Our Best Beer Yet, Carlbock

(Left) Carl tackling yet another project at the brewery.  Photo circa summer of 2011.  

Carl turned the building from white to fiery brown with some magic object that he is holding in his right hand.

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You will be glad a day not far in the future to know that you participated in the most grand beer release event ever held by the Civil Life Brewing Company and you will come to know that it’s best we all try to be a bit more like Carl Neirmann.  A man, so important to the Civil Life, that we named a beer after him.  At the Civil Life, when an important decision awaits we always look to our bumper sticker “WWCD?” and proceed.  Now this is not to say that their weren’t other volunteers at the brewery that did tremendous amounts of labor for the one price we could afford.  From my mom’s friends, my aunts, my uncles, my godmother, Kevin, our prized intern and so many friends that pitched in to make this place happen and this dedication to Carl is as much a dedication to all of our volunteers as it is to Carl.  

Okay, back to Carl.

“Who is Carl Niermann?”, you ask.  

I have known the great Carl Neirmann for many years.  Knowing Carl is  knowing that good does exist on earth, that it trumps evil and that superhero’s don’t have to wear tights. Most importantly you know that when you have a friend like Carl you pretty much have found the best of friends.  Carl’s kind (like me), Carl like’s winning trophies (like me: SEE PICTURE RIGHT Carl (winning!), Carl likes having a pint with friends (like me: SEE PICTURE OF ERIC AND CARL), Carl understands computers, (not like me) Carl understands that enjoying pints with friends is as good as it gets, (like me) and Carl understands that some of the best people to know are bartenders.

Carl was in-between jobs this past summer (he had left a previous job to begin searching for another) and during that time, Carl, a man of incredible work ethic and fortitude had a choice to make.  Does he sit on his couch and eat bon-bons all day, does he try to put an end to world hunger or does he help his friends (Mike, Dylan and I) get their brewery open so that he has another place to drink.  Well, Carl only had several weeks and ending world hunger probably would have taken him like four months.  Carl is one of the smartest guys I know and he recognized the one thing we needed~ free labor and with free labor maybe at least he could end my hunger.  This truly wasn’t Carl’s greatest brainalogical achievement as anyone that followed us along the process of opening this brewery knew one thing about us.  At times, we not only looked like we were out of money we were out of money.  But enough about us, back to Carl.  (CARL PICTURE TO THE RIGHT RECEIVING THE FIRST BEER EVER POURED AND SERVED ACROSS THE BAR AT THE CIVIL LIFE...BEFORE WE WERE OPEN)

So Carl helped us.  He arrived before me many days and was waiting in the parking lot for me to pull up.  He sometimes brought his own supplies (which I told him I would pay for..but he wouldn’t take money) and he tackled one of our biggest projects.  Painting the building.  But painting began with one of the worst tasks known to man.  Grinding out the mortar in order to tuck point.  I went out that day after Carl was working in the 100 degree weather and took one look at him. I thought, man, Carl really aged today.  He was all grey and worn out, he could hardly even keep his eyes open.  I gave him a towel to wipe his face and wow, and whammo there was Carl’s image perfectly placed on the towel.  His face, hair, shirt, clothes were full of mortar dust, the most horrific sort of dust known to man.  It was caked on him almost as if he just poured buckets of dust over his head.  He wasn’t looking for sympathy, but man I was really worried the stuff wouldn’t wash off and all of a sudden all the people that know me and love Carl would start blaming me.  

That was one of the first days Carl volunteered for us and throughout the next many weeks, Carl returned until the entire outside of the building was painted and only left when he got one of those jobby jobs.  He now lives in a far away land, called California but he is true to St. Louis and is back here several times a month.  

Basically, the truth is Carl didn’t entirely work for free.  Every once in awhile he would say things like, “just buy me a beer.”  Though we try at times to buy Carl a beer he many times sneaks us money anyway.  

And once he said, “Just make a Maibock/helles”.  Well that planted a thought in my mind and when Dylan, Mike and I were planning our brew schedule we found some time to reach out to Lagers and when we did that it was the perfect idea.  

A beer Carl wanted us to make and we could name it after Carl (he didn’t ask for us to name it after him  CWDT! (CARL WOULDN’T DO THAT.)  

There may be a lot of people on earth, but there is only one Carl and there is only one day in our world’s great history that the CarlBock will be released to the public.  ON MARCH 16, in the year Two thousand and twelve, the CarlBock, a limited edition beer, will become available at the places Carl drinks (ITAP (SOULARD), 33 WINE SHOP & TASTING BAR, THE CIVIL LIFE BREWERY, BAILEY’S RANGE AND BRIDGE (DOWNTOWN), when he is in town.  

FOLLOW CARL’S FOOTSTEPS THAT WEEKEND!  

