excerpts from the FAQ.

---

What is Pints&union?

Pints&union is a progressively Old World public house in downtown New Albany, featuring small plates, classic cocktails and comfort beers, with counter service only.

Why is it spelled Pints&union?

It’s Pints&union, one word. The ampersand represents the spirit of inclusivity. These three words have been wedded as one to represent the intention of the pub: share pints, share conversation, share a moment - experience union among your neighbor/friend/stranger no matter your ideals, politics, background, or social standing. We all have something to share with one another, and all it takes to bridge the divide is to have a willingness to put aside differences and see each other as fellow humans. After all: Memento mori.

What does “Memento mori” mean?

Memento mori is the ancient practice of reflection on mortality that goes back to Socrates. In early Buddhist texts, a prominent term is maraṇasati, which translates as “remember death.” Memento mori is a habit of mind in consideration of the vanity of earthly life, and the transient nature of all earthly goods and pursuits.

---

I’d like you to meet Joe Phillips.

Joe and I have spent considerably more than a year discussing the concept henceforth to be known as Pints&union. While I contributed to the theoretical vision and will be representing the pub’s beer on a daily basis, it needs to be understood that Joe’s the main man behind Pints&union.

I’m the rhythm guitarist, a supporting actor, or maybe just a guy who fervently wishes his friend and former employee to succeed in this entrepreneurial venture, and will do whatever is necessary to contribute to this end. I'm heavy into Pints&union -- I'm just not the big guy. That's more than fine with me.

Joe has worked in the food and drink business since he was 15 years old, washing dishes in a pizzeria somewhere. He's done it all, and helped open more restaurants and bars than I can fathom. He and his family are putting it all on the line with Pints&union, and they want to be in downtown New Albany for the long haul. Theirs is a pure commitment, and I admire it tremendously.

Many readers know me personally, some of them for long enough to remember the time so long ago when I had to be pushed from the wings into the limelight, kicking and screaming, eventually and rather unintentionally becoming the outspoken front man for a family business I married into, then divorced out of, but remained in a partnership with, right up until the past three years.

I wouldn’t trade the NABC experience for anything. The pub taught me how to speak, as opposed to only write. I came to enjoy being the carnival barker, and got fairly good at it, though probably not great; my strengths play more to the pub side, and less to outside beer sales.

Infamy's enough, and it’s all part of history now. At this juncture in my life, it’s an appealing prospect to play a contributing role toward helping Joe and his family achieve their indie dreams. Thanks, Joe. I’ve been away for a while, and I deeply appreciate the chance to come back.

---

Joe isn’t the only independent small business operator setting up shop downtown.

Dragon King's Daughter is in the process of moving into its remodeled space at 129 W. Market. A block to the east, in the direction of Pints&union, Hitching Post recently reopened after a complete rebuild.

Another half block east, Longboard's Taco & Tiki (302 Pearl Street Suite C) is set to open any minute, and over on Main Street there's Double Barrel, a bourbon bar and lounge at 147 E. Main (formerly Match Cigar Bar), adjacent to Roadrunner Kitchen -- which opened earlier in 2018.

Gospel Bird and Bank Street Brewhouse remodeled in 2018, with Taco Steve moving into the latter. Quills Coffee slipped into the nearby alley in a brand new downsized space, and Floyd County Brewing Company expanded with a new seating area situated just down the hill from the main building, called The Grain Haus.

Quietly in April, Ian and Nikki Hall's Brand Hospitality Group purchased the Main Street space adjacent to their restaurant The Exchange, formerly occupied by Feast BBQ.

Mesa Kids Cooking School has begun on Main Street.

There'll be some sort of bar at the former Comfy Cow.

Hull & High Water won't be a year old until September.

For the first time in months, there isn't a new license up for consideration when the local ATC board meets in August.

Exhausted yet?

To be fair, there have been losers, too, as with vacancies at the former Dragon King locations and Destinations Booksellers. Overall, it's another million or two dollars added to the previous $60-odd million invested in downtown New Albany by independent small business operators during the past decade.

Now if we can just fill the vacant lots with living spaces, critical mass might be just around the corner, and yet do you remember how we once pointed to the unfairness of city-subsidized projects like Breakwater, because the subsidy (especially the sewer tap-in waiver) would also benefit whomever occupied the luxury apartment complex's commercial space, for which it sought an eatery or small bar?

