Brian Galensky at Bier Stube – Current #bartendercrush

#bartendercrush is a series spotlighting the coolest, quirkiest and most talented bartenders in Columbus

Dark walls, cheap whiskey shots, and a questionable aroma create the ambiance of the Bier Stube. I’ve known people who’ve created iTunes playlists titled “Stube Jukebox Mix” just for the nostalgic memory of dive-bar excellence. The place is legendary in its own right. But what is a legend without a hero?

Brian Galensky was highly recommended to me and I now know why: he’s easy-going, funny, and he’s got a shit-ton of integrity. Brian, tender of bar at the Bier Stube for the past 8 years, is our hero in the story of the Bier Stube. Brian landed behind the bar by chance when the owner of the Stube slapped a key to the front door in his hand and wished him luck. “I don’t even think I was petitioning to work here,” he says. Brian splits his nights between the Bier Stube on High Street, and Mama’s Pasta & Brew. He says Mama’s and the Stube are where “normal people hang.”

Name: Brian Galensky
Age: 33
Hood: Lives in Clintonville, hangs in Grandview Heights
Years Behind the Bar: 11
Hobbies: Guitar, darts
Band/Book/Beverage: My Morning Jacket, On the Road, Bourbon

Kelly Laine: So what’s the most popular order at the Stube?

Brian Galensky: Bud Light. We’re mostly a “beer and a shot” bar. Jack & Diet, Gin and Tonic. A lot of whiskey between Mama’s and the Stube.

KL: Would you say you have a signature drink?

BG: I know my beers and whiskeys so I tend to push whiskey. I’m very good at recommending different beers. I do an Orange Creamsicle shot that girls like. There’s not much alcohol in it so sometimes I top it off with vodka just to make it worth their while. I never want to rip anybody off.

Me: Do you have a favorite regular?

BG: One of my good friends, Andy Taylor. There’s a story with him every weekend. He knows how to push people’s buttons… like Craig, the owner. Andy knows that Craig can’t stand it, so he’ll just run and flip over the bar and tackle the other bartender.

KL: What’s your most memorable moment since you’ve been behind the bar?

BG: I got bit once. That was memorable. It was right after the smoking ban and I’d asked this guy 7 or 8 times to stop smoking. Finally I came around the bar to escort him out and he started throwing punches. I thought I had him but he grabbed a hold of me and bit me on the arm. The cool thing about the Stube is it kind of polices itself. There aren’t many fights here.

[Brief pause in the interview for a clink of shot glasses, and some Jameson down the hatch.]

KL: What’s the best part of your job?

BG: The people. I don’t even mind if it’s slow and I don’t make any money. I can still have a conversation with somebody. I don’t care if you’re black, white, purple, gay, straight: as long as you’re not an asshole, I’ll talk to you. I guarantee you have somethin’ to offer, man.

KL: And the worst?

BG: Little pet peeves, like when you make 7 shots for a person and they’re like “Can I have one more?” That drives me nuts. Or when people try to barter with you. All of our shots are $3.25; we don’t rip you off here. The hours are kinda screwy. So I guess I’d say, the worst parts are the hours and the assholes.

KL: Where are you if you’re not at work?

BG: Actually, since she [Brian’s girlfriend] lives in Grandview, we go to Meister’s. Woodlands too, they have a bunch of sweet beers on tap.

KL: You know Woodland’s $2.00 drafts all day and night on Mondays, right?

BG: You’re kidding. That’s my night off. I know what we’re doing for our one-year anniversary now [which happens to be this Monday.] Yeah, I think she’s finally my girlfriend after a year.

[Brian yells this to his lady across the bar, and she’s totally down with it. I like them.]

Find Brian at the Bier Stube: 1479 North High Street, or at Mama’s Pasta and Brew at http://www.mamaspastaandbrew.com. You’ll totally have a #bartendercrush on him, too.

This is a guest post by Kelly Laine. Kelly makes an infamous summer sangria, has a strong affinity for tequila, and favors an ice-cold Stone IPA or a tart Farmhouse Ale Saison when the weather’s right. Hobbies include hand-making custom bow ties, cooking while the music blares, Bikram yoga, and being inappropriate.