{"id":19112,"date":"2017-06-13T14:18:23","date_gmt":"2017-06-13T02:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/?p=19112"},"modified":"2017-06-15T15:32:15","modified_gmt":"2017-06-15T03:32:15","slug":"church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/2017\/06\/13\/church\/","title":{"rendered":"“A bar is just a church where they serve beer…”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
A good sign<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The “beer community” is frequently celebrated as a special thing and one of the reasons this is a rewarding hobby to have, and a nice industry to work in. And that, broadly speaking,<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span> is right and true. But since switching back to bartending I’ve been struck more and more by the distinct \u2014 although obviously overlapping \u2014 nature of\u00a0bar<\/em> culture and the nice ways that a good one can have a community all of its own. The title here comes from an excellent Jim White song<\/a><\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> that gets stuck in my head whenever I’m pondering this and marvelling at the myriad ways that people use the bar to share little moments of celebration or of solidarity or\u00a0anything in between, including weirdly heartwarming mundanity \u2014 and<\/em>:\u00a0beer.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

On top of\u00a0the usual\u00a0after-work drinks and occasional birthday gatherings, we’ve recently had farewell send-offs\u00a0and saw a steady stream of a graduating university students dropping in for a drink and a few photos on their big day \u2014 hell, we’ve had a fair few fully-kitted-out wedding parties doing the same, risking their finery in a place full of top-heavy pints and pizza sauce. Unlike a lot of other bars, we don’t usually show sporting matches, but we’ve packed the place out with a similarly-loyal fandom of folks\u00a0watching old Star Wars<\/em> movies, and we’ve also seen that just-won-the-championship level of emotional jubilation, such as when we were standing-room-only with people watching Parliament pass marriage equality<\/a> a few years ago.<\/p>\n

It’s equally nice to play host to people sharing in the stress of stuff happening<\/em>, too. We’re busier-than-usual when there’s just been a cluster of earthquakes,<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> and have consoled more than a few shell-shocked ex-pats who’ve watched along with us as a political clusterfuck unfolded at home, seemingly comforted by the fact the other side of the world was a<\/em>) paying attention and b<\/em>) likewise unsettled. We’ve got a spare slot on the ‘Beers On Tap’ list that’s usually taken up with some throwaway pithy nonsense, but which also lets us put up a fitting\u00a0in memoriam<\/em> when someone notable dies. 2016, obviously, gave us a bit of practice: Bowie in January, Prince in April, George Michael in December, and just the other week Chris Cornell died too. Putting their work on the sound system and a lyric under the beer list was a nice way to get people talking; they shared anecdotes of gigs, favourite tracks, and even\u00a0got into the wider weirdness of fame and idolisation itself.<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span> When Carrie Fisher died late last year, we had the original trilogy on loop on the screen behind the bar for a few days and She Drowned In Moonlight<\/span> went up on big board, per her request<\/a>. Both die-hard fans and more-casual watchers adored and admired her, and you could see the solace people took in the moment being marked openly and unghoulishly.<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Between both of those extremes, though, it might actually be the beautiful banality of bar life that I like the most. We have a half-dozen folks who regularly park up for a few hours with their laptop to get some work done away from distractions. We often\u00a0turn into an unofficial post office for busy people to use as a reliable way to hand something over to someone they’re struggling to catch up with. We’re such a trusted neutral middle-ground that we must’ve played host to literally hundreds of Tinder dates by now. Some people come in to pick our brains about something, but others just want to take a moment to themselves (or quietly catch up with whatever on their phone \u2014 and more power to them, as Boak & Bailey say<\/a>), and it’s nice that they know both modes of one-person-pubbing are entirely welcome.<\/p>\n