The space remains empty. It turns out that at least one downtown dog won't hunt.

---

I mentioned labors of love, and the structure that's about to house Pints&union has been all that and a box of chocolates for Resch Construction. It has been somewhere around 16 months since work began in earnest, and the air-conditioning was switched on today.

The great guys on Team Resch deserve a medal for their warm-weather efforts, but let's hope they can make do with cold beer.

The two-story, wood-frame commercial building at 114 E. Market Street originally dates to the 1880s and has been completely rebuilt to its 19th-century dimensions. As many of the surviving materials as possible have been reused during the course of the modernization.

For much of its existence, the building has been home to taverns and eateries. In 1890, when Nicholas Sauer’s saloon was operating here, there were 80 drinking emporiums in New Albany (population 21,000), most of them located downtown within walking distance of each other.

During Prohibition, John Fagan ran a restaurant here. After WWII, businesses at 114 E. Market included Crump’s Cafe, Daniels Restaurant, Love’s Cafe and most recently Good Times.

In 1946, cafe owners Harry and Russell Daniels were among the business owners snagged in a sweeping local police crackdown on illicit gambling just after Mayor Raymond L. Jaegers committed suicide by means of a 38.-caliber pistol while seated at his office desk.

Or was he murdered?

At any rate, the physical home of Pints&union is nearly finished. It's a beauty, and a new star among a series of Resch reclamation projects, including the future home of The Root next door where Ace Loan & Sporting Goods used to be.

I'm not counting my ales before they're poured, but it feels wonderful to be back from wherever I've been.

---

Recent columns:

July 5: ON THE AVENUES: For Deaf Gahan and the Reisz Five, their luxury city hall will prove to be a Pyrrhic victory.

June 28: ON THE AVENUES: Said the spider to the fly -- will you please take a slice of Reisz?

June 21: ON THE AVENUES: Government Lives Matter, so it's $10,000,000 for Gahan's luxury city hall clique enhancement. Happy dumpster diving, peasants!

June 12: ON THE AVENUES: Histrionic preservation? $8.5 million to gift Jeff Gahan with a luxury city hall "want" is simply obscene in a time of societal need.

THE BEER BEAT: "Dives and hives" in Nawbany, a new brewery coming to Floyds Knobs, and other tales of the drinking life.

It's late notice, but if you're out and about today between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., drop by Donum Dei Brewery (3211 Grant Line Road in New Albany) for Chili Cookoff to Benefit Apron, Inc.

Let's begin with a gratifying round of self-aggrandizement.

Thanks to Sara "Bar Belle" Havens for the name-drop in this survey of "New Albany’s smoky dives and trendy hives" at Insider Louisville.

In the early ’90s, Roger Baylor transformed (NABC Pizzeria Public House) into a craft-beer mecca, long before craft beer was a big thing around here. And since then, it’s been the spot to try all sorts of styles and brands.

Ironically, the release of Sara's article was concurrent with RateBeer's annual list of very best places in America to have a beer, in which the Pizzeria & Public House yet again was named as Indiana's best brewpub (with Keg Liquors Clarksville capturing another "best bottle shop" citation).

Sara's pub crawl also took her to Jack's, Brooklyn and The Butcher and Hugh E. Bir Cafe. Taken as a whole, her wanderings testify to a rich diversity of drinking options in New Albany, and in spite of my own personal trials and travails, I have to admit I'm proud to have played my role in it -- and look forward to doing so again.

THE BEER BEAT: Have a look at this Pints&Union pub buildout progress report.

Speaking of start-ups, I too was surprised to see a brewery coming soon to Floyds Knobs.

A craft beer boom is looming. Keep an eye out for these 7 new breweries opening this year, by Bailey Loosemore (Louisville Courier Journal)

Our Lady of Perpetual Hops

Location: 3815 Paoli Pike, Floyds Knobs

Anticipated opening: Late spring

Introduction: We first heard of this new Southern Indiana brewery earlier this month, and it's already well on its way to capturing our attention.

The brewery will be located on a 10-acre property near the Valley View Golf Club, where four co-owners plan to eventually build an entertainment campus complete with a taproom, restaurant, sand volleyball courts, outdoor deck and beer garden.