FIRST 50 to pickup a passport at ITAP and complete the CarlBock circuit get a limited edition CarlBock t-shirt. SECOND 50 get a CarlBock tasting at the brewery on a Saturday in April (when Carl is in town) and a guided tour by the Carl himself pointing out all of the things he worked on in the brewery.  (TOUR TO LAST ABOUT A 1/2 HOUR) 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE: 

GO TO SOULARD ITAP ANYTIME ON FRIDAY MARCH 16th PICK UP YOUR PASSPORT. HAVE A CARLBOCK HEAD TO 33 on MARCH 16.  DRINK A CARLBOCK AT EACH LOCATION.  DON’T DRINK TOO MANY CARLBOCKS AND DRIVE!  THIS IS NOT A CONTEST!  MARCH 17 head to the Civil Life Brewing Company after noon for a CarlBock.  Round out your weekend by stopping at Bridge and Range and having a CarlBock one either MARCH 17 or March 18.

CARL’s SCHEDULE:  No reason to be a paparazzi/stalker.  FIND CARL AND MEET HIM AT THESE TIMES!  

MARCH 16, iTAP 1:00PM (Soulard) When in town Carl fancies a pint and when he fancies a pint on a Friday you will find him at iTAP (Soulard).  Be there at 1:00pm.  You will get a chance to meet Carl and buy him a beer.   The beer will begin being served when Carl arrives.  Carl always arrives on time so take the afternoon off and be a part of something.  PICK UP YOUR CARLBOCK PASSPORT AT ITAP!  SEE CARL DRINK A CARLBOCK!  DYLAN, MIKE AND I WILL BE THERE!

MARCH 16, 33 (Lafayette Square)  3:30  On Fridays, Carl heads over to 33 at 3:30 (when they open) and here you will see a gathering of Carl’s friends and YOU WILL SEE CARL DRINK A CARLBOCK!  (DYLAN MIKE AND I WILL BE THERE UNTIL 3:50!

MARCH 17, The Civil Life Brewing Company (12 noon)  Carl Arrives to... you guessed it, DRINK A CARLBOCK!  Saturdays, when Carl is in town he arrives at the Brewery to enjoy a pint or two of beer.  SEE CARL AGAIN IN FULL COLOR DRINKING A BEER IN THE BREWERY HE HELPED OPEN!  (GUESS WHAT DYLAN, MIKE AND I WILL BE HERE TOO!)  

MARCH 17 & 18.  CATCH CARL AT RANGE AND BRIDGE ON EITHER SATURDAY OR SUNDAY!  

ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS WILL BE ON THE PASSPORT!  

NOTE:  When I told Carl in an email about this plan for the CarlBock (CARLBOCK DOESN’T SLEEP IT WAITS: SEE PICTURE RIGHT: CARLBOCK WAITING IN BRITE TANK) his reply was,

“Hi Jake!

   While I think that this is being blown waaaaaaayyyyy out of proportion, I am in full support.”  

HAVING SAID THAT.  WE REALLY LIKE CARL AND WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS TIME TO MAKE SURE THIS DOESN’T GET OUT OF PROPORTION.  CARL WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PHOTO OPS AND IS WILLING TO GIVE OUT AUTOGRAPHS AT THE EVENTS SCHEDULED ABOVE BUT PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL WHEN YOU SEE HIM AT FURTHER EVENTS DOWN THE ROAD.  MANY FAMOUS CELEBRITIES FIND IT A BIT OFF PUTTING WHEN THEY ARE UNABLE TO GO OUT IN PUBLIC TO HAVE A BEER WITHOUT MASSIVE GROUPS OF PAPARAZZI AND PERSONAL SECURITY DETAIL.  WE ARE REQUESTING THAT ONCE THE CARLBOCK EVENT HAS PASSED THAT YOU RESPECT CARL’S FAME AND ALLOW HIM TO CONTINUE TO LIVE HIS LIFE WITHOUT CONSTANTLY HAVING TO FEND OFF PHOTOGRAPHERS AND JOURNALISTS.  

ALL FURTHER INQUIRIES FROM THE PRESS, FROM HEADS OF STATE AND PRESIDENTS (CURRENT AND FORMER) SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO HIS MEDIA LIASON.  MIKE SWEENEY AT STLHOPS.COM MIKE IS ALSO THE CIVIL LIFE’S DIRECTOR OF CONSUMPTION AND WE ARE TRYING TO FILL UP THE BUSINESS CARD WE ARE HAVING MADE FOR HIM.  

NOTE:  ALSO, NOT TO GET YOUR HOPES UP...JUST KIDDING. I AM TRYING TO GET YOUR HOPES UP.  DYLAN WAS HEARD SAYING IN THE BREWERY, “THIS IS OUR BEST BEER YET.”