Opinion
48 Beers for a Friday
Archive This!
September 20, 2007 - 11:00pm
Inspired by the amazing beer selection at the first annual Ithaca Brew Fest earlier this month, I sat down with Jon Schaeffer, the co-owner and manager of The Chapter House, to discuss the 48 beers on tap and the C-town bar’s history. A Cornell student in the late 1980s, Jon stuck around Ithaca and has worked at Chapter House on and off since 1990.
Originally a tap room and restaurant called Jim’s Place, the bar changed its name to The Chapter House in the mid-1960s. The Sun archives have advertisements for “fine drinks and good food” at Jim’s Place dating back to World War II. By 1965, Jim’s Place had become Chapter House and the advertisements in The Sun list all you can eat spaghetti for just a dollar. Beer and spaghetti — quite the combo.
The Stewart Avenue bar was a major haunt of the Greek system — hence its name — until New York raised its drinking age from 18 to 19 in 1982, and then from 19 to 21 in 1985. With the hike in N.Y.’s legal drinking age, Chapter House took a plunge and remained vacant for a few years before it was transformed into an ice cream parlor. But beer is certainly more popular than sundaes among college students, and Chapter House reopened as a bar in the late 1980s.
The scene at the resurrected Chapter House is no longer dominated by underclassman Greeks; today, you’ll find that an older crowd drinks here. Though Cornell Law and Johnson School students frequent the bar, many upperclassmen also forgo the bustle of College Ave. to enjoy the mellower atmosphere Chapter House has to offer … or to hit on their T.As.
Through the name change and menu adjustments, much of the décor has remained the same. New owners have inherited the dusty composites, mugs and Cornell paraphernalia that adorn the walls. The wall carvings are also a testament to the number of years Cornellians have spent drinking at Chapter House. Everything from Greek letters to “NKG + SHO Forever” has been whittled into the walls and tables here. So what’s Jon’s favorite wall hanging? An original photograph of the 1967 National Championship Cornell hockey team bolted to the wall in front of the bar. Let’s go, Red!
But getting to the good stuff — the beer! Today Chapter House regularly has 48 beers on tap. Prior to offering the best beer selection in C-town, the bar brewed its own in New Jersey and then on site. The local brew, Clement’s, was served from the late 1980s to the late 90s. I asked Jon about the most popular beer on tap today sure that he would reply it was Ithaca Beer Co.’s Apricot Wheat that I was sipping. While the local brews are certainly well-liked, Jon says the best seller is none other than Guinness. His drink of choice, however, is Fuller’s London Pride.
Although The Chapter House no longer offers all-you-can-eat spaghetti, it does supply its patrons with an endless amount of popcorn. And the popcorn, purchased locally in Lansing, is free!
Having hung around the bar scene in C-town for close to two decades, Jon has seen his fair share of wild nights. Some of the things he’s witnessed are too vulgar to print, but his most memorable night is one I bet you wish you were there for. Two or three years ago, Béla Fleck’s girlfriend was playing a show at Chapter House and Fleck, himself, played a 40-minute opening set that brought the place down. Pretty amazing and definitely printable.
Other famous folks have showed up at Chapter House as well. Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young stopped in a few years back. One winter night, Bill Maher ’78 showed up with a young woman so drunk the doorman didn’t let him in … whoops! And even Bill Nye the Science Guy ’77 has enjoyed a cold one at Chapter House.
This Saturday, Eugene Chadbourne and Jimmy Carl Black, the former drummer for Frank Zappa and Mothers of Invention, are playing a show. So when you’re heading out this weekend, skip the Bud Light — go have a real beer at Chapter House. Oh, and be sure to tell Jon hello.
Sarah Olesiuk is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be contacted at solesiuk@cornellsun.com. Archive This! appears alternate Fridays.
Inspired by the amazing beer selection at the first annual Ithaca Brew Fest earlier this month, I sat down with Jon Schaeffer, the co-owner and manager of The Chapter House, to discuss the 48 beers on tap and the C-town bar’s history. A Cornell student in the late 1980s, Jon stuck around Ithaca and has worked at Chapter House on and off since 1990.
Originally a tap room and restaurant called Jim’s Place, the bar changed its name to The Chapter House in the mid-1960s. The Sun archives have advertisements for “fine drinks and good food” at Jim’s Place dating back to World War II. By 1965, Jim’s Place had become Chapter House and the advertisements in The Sun list all you can eat spaghetti for just a dollar. Beer and spaghetti — quite the combo.
The Stewart Avenue bar was a major haunt of the Greek system — hence its name — until New York raised its drinking age from 18 to 19 in 1982, and then from 19 to 21 in 1985. With the hike in N.Y.’s legal drinking age, Chapter House took a plunge and remained vacant for a few years before it was transformed into an ice cream parlor. But beer is certainly more popular than sundaes among college students, and Chapter House reopened as a bar in the late 1980s.
The scene at the resurrected Chapter House is no longer dominated by underclassman Greeks; today, you’ll find that an older crowd drinks here. Though Cornell Law and Johnson School students frequent the bar, many upperclassmen also forgo the bustle of College Ave. to enjoy the mellower atmosphere Chapter House has to offer … or to hit on their T.As.
Through the name change and menu adjustments, much of the décor has remained the same. New owners have inherited the dusty composites, mugs and Cornell paraphernalia that adorn the walls. The wall carvings are also a testament to the number of years Cornellians have spent drinking at Chapter House. Everything from Greek letters to “NKG + SHO Forever” has been whittled into the walls and tables here. So what’s Jon’s favorite wall hanging? An original photograph of the 1967 National Championship Cornell hockey team bolted to the wall in front of the bar. Let’s go, Red!
But getting to the good stuff — the beer! Today Chapter House regularly has 48 beers on tap. Prior to offering the best beer selection in C-town, the bar brewed its own in New Jersey and then on site. The local brew, Clement’s, was served from the late 1980s to the late 90s. I asked Jon about the most popular beer on tap today sure that he would reply it was Ithaca Beer Co.’s Apricot Wheat that I was sipping. While the local brews are certainly well-liked, Jon says the best seller is none other than Guinness. His drink of choice, however, is Fuller’s London Pride.
Although The Chapter House no longer offers all-you-can-eat spaghetti, it does supply its patrons with an endless amount of popcorn. And the popcorn, purchased locally in Lansing, is free!
Having hung around the bar scene in C-town for close to two decades, Jon has seen his fair share of wild nights. Some of the things he’s witnessed are too vulgar to print, but his most memorable night is one I bet you wish you were there for. Two or three years ago, Béla Fleck’s girlfriend was playing a show at Chapter House and Fleck, himself, played a 40-minute opening set that brought the place down. Pretty amazing and definitely printable.
Other famous folks have showed up at Chapter House as well. Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young stopped in a few years back. One winter night, Bill Maher ’78 showed up with a young woman so drunk the doorman didn’t let him in … whoops! And even Bill Nye the Science Guy ’77 has enjoyed a cold one at Chapter House.
This Saturday, Eugene Chadbourne and Jimmy Carl Black, the former drummer for Frank Zappa and Mothers of Invention, are playing a show. So when you’re heading out this weekend, skip the Bud Light — go have a real beer at Chapter House. Oh, and be sure to tell Jon hello.
Sarah Olesiuk is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be contacted at solesiuk@cornellsun.com. Archive This! appears alternate Fridays.