Jake Berent

Anyplace that opens at 9:00am is a must-stop in my book. If they’re open at 9:00am, there must be some sort of crowd that comes in that early. 3rd shifters? Tourists? Neighborhood drunks? Or maybe not. Maybe the owner just wakes up and hangs out in the bar all day, then goes to bed after last call. The Tigers had a day game, and that made it OK to have a beer at 9:00am, and that made Abick’s the best option. Continue reading →

It’s really hard to put into words what makes a good dive bar. It’s kind of like the intangibles you hear football guys talk about all the time. Grit, toughness, perception etc. But another part of has so much to do with the cosmetics of a joint. How dim are the lights? Does it have a great name? How much of a hole-in-the-wall are we talking about? Still, you could say it’s what’s inside that counts. The regulars. Juke box and pool table. Busch Light on tap. No dive bar is the same. Yet, they’re all the same. All part of a wonderful American register of treasured drinking establishments.

I’m going to chronicle my time at dives in hopes of inspiring you all to simply see the world around you, every unkempt corner of it. Continue reading →