Video #35: Ruby's Coney Island.

 The Happy Hour Guys stop by Coney Island and Ruby's Old Time Bar and Grill, right on the boardwalk facing the beach. On an afternoon in early September, everything seems too quiet. Or is it? 

"Said to have housed an under-the-boardwalk cabaret before it became the Hebrew National Deli in 1934, this cavernous space overlooking the Atlantic was purchased in 1975 by the late, beloved Rubin Jacobs. Jacobs, who once sold knishes on the beach as a kid, eventually went on to own the neighborhoods last four bathhouses. His photographs of old Coney Island, and of the bar's motley assortment of habitués, still coat the wall behind the gruff porters, some of whom have spent half a century filling plastic cups through skinhead brawls and pirate-and-mermaid weddings. While tourists and hipsters visiting Coney Island for the day prefer to eat their short-order grub at plastic seats overlooking the boardwalk, the octogenarian regulars opt to sing along to Sinatra and Perry Como at the 45-foot-long bar. Like them, Ruby's doesn't have long in this world as a glitzy redevelopment plan may air out the bathrooms once and for all."

- blurb courtesy of wwwNYMag.com

Video #33: The Happy Hour Guys in less than 60 seconds.

The Happy Hour Guys present: THE WORLD OF DRINKING.

Join Mark Aldrich and Jimmy Ludwig as they travel to historic, unique, and remarkable bars and share with you their stories, the people behind your favorite drinks, and the communities served by these Third Places. 

Follow our travels so you can take some of your own!
The Happy Hour Guys: Laugh, Learn, Drink.

Interview: The Beer Snob.

All of you Brew Heads out there have undoubtedly heard of The Beer Snob ( http://www.mybeerquest.com ), an Internet Hero that we recently had the chance to catch up with.  Here’s all we were able to glean from this mysterious figure.  Enjoy.

Dear Mr. Beer Snob;

Who is the Beer Snob?  Is he/she a mythical character?  What is the story of this hero?

The Beer Snob is a nickname my friends came up with in the early 90's because when we went out for a beer after work, I wouldn't drink domestic beer. 

Does the Beer Snob possess fantastic powers of nose, palate, and writing ability, or is he more along the Bruce Wayne 'wealthy and dedicated' variety of hero? 

He strives to possess fantastic powers of nose, palate, and writing ability, but really he's just a guy that likes beer. He only becomes a Hero after a couple of beers, then he forgets after a couple more.

How did the Beer Snob get started?  (No 'I fell down a well and beers flew at me' stories, please.) 

My First post  explains it fairly well. http://www.mybeerquest.com/beerlog/?p=1   I guess It started when I was younger I thought I didn't like beer. Then one day I had an Anchor Steam and I thought, “Wow, maybe beer isn't so bad,” then I found Sierra Nevada & GUINNESS.  I started finding more and more every year.

What beers/breweries does the Beer Snob follow religiously?  Is 2008 a good year for beer in your opinion?

I think I answered part of that in the last question - Anchor &  Sierra Nevada are two of the most nostalgic beers for me, but most of the West Coast breweries like Stone have become my favorites. I could be a little biased towards West Coast Brews being that this is my home but I think some of the best beer in the world is coming from here right now. It seems like within the last ten years every year has been getting better and better, 2008 is no exception. I can walk around the corner now and not only get good beer but good beer on tap, and I used to have to search for places like that.  Now more and more of them are popping up every month. 

What's the coolest discovery the Beer Snob ever made? (for example, a beer or brewery no one ever heard of.)  Other brags? 

I have just discovered a new place; its a Bar and Grill that just opened in Southern California.  They have a very nice beer selection. It’s called The Office http://www.theofficeburbank.com/ .  That’s all I can think of right now. 

I normally hang out at the message boards of the http://thefullpint.com and http://www.thebeerinme.com/ Stop by some time.  Cheers, Enjoy your Beer. We will, Mr. Beer Snob.  You can bet that we will.

Take care, everyone.  As always, more good stuff comin!