by Benjamin lee
A little before 4:00p.m on a Wednesday at the Anthill Pub, a UCI student walks in. She takes a seat at the front of the bar and waits for someone to tend to her. The student stares at the list of beers with a blank expression. A bartender approaches her and asks her if she needed help deciding. The student responds, “I’m sorry, I just don’t know what these are. Do you have something with a bitter taste to it?” The bartender replies, “Alright, so you like them hoppier. I recommend the Racer 5 out of all of them.” The student agrees and shows the waitress her ID as she prepares the Racer 5 drink. As she takes a sip of the drink, the student lets out a little chuckle and says, “It’s been long day.” The waitress replies, “Aww, I’m glad we’re here for you.”
The Anthill Pub aims to be a pub that is one of few. The staff maintains a distinct selection of beers and succeeds in tending to the customers’ needs. As a campus pub, they cater to the thirst of not only college students but to the general public as well. Assistant Manager Matt Allen estimates that 95% of the customers are UCI students while the rest are regulars who enter and say, “Oh, we heard you were a good bar.” Regardless of who comes in, all customers tend to come back more than once.
The Anthill Pub aims to be a pub that is one of few. The staff maintains a distinct selection of beers and succeeds in tending to the customers’ needs. As a campus pub, they cater to the thirst of not only college students but to the general public as well. Assistant Manager Matt Allen estimates that 95% of the customers are UCI students while the rest are regulars who enter and say, “Oh, we heard you were a good bar.” Regardless of who comes in, all customers tend to come back more than once.
The main thing that differentiates this pub from others is their selection. The Anthill Pub only carries craft beers from local independent brewers. As beer enthusiasts, the staff sees better quality in craft beers than in domestics. Although craft beer tends to be more expensive than domestic, Matt defends the choice to keep the pub as a craft seller. “They (craft beers) have more of a handmade quality about them,” said Matt Allen, “They tend to charge a little more because they are craftier, they are artisanal and made by smaller companies and fewer people. And usually the quality is a little better than say Coors Light.”
Another thing that differentiates Anthill Pub from others is the prices. The staff tries to appeal to college students and the general public by having low prices. While a premium pint in typical pubs would be priced around $7, the Anthill Pub prices it at $5.
When customers find out that the pub only carries craft beers, the bartenders get mixed reactions. Some acknowledge that it is a unique pub for doing so while others may be upset that they do not carry any domestics. Even if the reaction is negative, they have not lost a single customer. “It is more of an issue of trying to find a particular style of beer that they are used to. We have a wide enough spread of different types of beer and we can usually find some that they like. For example, if someone likes Bud Light or a lighter American style beer, we will recommend something like the Scrimshaw Pilsner.”
When customers find out that the pub only carries craft beers, the bartenders get mixed reactions. Some acknowledge that it is a unique pub for doing so while others may be upset that they do not carry any domestics. Even if the reaction is negative, they have not lost a single customer. “It is more of an issue of trying to find a particular style of beer that they are used to. We have a wide enough spread of different types of beer and we can usually find some that they like. For example, if someone likes Bud Light or a lighter American style beer, we will recommend something like the Scrimshaw Pilsner.”
Every item on the list comes from different independent brewers from Orange County to San Diego. Some brewers include Mission, Hanger 24, Abita, Ritual, Stone, North Coast, Noble Ale Works, and much more. According to Matt, the Anthill Pub has no plans to add any domestic beers to the selection. “It is a matter of us wanting to be different. The market for regular type pubs is so saturated. And you know, we are all beer enthusiasts. It makes us want to educate students and customers about good beer and what a good beer is all about. And really opening their eyes to what beer can be. I’ve been to many beer pubs and our selection and price is what makes our bar so attractive. We try to stay unique and respect the craft.”