We all owe a debt of gratitude to Patrick Conway, founder of Great Lakes Brewing Co., for many years and many pints of enjoyment. Those hardcore devotees of the Christmas Ale Brigade owe him a bit more, we’d think, for the sweet nectar that dominates the holiday season around Cleveland.
The PD had a nice little piece on Conway in the paper the other day which started with this fantastic and perhaps apocryphal tale about a drunk guy trying to buy Christmas Ale:
“I want Christmas Ale,” he slurred, “and I want a lot of it.”
The bartender refused, saying the patron had already had quite enough to drink.
After squabbling, the man finally left – only to come back first thing in the morning, slap $3,000 cash on the bar, and buy out all the Christmas Ale in the shop – 60 cases.
That wasn’t us, we swear. No way do we have $3,000 sitting around, let alone enough for a single six-pack.
This article appears in Jul 13-19, 2011.
