The South Park Abbey is one of our favorite haunts. It’s right up the block from West Coaster Graphic & Web designers Josh & Brittany, serves great beer/food at fair prices, and has a friendly & relaxed vibe. On the night of January 5th, CityBeat had other plans for the South Park Abbey.
CityBeat‘s Beer Club met from 7-9PM. The beer? AleSmith’s ESB and X. $1 pours.
I was mortified at the scene of a line going around the corner of the Fern St. fixture, but thankfully I got inside before the South Park Abbey reached capacity. Upon entering I saw Adam Neitzke, one of the proprietors, hurriedly moving about like a captain securing the hatches in a sudden squall. “Some party you throw!” I yelped over the crowd. “THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SERVE $1 BEERS,” he managed before disappearing back to the bar.
The madness of the line, capacity, and crowds suddenly made sense. With the realization in mind, I muscled my way towards the bar. To the left and right of me people were waving their arms about like stock traders on the NYSE, so I followed suit. Soon I was armed with a AleSmith ESB, and I got to work.
I found CityBeat’s Advertising Account Exec Jason Noble, and asked him how this Beer Club stacked up against the others. “This is the craziest [Beer Club] by far. We had 450 RSVPs, and normally you can count on half of the RSVPs not showing – this time over half showed. I think this huge turnout is thanks to the neighborhood craft beer scene & the pedestrian setting of South Park.”
I asked him for more information regarding the clandestine craft beer collective and its next meet-up, and he declined comment. The first rule of Beer Club is that you do not talk about Beer Club…
To sign up for the next Beer Club meeting, check out CityBeat’s website. On the right side find the email subscription form, select Beer Club, and submit your email. A few days before the event you’ll get an email spilling the beans on the next meeting.