So this priest walks into a bar … #4
I have often been struck by the similar roles played by priests and bartenders. In many ways our jobs are the same. We both listen to people talk about their problems, we both offer advice and mediate disputes and we both try to give folks a sense of comfort. It is not at all uncommon for someone in a bar, upon learning about my vocation to begin unburdening their soul to me.
It is worth noting that this pattern of behavior is not limited to bars, it happens …read more

Hopfen and Malz returns in “So this priest walks into a bar … #3″
Ok, so this one is not about me but comes from a fellow priest who is now retired. Back in the early 90’s, he was serving in a small church in Scotland. Now one day Steve was in the pub and the television was reporting on the First Gulf War. Now sitting down the bar was Hamish. As the story continued, Hamish began to mutter and the “Damn Americans.” As the minutes passed, Hamish got louder and turned to direct his comments at Steve. “Yank! Hey Yank!” …read more

So this priest walks into a bar … #2
It was Ash Wednesday and it also happened to be my sexton’s birthday. So after the noonday service he and I walked two blocks down to the local pub for a bite of lunch. Needless to say, I was still in my full clerical garb complete with a big smudge of ash on my own forehead from the service. So we are sitting there me with my Yuengling Lager (a Philadelphia staple) and him with his Bud (may God forgive him). Across from us are four women, obviously …read more

This is where I should be doing my blogging.

Return of Hopfen und Malz:
Along with Saint’s of the Suds I hope for this to be an occasional, yet on-going series, reflecting on the holy (and sometimes weird) things that happen to me when I go to bars.
Part I “It seems that you see me more in bars than in church.”
I heard these words last week at a small dive of a club in Philadelphia’s Old City. I was there in the company of a friend/parishioner (whom you all know as the editor of this blog). The band’s sound check had just finished up and from across …read more

The church is near, but the road is icy. The bar is far away, but I will walk carefully.
–Russian proverb

From Rob Anderson’s beer quote page

This is a pretty interesting concept – a Georgia sports bar has fitted taps to the individual tables. The taps are fitted with counters which determine how much beer is poured, and they automatically shut off when the tap has poured a certain amount of beer (at least until the server turns it back on again).
I like to try a number of different beers during the evening, so this wouldn’t necessarily appeal to me, but it certainly is a different concept.