The entire campus isn't expected to be finished until spring 2019. But this year, the company plans to open a small taproom and brewery in an existing building at the site.

CEO Robert Pappas, a chemist who owns Essential Oil University, said Our Lady's beers will be unique for the area.

With help from an experienced brewer, the team has created beers that incorporate essential oils to act as a sort of aromatherapy, Pappas said.

Follow the brewery's process on Facebook.

Upon further reflection, I recall discussing a similar idea with Rob (a longtime pub customer) in 2012 or thereabouts; at the time, he was looking at a farm in Starlight near the Huber winery and distillery. The brewer at OLPH is Kyle Richmer, and I'm enthused that the Knobs will be getting in on the game.

For the record, here is the entire list.

1. Falls City Brewing Co., 901 E. Liberty St., NuLu
2. Bluegrass Brewing Co., South Fourth Street and Broadway
3. Wild Hops Brewery, 1001 Logan St.
4. Our Lady of Perpetual Hops, 3815 Paoli Pike, Floyds Knobs
5. False Idol Independent Brewers, 1025 Barret Ave.
6. Against the Grain, 719 Lynn St.
7. Goodwood Brewing Company, Vine Street

As a closer, ignore the author's lapse (these days my beloved Pilsner Urquell is owned by Asahi of Japan, not the MillerCoors leviathan) and feel good about how far beer has come in the States.

Now, all we need to do is make sense of where we've been. I have a feeling this is something that will be occupying much of my time in the near future.

Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America, by Derek Thompson (City Lab)

Corporate goliaths are taking over the U.S. economy, yet small breweries are thriving. Why?

But what explains the nature of the craft-beer boom? From several interviews with economists and beer-industry experts, I’ve gathered that there appear to be two big reasons—a straightforward cause and a more complex and interesting history.

Puzzlement compounded: How smoking kept cigar smokers away from the cigar bar, and other tales of the just plain weird.

"After almost seven months, Match, the cigar bar in New Albany, is closing and will be replaced by a smoke-free establishment."

It's a scalp-gouger, so let's get this straight.

Your LLC owns a building and leases space to a plush cigar lounge of proven merit, the major selling point of which is that it's a comfortable place to ... um ... smoke (and buy, and venerate) cigars, and then when it is decided that the cigar lounge can't cover the massive nut you've incurred from purchasing a building in the hope that a transplanted City Hall across the street will return your investment with compounded gravy, suddenly smoking becomes the root problem.

THE GREEN MOUSE: Match Cigar Bar NA is no more, but what's up with the restaurant rumored to be coming to the space?

Seems to us the root problem might be the insider information dispensed by the mayoral minions, but in any event, there's something off kilter about this story, Let's begin with the newspaper's coverage. We learn that a woman named Michelle Ray is the building's manager, seeing as the owners still don't have names like other human beings.

For what it's worth, we believe these men are called Metts and Triplett. Real estate speculators? It doesn't really matter; may they soon profit massively from whatever tidbits David Duggins spoon fed them -- and if not, they should invoice him for TIF futures.

Anyway, the last business to operate in the building prior to Match's arrival was a bar called Main Street Pub.

The short-lived Main Street Pub replaced the equally ephemeral Red Dragon Pub, all of which came and went very quickly before the building was sold to the current owners.

The newspaper's Grady takes it from here. Welcome to Double Barrel. We can't wait to see what's on tap -- and this sentiment is offered with perfect sincerity. In the interim, the high rollers might consider stepping out of the shadows.

And this pro tip: If you'll be serving Team Gahan's cadres once the refurbishment is completed, make sure to stock plenty of ice cold Bud Light Lime-flavored KOOL-Aid. They're simply powerless at the thought of it.

Lounge bar 'minus the smoking' replacing Match Cigar Bar's New Albany location, by Danielle Grady (New Adventures in Clark County)

NEW ALBANY — The owner of 145, 147 and 151 E. Main St. plans to strike it out on their own with a new bar, replacing Match Cigar Bar, which closed its New Albany location on Dec. 19 after almost seven months in business.

“It was unfortunate, obviously, that Match didn’t work out the way that we had hoped,” said Michelle Ray, the building’s manager, who has partnered with the building’s owner, 145-151 East Main Street LLC, to open the new bar. “...We have decided not just to let this place go to the wayside.”

