Yep, the Guy in the Shorts

You’ll surely recognize Eric, one of our longstanding bartenders. He’s easily identifiable as the the guy perpetually wearing shorts — even in the dead of winter. You know you can count on him for a solid beer recommendation, sure, but there’s a few things you might not know about him. For instance, Eric’s a two time Oprah makeover veteran.

Go ahead and pick your jaw up off your keyboard and get ready to know Eric a little bit better over the next few paragraphs.

Eric, a New Jersey native, moved to Chicago in 1998. That means you’re welcome to try spouting Springsteen lyrics at him to see if he can finish the line (the traditional test of a true New Jersyan). He’s not only a bartender, he also helps manage the daily operations at Bangers & Lace, having been on board since our salad days. Eric installed our sound system, did some additional wiring and was on the painting crew before we even opened our doors.

We tap him regularly for his awesome insight into the North American Craft scene, and always spotlight his current favorite on line #18 on our sixpack. That’s because Eric has always been into beer: he brewed in college and attended his first Craft Beer event in 1994. But he also spent about a decade in yield management at Hertz Car Rental. Maybe those shorts he’s continuously sporting are a symbol of his freedom from corporate America, or maybe his legs are especially heat sensitive. The world may never know.