12 Days of #108Mas: I miss the Beer Bistro

There are traditions that come and go in our lives. Whether it be the family holiday party or watching It’s a Wonderful Life on xmas eve or for me, it was something a little different. I lived down the street from the Beer Bistro from the day it opened.

I still remember the first High Life I ordered there, served to me by the proprietor in a champagne glass as it should be. Needless to say it quickly became my neighborhood spot.

Each December they would have a list of the 12 Beers of Christmas and it would be holiday offerings from brewers around the world, but plenty of local ones. You’d get a t-shirt if you finished all 12 throughout the month of December. And before you ask, no, finishing them all in one night would be an atrocious idea.

Believe it or not, I have a few of these shirts.

This was a holiday tradition like no other with my boy Jonny Love. Every year, when we were roommates, we’d head over, drink about 8 of these high octane beers on Dec 1st. I’d be done with my card by the end of the first week and Jonny would have lost 3 cards in that time and each time demanded of himself to start over. There was a year that they just gave him a shirt because they were pretty certain he had gone through 12 separate cards at that point.

Were these the best beers I had each year? Absolutely not. Bistro had an incredible selection. But this was something that brought us and our friends together each year. Whether it be BeefLoaf and Mrs BeefLoaf or a ride with Quernzy and Fucking Fantastic through Bridgeport to see everyone’s Christmas lights or a special appearance from Ram or Scotty Hero, it was a place we’d go out of our way to be. Sometimes a bar is more than a bar.

Happy Holidays Fam

-Chorizy-E