A Brewer Admits Regrets About the Booze Biz
Last night we went up to Greenfield to the People's Pint. It was four of us, four old guys in a good mood 'cause it was Friday night. The joint didn't disappoint--full of happy beer drinkers and a spirit in the air. Maybe it was because it was Friday and they were all so young. We found a spot in a booth and had some of their brews--Provider Pale Ale, and ESB. Not as cold as they are in some pubs, but good nonetheless.
There I picked up a copy of the Yankee Brew News. I used to read this newspaper, that calls itself a 'Beeriodical' to keep up with potential customers--brewers buy lots of tee shirts and hats--but now I was reading it just for fun. A story about a brewer with some regrets caught my eye.
"At this point in my life," said Ron Page, the head brewer at City Steam Brewery Cafe in Hartford CT, "I feel slightly guilty about being in the alcohol business. I worry about car accidents, but brewing beer pays for my family's house, food and all that. Page said he can't hide from this worry about alcohol abuse and that he can no longer kid himself that brewing is an artistic endeavor. "It's a business, he said, "and high alcohol, extreme beers are irresponsible, even though I brew them myself."
"At my age (53) alcohol is no longer a driving force...but at City Steam I'm surrounded by 50 young kids and I see them passing out and romping around sexually with each other. I'm looking forward to retiring at some point and getting out of the alcohol business."
Page thinks that alcoholic beverages will either be outlawed or severely restricted in his lifetime. "Their ultimate aim is to make it impossible to go out and have a drink and get in a car--the big thing is the ignition interrupter, which won't let a car's engine start if the driver has a certain blood alcohol level. The makers of these devices are pushing to make them mandatory."
There I picked up a copy of the Yankee Brew News. I used to read this newspaper, that calls itself a 'Beeriodical' to keep up with potential customers--brewers buy lots of tee shirts and hats--but now I was reading it just for fun. A story about a brewer with some regrets caught my eye.
"At this point in my life," said Ron Page, the head brewer at City Steam Brewery Cafe in Hartford CT, "I feel slightly guilty about being in the alcohol business. I worry about car accidents, but brewing beer pays for my family's house, food and all that. Page said he can't hide from this worry about alcohol abuse and that he can no longer kid himself that brewing is an artistic endeavor. "It's a business, he said, "and high alcohol, extreme beers are irresponsible, even though I brew them myself."
"At my age (53) alcohol is no longer a driving force...but at City Steam I'm surrounded by 50 young kids and I see them passing out and romping around sexually with each other. I'm looking forward to retiring at some point and getting out of the alcohol business."
Page thinks that alcoholic beverages will either be outlawed or severely restricted in his lifetime. "Their ultimate aim is to make it impossible to go out and have a drink and get in a car--the big thing is the ignition interrupter, which won't let a car's engine start if the driver has a certain blood alcohol level. The makers of these devices are pushing to make them mandatory."
posted by Max Hartshorne at 9:21 AM
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