And now this . . .
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I’d say the big three things are: Keep the staff, as long as they’re good people and they’ve been there that long—they probably really love the bar and that’s the hardest thing to get staff members to do. Everybody that works for us [at Blue Lagoon] worked for the bar beforehand, we didn’t lose anybody. Be price sensitive—if you’re gonna take over a bar like this and you know you’re gonna bring new people in, use that money to keep the prices lower for the people who have been there for so long. And really try and focus on the origins of the bar and make the bar feel like it’s from that period.”
— Bobby Heugel
From How to Save a Dive Bar — Without Ruining It (Heugel prefers the term neighborhood bar)
LEAD OF THE WEEK
In 1744, The Mermaid Inn was teeming with open secrets. Bands of rowdy, weather-beaten, sea-faring men would tumble in late at night, rest their pistols on the table, and wait for their tankards to be filled to the brim. Risk-averse regulars would swiftly filter out, wending their way home down cobbled streets while the notorious new arrivals settled in for the long haul.
There were no last orders for this lot—the Hawkhurst Gang was untouchable. They’d bent the town of Rye to their will through fear and force, becoming one of England’s most notorious ring of smugglers. Even if only a fraction of the stories about Arthur Gray and his butchers were true, that was enough to keep most people at arm’s length.
At the Mermaid, Rye’s oldest pub—where pipe smoke stained the wooden beams, years of nicotine yellowed and preserved Shakespearean paintings on the wall, and the wide, roaring hearth battled with cold draughts ebbing in from the windy streets outside—people minded their own business.
From Cinque Ports — How Medieval Law Shaped the Pubs of Rye, East Sussex
KICKER OF THE WEEK
It’s not acceptable for me to be lazy and complacent when it comes to inclusivity, because while my mind is mature enough to understand context and intention, (my daughter’s) is not. She needs me to help guide her to live a life that is as free of discrimination as possible – both against her and by her. Every single one of these little battles is important.
From Wheeling out the sexist tropes: Part II
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY
The Session #146: Where do you find value? Adrian Dingle, who also hosted #94, provides context with his announcement. The Session is April 25. We’ve got tough music choices to make that day (and the day before and the days after), so a may or may not be present. If I am not, refer to this story I wrote for All About Beer magazine 20 years ago.
Ketchup, catsup . . . John Duffy writes, “Before us today is the question of how a ‘dry-hopped lager’ differs from a ‘West Coast pilsner,’ because I’m sure these aren’t terms that breweries simply assign arbitrarily.” To this I will add that Bob Kunz and Tim McDonnell of Highland Park Brewery may or may not have invented West Coast Pilsner, but it appears that Kunz was the first to give it a name. Their Timbo Pils pretty much embodies the style. Last October, Timbo won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival . . . in the American-style Pale Ale competition.
A Reckoning Was Inevitable—But What About A Revival? Sayre Piotrkowski is an industry consultant, so his mileage and yours may vary. Additionally, two observations. First, I hope he contributes to the The Session #146. Second, he writes that customers have been trained to expect novelty, which brings up the question of what qualifies as new. Something from “Nothing Has Been Done Before,” a book about seeking the new in music, seems relative. Robert Loss writes, “The new is really a relationship between the present, the past, and the future.”
Craft Beer Channel Launches Campaign To Get Cask Ale UNESCO Recognition. This is a press release about a seven-episode series about cask ale. The first step toward UNESCO recognition will be acknowledgment of cask ale as “Living Heritage” by the UK government. There’s plenty of work to follow.
Drinking Something That Tastes Like Home. The star here is a beer called Wildcat, but I’m pretty sure I want to try Sheepshaggers Gold.
You can now make a Guinness Dublin Porter at home. There are reasons to be skeptical about this, like the get a free Pinter machine offer. But it seems to be endorsed by Guinness itself.
FROM BLUESKY (CRITIQUE)
Sulphur that literally knocks you back in your seat. More like a Tropic IPA with Burton snatch or a toned down NEIPA. A shock to the unwary. Great body and mouth feel but the Ella hops are so challenging. I'll need therapy for this. Approach this Joseph Holt beer with caution.
— Tandleman (@tandleman.bsky.social) April 6, 2025 at 12:22 PM