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Going out in a
kilt is good for several things. For one, it shows your enthusiasm for
Celtic culture, two, there really hasn't been a much better ice breaker
invented, just wearing it is an invitation for people to come over and
chat, and three, once a month, at least, it'll get you a free pint at
Porter's Pub in Easton Pa.
The first
Saturday of each month is Kilt Night at
Porter's, any man in a kilt gets a free pint, and live bands play
Celtic music from about 10-2. This doesn't come from any particular
Scottish or Irish association the pub has, rather, like most of what
goes on there, it's just because the owners thought it sounded like a
fun thing to do.
When the Porter
brothers opened up their pub in Easton, they were
warned that if they didn't have Budweiser or Coors on tap, they
wouldn't stay open for very long.
MEN OF THE
KILT AND THEIR FREE PINTS
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THE AUTHOR
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That was in
1990. Porter's Pub today still doesn't have Budweiser or
Coors on tap, although they are available in bottles. Of course, if one
sticks to basic brews at Porter's they'd miss the chance to try any of
more than 60 other beers that the pub has on hand (including the
paradoxically named house brew, Porter's Ale). The staff can even keep
track of which ones you've had before, and when you've tried them all
will give you your own mug which will hang on the ceiling until you're
ready to use it.
Why so many choices? “I
just like good beer,” said co-owner Larry
Porter.
Larry, along
with his brothers Ken and Jeff didn't set out to be pub
owners. “We were actually looking for buildings to rehabilitate,”
said Larry, when they found a good looking apartment building
at the corner of Northampton and 7th. Along with the building came a
liquor license, attached to an establishment called the Central Bar on
the ground floor.
But once the
idea of opening their own drinking
establishment took
hold, the brothers jumped in with both feet. “We used to throw a lot of
house parties,” Larry said, “and owning a bar is like throwing a party
every night.”
So the new landlords
went to work. After nearly
two years, what was
once, in Larry's words, “a real dive” took on the classic mahogany and
stone look that Porter's is known for.“We didn't set out to make an
Irish pub, or an English pub, or even an American pub,” said Larry, “we
just wanted it to be comfortable, a place where we'd like to hang out”
It seems they
succeeded, on many nights, my Kilt
Night visit being one
of them, the bar is standing-room-only. There are somewhere between six
and 10 men, other than myself, who have decided to take advantage of
the offer.
Almost immediately the
kilt-as-conversation-piece effect kicked in, and
I met up with Gilbert Beers and Shawn Crowley. We launched into a
discussion about the merits of our respective garments, all three of
which were deviations from the highland tradition. Gilbert had a
USAkilt (made in Pa., traditional looking, affordable), Shawn had a
Utilikilt (tough fabric, lots of pockets) and I had on a Sportkilt
(lightweight, machine washable). In some contexts, it seems, it is
possible to have a manly discussion about clothes. Sort of.
THE REGULARS ARE WELL HUNG . .
. THEIR MUGS AT LEAST!
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Of course, on
other visits to Porter's, I really
haven't had any
problem finding someone to talk to either, regardless of how I was
dressed. On a Sunday afternoon visit, for example, I ran into a local
artist who made his living carving headstones, and spent his free time
painting, sculpting and helping run a local arts organization. On other
occasions I've met bank managers, musicians and others, some of who
came from an hour away just to hear a band, hit the Thursday night open
mic, down a few pints or maybe work towards their mug.
Of course, they could also be
there for the food, which is worth the
trip on its own. In true Porter's fashion, the place was never meant to
be a restaurant. The brothers started out with a tiny kitchen and the
idea that they would just serve pub grub. But once they started, they
figured they might as well do it right, and the kitchen while still
tiny, now churns out everything from a cheese board to a steak dinner. Larry, Jeff and Ken all have day jobs,
but they keep a close
relationship with the staff who run the place from day to day, and are
frequently spotted on both sides of the bar.
ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH?
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Porter's
manages to be everything a decent public
house should be: a
comfortable, friendly place where you can grab dinner with your family,
while away a Sunday afternoon discussing art or literature, or belt on
a kilt and spend the evening trying to learn the “alternate” verses to
your favorite pub songs. All
this accomplished using a formula so simple, it almost seems
self-evident – if you want people to come to your bar, make it the
place where you want to hang out yourself.
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