Hi Folks:
Knowledge is, indeed, good, as Animal House reminded us with the laconic motto of Faber College, to wit: "Knowledge is Good." As such, it would only be right and just for us to reward the purveyors of knowledge in the City of Pittsburgh with a beer special at the end of their school year. Spread the word: tonight, starting at 3 p.m. (teachers shouldn't have to wait to start drinking), any Pittsburgh Public Schools employee with valid ID drinks $4 pints of beer, any beer, until we close. Congratulations on another year in the books, Pittsburgh Public, and thanks for all that you do to serve our community.
Whether you join us tonight or later in the weekend, you'll see that we bought a new toy. it's a two-tap mini-kegerator that we have obtained to expand our tap list. Now, if you're one of our yelp reviewers, you're probably saying or blogging something like: "why do you need more taps. I thought you said that 12 was all you need for a well-curated beer selection. You're a liar (and your food is overpriced)." I'm no liar (and our food is fairly priced). We are using our new taps for cocktails -- not beer, but draft cocktails. In fact, last night, we put on our first draft cocktail, Adam's El Diablo, which the New York Matinee called "a playful but mysterious little cocktail."**
Why do I prefer thee, draft cocktail, over your predecessor, bottled cocktail? Let me count the ways;
1. Better, more consistent carbonation: Not all of our bottles were well carbonated. Some leaked over time. Some lost carbonation when they were cooled, and reheated. We don't have that issue when we're pouring from kegs.
2. Eco-Friendly: No more bottles and bottle replacements and energy to wash (and dry) the bottles. We're keeping our bottles (Adam may use them to do some "cocktologist's private stash"*** cocktails down the line. But, even though we recycled them, and reused them, they are less eco-friendly when you factor in things like replacement and cleaning.
3. Cooler (literally and colloquially): We keep the keg temperature at just above freezing, and that temperature doesn't rely on how much ice is in the ice bucket above the bar. And, yes, they look cooler when we pour them. More fizz. More bubbles.
4. Price: We're selling them at the same price per volume, but you won't get the extra "side car," i.e. the remainder of the drink after filling the coupe glass from the bottle. This cuts down on waste (and avoids the inevitable warming of the remainder in the bottle), and allows us to charge $8 as opposed to $10, which is great, if you just want one cocktail (highly discouraged).
In other news. Our food is great, and with summer upon us, it is becoming more locally sourced every week. A must try for any locavore is the Summer Farm Fresh pasta. The New York Matinee called it a "playful but mysterious little dish."**** The vegetables change daily and reflect what Mo bought at the farm or market that morning.
Finally: Beer, like knowledge, is also good. If you haven't tried the Brew Gentlemen's "Build and Destroy," a wheat stout, then you must. It is a really unique beer. And, at 8.2% abv, you'll be ready to build and destroy after a few snifters of it. What you build is your business. But please don't destroy anything in our bar (or, actually, really anywhere else).
Pete K.
* Or maybe it's just an email. I don't know. In fairness, my understanding of newspapers comes mostly from the movie "Fletch."
** If you get this, I like you.
*** Working title for my porn movie (What? They're giving me a directing credit.)
**** Couldn't help myself
