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8/20/2011

LO GO, LO, GO

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Lo Go! Lo Go! Final Preparations are Underway!
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A few years back, I found myself in a 500 mile walk across Northern Spain which started in St. Jean Pied-de Port, France and ended at Finisterra which translates to “the end of the earth”. I had befriended a few Polish guys (Marek and Mariusz) and Polish girl (Paula) along the way and we walked in stride the final 60 K or thereabouts.  Sleeping the night under the canopy of a bar we were drinking at and a few times on the beach grilling fish, drinking wine (It was cheaper than beer in Spain) and looking at the ocean.  Marek and Mariusz had walked from Poland for the last 6 months and were in a celebratory mood.  I being the consummate bartender found this to be a situation for which I was designed some would say I was born for it.  I also found it very refreshing to know that when you get to the end of the earth, there is a bar there that serves beer and some very nice Spanish wines.  So I state, adopting Marek’s words, “Hey, I’ve been to the end of the world and it’s not so bad.”

As I was walking the last 50 K of my 894 K journey to the ocean, I could almost feel the ocean pulling me to it and at the same time I could feel the earth pushing me towards it.  (Isn’t that poetic?) And simply, that is where I am today.  Caught between the fast approaching end of construction and the beginning of the first arrival of so many people who will grace our doors and become part of the Civil Life community.  It’s exhilarating and man I hope I remember how to swim.  

So a while back we (Dylan, Mike and I) sat down with my good buddy Joe Alhoff who calls me “Smilin’ Jake” to talk about our logo.  Joe is a talented tattoo artist at Trader Bob’s and through the course of several years serving him over the bar at 33, we became quite good friends.  Joe like me, has spent years of his life pondering many labels and logos associated with the beverage industry.  Joe like me, does this specifically in the name of research and development. Joe and I are constantly working throughout the day, throughout the night, on weekends and even on holidays as we have found research to be so important in our quest to make the Civil Life part of your life.  I think my favorite Hungarian Biochemist, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi sums it up best, “Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.”  

So we began to discuss the Civil Life.  What were we going to be about?  What kind of message did we want our logo to display.  Who are we? Why can’t Dylan figure out which cell phone is his and which is Joline’s? How could we capture those things our company would be about in a logo? This is a difficult and sometimes monumental challenge, in fact it is without a doubt crucial to our first meeting with many customers.  Our logo is our smile, our extended hand and when done well has the ability to put people into our minds, our goals and our hopes for our company.  A bad logo has the ability to fail miserably, cause people to projectile vomit, cause massive unconscionable hysteria and epic plagues.  Duly noted the bubonic plague was actually all started from a really bad logo of a rat.   Many, many people will see our logo on a bottle, a t-shirt, a poster or plastered on the side of the next space shuttle and will form an opinion about us without ever stepping in the door.  Just as many of you have mostly because right now all you have is this errant blog.  Quite frankly, I hope at least some of you crack open a beer while you read this twaddle but chances are you’re reading this at work and I personally hope it is getting charged to a large multi-national corporation. 

So we threw some ideas to Joe and we touched on the meaning behind the Civil Life and the notion that as my friend, the great Author Patrick Hurley stated, “Some would say drinking fine ales is a sign of a Civil Life.”  We talked about very traditional bars and attire from the 1930’s. Looked through old photographs of post prohibition events.  Joe took all of our input and came up with several great drawings. This gentleman, who is yet unnamed, is the centerpiece of a larger label we are working on.  But to me he captures many of those initial discussions.  He shows the celebratory warmth of an old chap raising mugs of beer.  Offering a fellow man and woman a beer is the most civilized of drinking rituals.  And we couldn’t have done it without the great Joe Alhoff who delivered to us our logo.  My sister then spent countless hours tracing it from Joe’s hand-drawn sketches into the computer to what you see on this page.  She is a silent part of this as she wouldn’t want any attention drawn away from the countless hours Joe put into making this happen.  But she is nonetheless vital and the care at which she “computerized” (as I call it) Joe’s drawing is evident in the fact that you can’t realize it is now a digital scalable file.  She also knocked out an excellent coaster for us and is busy getting us up to speed with some of those fancy little cards most businesses hand out to people that list your name, title etc. and phone number.  Actually, we are debating the whole idea of a phone number.  Still not even sure about a sign.

So go ahead, raise your mug high in anticipation of our opening.  Know that we are working everyday to bring to this city a unique community space.  A place to preserve and practice the art of conversation amid the craft of consumption.  

Soon.... soon... I say.  If you are interested in attending the soft opening which will last for a week or two or three...please shoot me an email (located beneath my name) or just go outside and yell in the direction of 3714 Holt between the hours of 8 am until about 8 p.m.  I have exceptional hearing.   

Also, just in case you haven’t been paying attention, I am not very good at predicting when we will be open.  

Thanks and Cheers! 

Jake 

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8/2/2011

What's that, Mama Search?

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Mama Search delivers.  Bob, Donna, Alan, Joe, my aunt Diane and my aunt Mary, My Dad, Some lady I didn’t even get a chance to meet, Jim, Joannie... Hopefully I didn’t miss anyone. 

Merrily we roll along.

I’d like to report that everything was peachy.  That life was all just apple pies, cool breezes and ski jumps.  But it’s not.  The dog days are upon us and guess what... Yep... we still are not open.  This web-site now lists a time so far off in the future that no one except me will be alive when we get open.  But that is not true.  Thankfully.  Once we are able to get our beers to market everyone will be able to live eternally after just a few sips.  In fact, it is possible our beers will find the cures to many ailments. In particular, it will cure the ever so important ailment of boredom.  

