Boston University Pub

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The Boston University Pub (or BU Pub or simply "The Pub") is a drinking establishment located in the basement of the BU Castle owned by Boston University on Bay State Road.^[1] The Pub is owned by the university, managed by members of the Aramark Corporation, and staffed by university students.^[2] It is modeled after an English-style pub, and serves both drinks and food. The BU Pub is open only to faculty, staff, alumni, students, and invited guests, and is closed on weekends.^[3] Though The Pub largely sees its crowds on Thursday and Friday nights, Boston sports fans frequent the establishment to watch any competition on its flatscreen TVs. Weekly hosting a trivia night on Tuesday evenings, and winners receive prizes that range from apparel to glassware to gift certificates. The Pub sometimes has live music on Thursdays, with performances mostly from BU students. Popular house activities are "The Knight's Quest," in which the participant must try 64 types of beer sold, and "The Lord's Quest," in which the participant must try 64 assorted mixed drinks and shots.^[4] Despite its long history as an alternative university eatery and drinking establishment, The Pub's location and jovial drinking pursuits retain relatively great levels of secrecy about campus.

[edit] History

The Pub, initially called the BU Club, has been in operation for over 15 years. The establishment was first located in the university's student union (The George Sherman Union).^[5] It moved to its current location underneath the Boston University Castle, one of the oldest university buildings, which was originally built as a residence for William Lindsey (1858-1922).

Lindsey was a prominent Boston businessman who made his fortune with a patented cartridge belt the British Army used during the Boer War. Plans were drawn up in 1904 and construction was completed in 1915 at a cost of more than $500,000.^[6] Shortly after the building's completion, Lindsey's eldest daughter was married in the mansion, though she and her bridegroom would later be killed in their honeymoon aboard the ill-fated Lusitania, after the boat was torpedoed by a German submarine. The grief-stricken Lindsey later constructed the magnificent Leslie Lindsey Memorial Chapel in Emmanuel Church on Newbury Street in his daughter's memory.^[7] In 1926, Oakes Ames purchased the Castle from Lindsey's window. He, University Trustee Dr. William E. Chenery and Chenery's wife donated the mansion to Boston University in 1939. From then until 1967, the Castle was used as the home of Boston University's presidents. Today the building is used for formal university functions, weddings, and many receptions.

[edit] Pub Fare

In addition to featuring a multitude of brew favorites and local specials alike, the Pub also offers a wide selection of sandwiches. The sandwiches, which certainly offer a higher quality product than the average university dining hall option, are bear names of common majors or hopeful aspirations of the students at BU, including: the "Engineer," the "Politician," the "R.O.T.C.," and even the "Failure."^[8] Paired with a good beer and a cup of the soup du jour, these sandwiches are often the highlight of a student's day. In addition, the Pub offers a selection of quesadillas and nachos for ordering. Finally, Otis Spunkmeyer cookies round out the meal.

[edit] The Quest

Knight's Mug Emblem

The Knight's and Lord's Quests have been challenges for the taking since 1993. In addition to advancing the legacy of the Knights/Lords at the Pub, the two Quests provide a valuable resource and guide for the youthful college-age drinker's experience. Each Quest candidate receives a card on which the bartenders sign off on each beer/mixed drink as the questers drink them.

The Knight's Quest requires the hopeful seeker to drink a regime of 64 predetermined beers, ranging from pilsner and lager styles to porters and stouts. Because the Pub often features local brewer's favorites and less-known microbreweries, the Quest encourages those eying Knighthood to indulge in the delicious brews on the Pub's 15 rotating taps. Upon completion of the Knight's Quest, the weary knaves enjoy several "Bartender's Choice" drinks and a knighting ceremony. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a newly christened royal receives a mug emblazoned with the crest of the Order of Gunnungagap. The ceremony, complete with a knighting decree and multiple jovial roasts of the new knights, is an experience to behold.^[9] Knights are awarded a personalized mug, stored at the bar for permanent drinking convenience.^[10] At last count, the Quest has christened over 1550 Knights.

Pursuers of the Lord's Quest endeavor to imbibe a delightfully varied order of 64 mixed drinks and shots. Especially a favorite to most questers are the three flights on the Lord's, including: Scotch Whiskey, Irish Whiskey, and Bourbon. The Lord's Quest concludes with a similar ceremony to the Knight's Quest, but instead of a mug, the new Lords have their christening names put on gold plaques hanging on the bar.

Certainly, neither of the two Quests are for the faint-hearted, or for the shallow-pocketed.

[edit] The Order of Gunnungagap

The term "Gunnungagap" derives from the Norse term "Ginnungagap," from the Völuspá section of the Norse-Icelandic Poetic Edda, is defined as the abysmal gap of origin which separates and joins the northern ice and the southern fire. Out of this gap through the action of the giants and gods that the world is born - middle earth.^[11] A Quest at BU aspires for no less.

[edit] Community

Students thrive on the university pub's exclusivity, and the collective, community-based association is a great way to boost the student body's morale. Many patrons enjoy that the Pub is a private establishment, and believe that the quality adds to the bar's mystique. The Pub fosters a huge sense of unity among the its student enthusiasts, most particularly through its in-house challenges: the Knight's and Lord's Quests.

The Pub continues to add to the area's various restaurants and bars alike, to learn more from the patrons, read it here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-boston-university-pub-boston

[edit] Controversy

• In compliance with their liquor and private club licensing, The Pub is not allowed to advertise or promote its business. Secrecy continues to shroud The Pub due to this condition, casting a mythical feeling about the establishment. Among loyal Pub-goers, however, the establishment has an esteemed and notorious reputation.
• In recent years the Pub's student staff has troubled over the seemingly continuous turnover of one Aramark manager after another. In fact, since 2005 Aramark university management has struggled to fill the general manager position for over 1 year at a time. Student employees and loyal pub-goers cite this reality as a reason for the ever-growing corporate feeling of the Pub's atmosphere.

[edit] References