Jeff Mouttet, the owner of Match, which still maintains its original Jeffersonville location, could not reveal all the details about why he closed his New Albany location, but he did say that the bar was making half what he originally thought it would. (Although, Mouttet’s plan was to keep the bar open until the City of New Albany moved its headquarters across the street).

The new bar coming to Main Street, called Double Barrel, will be similar to Match, but without the cigar smoking, which Ray said limited the establishment’s appeal.

“I know not everyone enjoys a cigar or the smoke,” she said. “Some people can’t bring their pregnant wives in here. So, you know, those things, now that that’s not going to be here, we hope to invite these people in that are actually against smoking.”

Double Barrel’s owners are going for an upper class lounge feel, but one that’s welcoming.

THE BEER BEAT: Are barstools even necessary? There ARE alternatives, you know.

Blog readers often must endure the senior editor chiding local officials for their failure to grasp placemaking.

With community-based participation at its center, an effective placemaking process capitalizes on a local community's assets, inspiration, and potential, and it results in the creation of quality public spaces that contribute to people's health, happiness, and well being.

If applied to a barroom, the principles of placemaking imply the direct involvement of customers in an establishment's design, these being the folks who'll be expected to use the space, because if the space doesn't meet their needs, there'll be too few customers and no hope of profit.

Of course, this isn't the way it usually works. For one thing, the build-out occurs before there are customers, based on the best guesses of business owners and contractors. In turn, these hunches are borrowed from pre-existing templates.

As David Wondrich explains, more templates of barroom design than we ever realize actually derive from top-down bureaucratic standards inherited in the aftermath of Prohibition, at times abetted with Hollywood's regimented narrative.

Think of Indiana's outdated floor space allocations, mandating where persons of different age can be, what they see, where they must go to use the bathroom, and dozens of other top-down specifications that have the effect of standardizing barrooms and restaurants.

For Wondrich, the humble barstool symbolizes the tyranny of a decades-long departure from what is true and genuine in barroom layout. It's beer for thought. The author references J. J. Foley's, a Boston pub founded in 1909. This photo illustrates his point about a bar without stools.

Naturally, there are tables and chairs aplenty, just not at the bar. I would do without the television. Aren't the drinkers all looking at their phones, anyway?

This is an excellent read. Thanks to the Bookseller for the tip.

Why I Hate Barstools and You Should, Too, by David Wondrich (Daily Beast)

A convincing case for banning these seats and bringing back bar room civility.

I hate barstools.

OK, let me amend that. I like them well enough at 2:15 on a Tuesday afternoon, when you can pull one up, lay a stack of bills on the bar and let the afternoon pad away on quiet cat feet of jukebox C&W and Crown Royal.

But when 6:30 p.m. rolls around and you’re trying to get a drink and the bar is palisaded with a Trumpian wall of backs; when putting in a simple drink order means you have to stick your head into someone’s side eye-patrolled personal space and yell past their ear; when reaching over the tight-packed shoulders to get your Martini is like playing one of those rigged claw games—then, barstools suck.

They represent, ultimately, a private taking of what should be a public space, like so many Malibu beach mansions, and separate us into the protective haves and the resentful have-nots. If you ask me, barstools are un-American.

And in actual fact, they are. Before Prohibition, with very few exceptions stools were for oyster counters and soda fountains. You sat on stools to eat, not to drink. If you wanted a cocktail or a shot of something, you hoisted your foot up on the brass rail, leaned in, and placed your order. When your drink came, you relinquished the space, turned to face your friends, and drank with them. This was the American style of bar, “peculiar to this country,” as the Brooklyn Eagle noted in 1865, “the peculiarity of which is that there are no sitting accommodations” and “the patrons drink standing at the counter.” That Western saloon in the movies, where some cowboy gets tight and starts bashing the Riley next to him with his stool?

Never happened ...

All available info points to a Hitching Post Tavern renovation after the fire, so all the best to them.

Since prattling at length on the topic in late May, I've heard nothing to contradict an eventual Hitching Post Tavern comeback, and this is good news, because advocating for the future of independent local businesses means rooting for all of them, not just the ones on your personal rotation of patronage.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.