A Truly Sad... Sad... Day...

You know, I've been feeling bad lately that I've been going to Old Chicago to further my Around the World Beer Tour while forgetting about the local brewery here in town. The place is called Blind Tiger and I have had many great memories of time spent there. Their beer is award winning and one of a kind. I've loved the place since I was a freshman. I went there today and was nearly knocked on my ass with disappointment. No, the place hasn't closed or changed managed. The place is a mess and will forever be changed though. The restaurant section is now closed for "renovation", which I thought was a good thing. So, we get seated in the back bar area with windows that overlook the restaurant section and I was shocked. It isn't a renovation, it is a complete ravamp of 3/4 of the seating for the place. I noticed a sign (that was designed horribly) which had things like: bowling, pool, arcade games, etc... They aren't renovating it, they're ruining it... The waiter himself said that they are making more into an adult chucky cheese. I don' t know about any of you, but I wouldn't even go near anything that can be compared to chucky cheese, even if it is the "adult" version. I don't look at bowling, pool, and arcade games as being geared towards adults. He said they wanted it to be more like Jeremiah Bullfrogs, another local bar. Not going to happen. Jeremiah prides itself on being the unique sports bar and grill, with its 2 to 1 tv to table ration. Jeremiah bullfrogs doesn't have bowling, if it did, it would suck, because it is across the street from a bowling alley.

I don't know, to me this doesn't seem like the Bind Tiger that I once knew. It's trying to grow into something that goes beyond its shirts that say "Support Your Local Brewery". While it will still be a brewery, once these changes take place, it won't seem that way to me. It isn't a good move and I don't think that it will work. The people that come to blind tiger go there to drink great brews and talk/hang out. With 3/4 the seating gone, I'm pretty sure that they'll be hurting and wishing that they had never wasted the money for the transformation into something that it shouldn't be.

For me, I'll be okay, I'll go back, I'll see what's new, and probably cry because of it. I'll move on, I'll continue with my new found loyalty to Old Chicago, I'll finish the Around the World Tour by the end of the semester (I'm on beer 14, I need to finish 110 to be done). Become an alcoholic from the depression left from Blind Tigers Transformation. Celebrate for getting honored on the wall of foam and then go on with my life...

It is truly a sad day. Just like it was to see the local pub champions close down, go under new management and then open as something it wasn't meant to be, Varsity Blues..... Not only have I lost one good friend (champions), I am now loosing yet another (Blind Tiger). Yes it'll still be a brewery, but it'll never be the same again...