So here is the lowdown on what has been going on.  We were on the news this week and we received some good press on the 104 American Made Solar panels installed on our roof.  Our solar panels over the course of their lifetime will replace over 750,000 pounds of coal that otherwise would have been used during the production and running of the Civil Life.  If Ameren could stop by one more time, we could actually turn them on as that is a really important part of solar.  So Ameren if you’re listening... how bout throwing this brewery a bone.  Here is a link to the video in case you missed it http://www.kmov.com/video/featured-videos/Go-Green-Civil-Life-Brewery-126623433.html ...  I missed it as well as I was working at the brewery on one of our last major projects.... yes, you read that right.  We are closer but how close is really up in the air.  Nostradamus couldn’t even figure this one out.  


The good thing is things are happening and they are happening rather fast thanks in part to my mum.  I almost hate to admit it as I am actually a person that rarely asks for help and my mother knows that so about a month ago she said she would handle the staining of the wood.  I thought, hey that’s nice.  Something I don’t have to worry about.  Well, turns out staining the massive amount of wood Jim “our ace carpenter” built into tables (Dylan did a lot of these as well), booths, standing tables, bar, trim, wood panels...etc... isn’t so easy and isn’t just a job that can be done in a few days.  So she called in the troops and this week, we have had what my siblings  jokingly call “Mama Search” turn full force into getting the wood stained.  She called in friends from high school, my aunts, her cousins.   She even had two of her friends’ husbands come down and give a staining work shop to all that are helping out. My mom is always the first to lend a hand to others and all that karma paid off big time for the brewery.  There is a lesson in there somewhere.  

The room took a major leap today when the bar was stained.  The bar turned out so freakishly beautiful it could sit next to Michelangelo’s “David” in Florence.  The booths are just as I sat in during my drink research project in Wexford, Dublin and Galway.  In fact, everything is turning out really great.  So many people have pitched in over the last year to make this happen and there is no way I can repay you.  In fact, I can assure you there is absolutely no way I can pay you for a long time.  Turns out opening a brewery is pretty darn expensive and well if you are reading this and  you are one of the people I owe money too...  Hey, checks in the mail.  Besides, I thought you said we could pay you in beer just like Carl.  

Carl, are you out there?  Man it just isn’t the same without Carl trying to beat me to work everyday.  He went and got some real job that apparently pays in dollars not iou’s.  What was he thinking?  Now he is living in California sitting at some desk getting a 401k in dollarinos not suds.  What was he thinking?  (repeated for affect or is that effect... well I don’t give a fect...to tired right now.)

X-ray (Ray) came back this week to begin work on two brick pillars which sit on the each side of our sidewalk.  You will love Ray’s work when you get the chance to come in.   And that I hope you do.... quite soon maybe.  But not tomorrow, probably not the next day and certainly not the day after that... but maybe before September...definitely before October and certainly before November.  

So that is it for now.  The story changes but many of the characters remain the same.  Oh... wait... thanks for reading.  I am going to post a few more pictures on facebook soon and I probably will have the ole Dylanmeister post something soon as well.  Maybe I should have Mike post something.  He is starting to work on the food program for us and well.. let me just say.  It’s going to be tasty and reasonably priced.  

Here are a few before and after pictures to show how far we’ve come in the past year....
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    Hello earthlings. I have been sent here to open a brewery. I hope you have time over the next year to check in from time to time and see our progress (or lack there of at times).  

    I look forward to helping you come along for the ride through this blog. For me, there is no better feeling than creating a place and a product that becomes part of peoples lives. I am focused, immensely passionate and hopeful that each of you one day will toast “To the Civil Life.”  
    - Jake

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    Morning beer delivery at Tynan’s Bridge House Bar in Kilkenny, Ireland.

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Hours :
Due to COVID19 our Pub will remain closed until further notice.  We are now selling direct out of our online store at https://civil-life-online.square.site/ Until then, please look for our beer at St. Louis retailers and grocery.   If you have any further questions please use the email link below.  Thank you. 

Pickups are Fridays and Saturdays 2 to 6  & Sundays from 2 to 5 pm.  Orders will be only taken on line and will be paid prior to pick up.  

We appreciate your support. 
                                    Be Civil.    

NO PHONE NUMBER.  
  • Due to our small inside pub space we currently do not feel we could be safe to open for our staff and customers.  We currently are hoping to get our patios re-modeled during this shutdown and are hoping for an outdoor only opening in late September or early October. Hopefully.
  • Until then OUR PUB IS SADLY CLOSED FOR THE TIME BEING DUE TO COVID19.   WE WILL RETURN AND PROSPER.

PLEASE ALSO LOOK FOR OUR BEER AT LOCAL RETAILERS!
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  •  Please access our online store by clicking the link above 
  • ​PLEASE ALSO LOOK FOR OUR BEER AT LOCAL RETAILERS
The Civil Life Brewing Co. 3714 Holt Ave. St. Louis, Mo 63116, USA, Planet Earth 
  • BEER TO GO
  • Civil Blog
  • About us
    • Contact us
    • Locating Us!
    • EMAIL LIST
    • Social Media Feeds
    • OUR LOGOS
    • Q & A
    • Who Are We?
    • The Civil Solar Panels
    • Employment
  • On Line Store