The PC: Post-Boomtown reflections.

The PC: Post-Boomtown reflections.

A weekly web column by Roger A. Baylor.

The state of Indiana’s laws governing temporary alcoholic beverage serving permits are not overly complicated, unless one takes enduring human nature into consideration.

Then it gets weird.

For instance, there is the concept of enclosing such temporary events, typically through the use of portable fencing, and providing attendees with delineated points of entry and exit. It is what we had to do in order to stage the Boomtown Ball on May 25 – not what we’d have preferred to do, but what the law requires us to do.

Whomever pulls the temporary alcoholic beverage sales permit is obliged to enforce the rules, or risk fines -- or even losing the yearly permit upon which daily business depends.

As such, I understand that you’d like to carry your beer from the enclosure and wander the streets outside. Unfortunately, we cannot allow you to do that. Alcoholic beverages sold within the enclosure are supposed to remain there and not be carried out. Similarly, alcoholic beverages purchased outside the enclosure are not supposed to be brought inside.

Stringing green plastic event fencing around the perimeter of Boomtown and posting policemen at the entrances to monitor containers were two essential components necessary for us to be issued a license, and to operate the event in a way suiting the Alcohol & Tobacco Commission.

Another was the inner fencing around the bar area. This was to delineate the actual serving area as an over-21-only place, as opposed to the all-ages space (everything else within the perimeter fencing). These measures satisfied the state, but not all of those in attendance.

For instance, there was the woman who walked up to a section of fencing we’d just repaired, and began tearing it apart to create her own exit.

“Excuse me, but that’s not an exit. It’s a fence.”

“But it isn’t clearly marked.”

Note that the state of Indiana does not yet require us to post signs stating the obvious, as in “THIS IS A FENCE.” To be sure, as a lifelong malcontent, I’ve often had the same reaction to fencing as the woman. But one looks at reality differently when his name’s on the festival permit.

A different lesson was grasped on the other side of the compound, where families were seated at tables adjacent to the mandated fencing. A feet away, there was a green, grassy, open area owned by St. Marks church. After Sunday, I know that in such situations children cannot be deterred from destroying fencing to go play in the grass, pushing the fence upward on the crawl while adults mashed it down in pursuit of their wayward kids.

Overall, the first-ever Boomtown festival went quite well, even if my own stress levels did not subside until the closing bell and final teardown. Being obliged to enforce rules that ordinary blokes are unaware exist (and why would they be aware?) is a challenge, but I suppose we all need to be good at something. We’ll do a better job of it next year, if there is a next year.

Until then, while the grass may truly be greener on the other side of the fence, would you consider using the actual exit portals to access it? And no, you can’t take the beer with you.

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It has been two weeks since NABC’s Bank Street Brewhouse relinquished its food service and began a new life as brewery taproom, and while I’ll miss the Asian chicken wings, early returns are quite encouraging. It may prove to be the best decision we ever made.

We’ve been selling house-brewed beer, both on premise and for carryout, at a steady clip. The Big Four Burger mobile stand will set up shop outside on Fridays through August 22, concurrent with the Bicentennial Park concert series, and as word gets around, we’re seeing customers starting to bring their own food from nearby eateries.

On Sunday night, after the Boomtown festival shut down and the Houndmouth show commenced at The Grand, four of us ordered carry-out from Dragon King’s Daughter (literally, a stone’s throw from BSB) and spread it atop a metal table on the front veranda at the brewhouse. Progressive pints arrived as accompaniment. Sashimi flatbread and fried calamari proved to be quite well matched with cask-conditioned Beak’s Best Bitter.

The central point is that now, with the kitchen shuttered (albeit fully licensed, just in case), numerous ideas and opportunities are open to us. We can judge these many options by how they contribute to making Bank Street Brewhouse a place where various things happen, as enhanced by great beer, and as opposed to being a restaurant where only some things can happen.

It isn’t only what we can plan for the space as owners and managers, but what our customers bring to it in terms of utility. It’s now a placemaking project as much as anything, and that’s exciting.

About the only thing customers cannot bring to BSB is their own alcohol. It’s those pesky state regulations again.

I know there’ll be many “former” customers, primarily those who came to Bank Street Brewhouse for the food, and many of whom didn’t once drink a beer. I only hope that they have fond memories.

However, as much as we threw ourselves into the food component for five years, and hated to see it go away, the numbers don’t lie even if the health department routinely does. At inception, BSB was intended to be all about the beer. Now, it truly is all about the beer, come what may.

Thanks to all those who have taken the time to offer ideas and encouragement. More than ever, ideas matter, and yours are important to us.

Cheers!