That’s bar life, fully considered: it’s home to the good, the grim, and the delightfully mundane. It is, and should be, host to moments from every damn corner of life. If a\u00a0bar doesn’t have any of that, if it’s merely a place to sling and to sink booze, then it is (I submit) a crap bar. And they\u00a0do<\/em> exist. But so do well-rounded places that house a real community and are, in turn, positive parts of the community that surrounds them. I’m a fairly cynical chap, and prone to bouts of misanthropy, but all the little sparks of humanity I see in the bar pull me back and cheer me up in their own ways.<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0All of which is a lot harder to articulate than “I don’t usually have to start work before noon” \u2014 which is what I usually<\/em> cite when talking about why I still enjoy bartending \u2014 but it’s also a lot closer to the truth.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The “beer community” is frequently celebrated as a special thing and one of the reasons this is a rewarding hobby to have, and a nice industry to work in. And that, broadly speaking, is right and true. But since switching back to bartending I’ve been struck more and more by the distinct \u2014 although obviously … Continue reading “A bar is just a church where they serve beer…”<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bartending"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18987,"url":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/2017\/03\/21\/not-guinness\/","url_meta":{"origin":19112,"position":0},"title":"Anything-but-Guinness Day, 2017","author":"Phil","date":"March 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been a while since I've had the usual pint on Saint Patrick's Day. Aside from a\u00a0general indifference to tradition and a specific aversion to the way that holiday's been borrowed and bastardised and bent into an excuse for problematic daydrinking \u2014 I've also got a particular gripe against Guinness\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Actual Diary entries"","block_context":{"text":"Actual Diary entries","link":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/category\/diary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Garage Project 'Aro Noir' at Shepherd (17 March 2017)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Garage-Project-Aro-Noir-on-Nitro-on-17-March.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Garage-Project-Aro-Noir-on-Nitro-on-17-March.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Garage-Project-Aro-Noir-on-Nitro-on-17-March.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Garage-Project-Aro-Noir-on-Nitro-on-17-March.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Garage-Project-Aro-Noir-on-Nitro-on-17-March.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20386,"url":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/2023\/07\/21\/nyt-crossword-mainstreaming\/","url_meta":{"origin":19112,"position":1},"title":"The New York Times crossword as a measure of mainstreaming","author":"Phil","date":"July 21, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Like any New Zealander excited when the country is mentioned out loud in overseas media or just actually included on a map, I'm always interested when beer pops up in unexpected places. Last Friday's NYT crossword had\u00a0ipa among its solutions, which itself isn't uncommon \u2014 the crowded design of American\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mediawatch"","block_context":{"text":"Mediawatch","link":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/category\/interesting-finds\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Excerpt of the New York Times Crossword, featuring \"sour beers\" as an answer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sour-beer-in-the-NYT-crossword-slight-grey.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sour-beer-in-the-NYT-crossword-slight-grey.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sour-beer-in-the-NYT-crossword-slight-grey.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sour-beer-in-the-NYT-crossword-slight-grey.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18356,"url":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/2016\/08\/29\/yall\/","url_meta":{"origin":19112,"position":2},"title":"A festival for the rest of y’all","author":"Phil","date":"August 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"So that was the week that was. The week that was a while ago, now. How time flies when you're quietly recuperating. Weirdly, given the work I gravitate towards, I'm a natural introvert and crowds of lovely beer nerds are still, you know, crowds. I think exhaustixhilirated just about covers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Observations"","block_context":{"text":"Observations","link":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/category\/reports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Light-up signage at Beervana 2016 (Wellington Stadium, 12 August 2016)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Blow-your-bulbs-at-Beervana.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Blow-your-bulbs-at-Beervana.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Blow-your-bulbs-at-Beervana.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Blow-your-bulbs-at-Beervana.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26733,"url":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/2025\/04\/10\/human-robot-twice\/","url_meta":{"origin":19112,"position":3},"title":"Human Robot \u2014 twice, during forty-eight hours in Philadelphia","author":"Phil","date":"April 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I've honestly forgotten how I first heard of Human Robot. It might've been one of those rare cases of Instagram, like the proverbial stopped clock, recommending something I genuinely was interested in. I love their whole vibe \u2014 the name, the lager focus, the aesthetic \u2014 but didn't actually remember\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Actual Diary entries"","block_context":{"text":"Actual Diary entries","link":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/category\/diary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The beer list at Human Robot in Philadelphia; black magnetic letters on a white tile wall, the beers are overwhelmingly lagers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Human-Robot-list-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Human-Robot-list-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Human-Robot-list-300x300.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Human-Robot-list-300x300.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17965,"url":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/2016\/03\/16\/will-it-shandy\/","url_meta":{"origin":19112,"position":4},"title":"Will It Shandy..?","author":"Phil","date":"March 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"At Golding's, where I work with Dylan of The Bottleneck blog, it's not uncommon to see us indulging in a little game we call 'Will It Shandy?' when we're trying out new arrivals to the taps. 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After visiting the stunning Public Library and the enormous Strand Bookstore, I saw we were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Actual Diary entries"","block_context":{"text":"Actual Diary entries","link":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/category\/diary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/McSorleys-wall-crop.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/McSorleys-wall-crop.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/McSorleys-wall-crop.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/McSorleys-wall-crop.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-content\/uploads\/McSorleys-wall-crop.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19112"}],"version-history":[{"count":66,"href":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19184,"href":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19112\/revisions\/19184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philcook.net\/beerdiary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}