A Bit About Bars
Have you ever noticed how fully ingrained into our culture is the alcohol serving establishment we call a "bar"? A recent listing of those small businesses classified as "bars" from a small business information firm listed over 76,500 just in the United States.
Compare this with an estimated 40,000 McDonald's worldwide.
It seems that we certainly like our beverages more than our hamburgers.
Even if you are experienced in home beer brewing chances are that you have spent some time in a bar.
The place we call a bar has many other names as well.
In the U.
K, they are called "pubs" (short for "public room").
Other names include taproom, saloon, or tavern.
In prohibition America, bars became known as "speakeasies" most likely because customers could "speak easily" about drinking without government interference.
The term "bar" itself comes from the long counter in each location used as a platform to serve drinks from.
Since there is one in virtually every location serving alcoholic drinks, the term has become applied to the place itself.
This bar also serves to separate the area used for storing the beverages from the customers.
The area behind the bar where the bartenders work is known as the "back bar" or the "gantry".
It is in this area where liquor, wine, and beer bottles are often displayed on glass shelves with back lighting so they are more easily seen in the dim ambient light.
Almost all bars have a number of high stools along the bar for their patrons to rest in comfort while they refresh themselves.
There is often a foot rail attached to the bottom of the bar installation for customers to place their feet on if they choose.
Many also provide booths, or tables with chairs, or both to provide a more intimate area for friends to gather and converse semi privately.
Beyond these similarities, bars vary widely in types of refreshments offered.
Some will serve a limited menu of food from a small attached kitchen.
Others have developed their food service to the point that the restaurant is the dominate part of the establishment and the bar functions only to fill drink orders from the dining patrons.
Some owners have invested in expensive brew equipment and have expanded their establishments into "micro breweries" and proudly serve their own list of beer.
Because drinking, by itself, is not all that exciting most bars offer some additional entertainment to keep their customers from being bored.
The most traditional form of entertainment is music.
The earliest saloons and taverns in pre-revolutionary America offered music and communal singing.
When the country began to grow and move west, the tavern went along and was soon called a saloon.
By either name, they offered music to the cowboys and ranch hands as they drowned their thirst.
In these early days, you could also entertain yourself with playing cards or one of many table games such as craps.
These games were often run by the establishment and, just like today, the odds favored the house.
As competition increased, other games were added to bring in customers such as billiards, pool, darts, and bowling.
Over the years, local regulations forced bars to give up most of these more interesting diversions, but billiards, pool, and darts continue to be neighborhood bar staples to this day.
Music has also survived and almost all bars now have some form of music, either recorded, or live, or both.
Some also have small dance floors for the more adventuresome and others have moved full time into music by increasing the size of the dance floors to the point where they are more correctly termed "nightclubs".
In these places the dancing and music are the most important part of the experience and the drinks are almost secondary.
The owners and managers of a bar will go to great lengths to decide what type of clientele they are trying to attract and will decorate their establishments accordingly.
Regardless of your personal taste in decorations, or in beverages, there is a bar out there just for you.
Compare this with an estimated 40,000 McDonald's worldwide.
It seems that we certainly like our beverages more than our hamburgers.
Even if you are experienced in home beer brewing chances are that you have spent some time in a bar.
The place we call a bar has many other names as well.
In the U.
K, they are called "pubs" (short for "public room").
Other names include taproom, saloon, or tavern.
In prohibition America, bars became known as "speakeasies" most likely because customers could "speak easily" about drinking without government interference.
The term "bar" itself comes from the long counter in each location used as a platform to serve drinks from.
Since there is one in virtually every location serving alcoholic drinks, the term has become applied to the place itself.
This bar also serves to separate the area used for storing the beverages from the customers.
The area behind the bar where the bartenders work is known as the "back bar" or the "gantry".
It is in this area where liquor, wine, and beer bottles are often displayed on glass shelves with back lighting so they are more easily seen in the dim ambient light.
Almost all bars have a number of high stools along the bar for their patrons to rest in comfort while they refresh themselves.
There is often a foot rail attached to the bottom of the bar installation for customers to place their feet on if they choose.
Many also provide booths, or tables with chairs, or both to provide a more intimate area for friends to gather and converse semi privately.
Beyond these similarities, bars vary widely in types of refreshments offered.
Some will serve a limited menu of food from a small attached kitchen.
Others have developed their food service to the point that the restaurant is the dominate part of the establishment and the bar functions only to fill drink orders from the dining patrons.
Some owners have invested in expensive brew equipment and have expanded their establishments into "micro breweries" and proudly serve their own list of beer.
Because drinking, by itself, is not all that exciting most bars offer some additional entertainment to keep their customers from being bored.
The most traditional form of entertainment is music.
The earliest saloons and taverns in pre-revolutionary America offered music and communal singing.
When the country began to grow and move west, the tavern went along and was soon called a saloon.
By either name, they offered music to the cowboys and ranch hands as they drowned their thirst.
In these early days, you could also entertain yourself with playing cards or one of many table games such as craps.
These games were often run by the establishment and, just like today, the odds favored the house.
As competition increased, other games were added to bring in customers such as billiards, pool, darts, and bowling.
Over the years, local regulations forced bars to give up most of these more interesting diversions, but billiards, pool, and darts continue to be neighborhood bar staples to this day.
Music has also survived and almost all bars now have some form of music, either recorded, or live, or both.
Some also have small dance floors for the more adventuresome and others have moved full time into music by increasing the size of the dance floors to the point where they are more correctly termed "nightclubs".
In these places the dancing and music are the most important part of the experience and the drinks are almost secondary.
The owners and managers of a bar will go to great lengths to decide what type of clientele they are trying to attract and will decorate their establishments accordingly.
Regardless of your personal taste in decorations, or in beverages, there is a bar out there just for you.