Beers of the World
12 May 2008 - 8 אייר 5768 by Huw
Friday night, in Hamilton, Ontario, was the monthly Art Crawl. I was there with Brodie. We saw some very cool stuff: including a wall of community generated art (free pens and pencils at the door), a noise show at the Anglican Cathedral, a wonderfully dark collection at Loose Canon, and some wonderful, very large landscape photographs at the You Me Gallery.
After the evening’s art Brodie and I joined a whole passel of his friends at Chester’s Beers of the World on King Street. As much as I want to rave about the art and the sheer joy of hanging out with Brodie’s friends (the proof that I’m not a Brain in a Jar), I’m obliged to rave all the more of the joy I felt in this bar!
Imagine a place where the beer menu is as thick as some small town phone books. Yes, the beers are in cans or bottles: but so are the beers you buy in stores. It was awesome to find Corsendonk (see the logo above) as well as Chimay. I also had some Ebulum Elderberry Ale from the folks at the Heather Ale company, as well as something with raspberries. Brodie had something that tasted like a smoked cheese. Yes, they are kinda pricey: but no more so than they are in bottles at the store. It was a fun evening. As enjoyable as the beers were, the star of the evening was the bar, itself.
I don’t think the bar had been redone since Benny Hill was popular. It was a simple 70s single’s bar - a set of stools at the bar and a standing bar about one metre back (which allowed the men folks to ogle the women in the stools). There were mirrors everywhere - enough of them so you could see nearly anyone. Yet, if you paid attention you could tell when the bar ran sort in the decoration budget: one wall filled with mirrors, one wall with mirrors every so often, spaced by fancy woodwork, and finally, a bar of mirrors spaced rather far apart - no woodwork involved.
While it was better lit (and the wood more blonde) what it mostly reminded me of was a scene from the 4th season of Mary Tyler Moore, shot in a singles bar:
There were one other stop for the evening: a stop at Backstreets for Karaoke and some other beers… no, I don’t remember much at that point. And then it was back to home and bed.
I heartily recommend the Art Crawl - on the 2nd Friday of the Month. But the Beers of the World are there all the time.
I just had some Chimay for the first time at a jazz club in Austin. I must say, I love a beer served in a balloon glass.
Corsendonk (together with Bornem) is one of my favorites! If and when you come visit us in PA, I shall take you to The Sharp Edge.