Have a Beer

June 1, 2022

I am delighted to share with you a story about a man who spends much of his time doing something he really enjoys.  Selling beer!   

His name is Al. I am personally acquainted with his passion for good beer.  I, however, do not indulge!  So let’s begin.

Al is your regular guy type.  He is friendly and likes to help people. He enjoys what he does.  Al likes living in McKeesport which is not like New York City where he used to live. He said “Life here is not fast paced and it is quiet!”  I asked if he had different jobs coming from a large city like New York City?   “Yes”, I managed a laundromat for a large New York community.” he said. Al has been in McKeesport since 2017 and he works for a beer store on Walnut Street where he started out as a janitor and is now the store manager.

His duties are many.  He opens and closes the store, greets customers, and receives orders from different stores that want beer.  Al says there are two kinds of beers a store can order; one is domestic, and the other is international.

For those of you who are connoisseurs of beer, you know the difference!   However, if you do not, have no fear.

Al will tell you that domestic beers are brewed which means that it is made from hops.  A hop is a barley roasted flavor.  He said, “International beers are made in large vats. A fan inside spins around to stir the brew.  It can stir slowly for up to two to five hours, then it becomes a smooth aromatic flavor.”  Al believes that Budweiser is the most popular domestic beer, and  Wallerbrook is the choice for International beers.

Like for most people,  Al believes every day at work counts.  A day for him at the store entails doing inventory, waiting on customers, stocking shelves and ringing up sales on the register. He also makes sure the beers are correctly distributed and does general maintenance in the store.

“Plus my wife, Colette, helps me keep it all together by reminding me of something like ordering beer for a card party.” said Al.

 We know that the pandemic had a drastic effect on many cities, so I asked Al if the pandemic had affected the normal functions of the store.  Al said “The virus kept many people away.  We wore masks and lots of people did not come into the store.  We didn’t sell many beers, but before that we had lots of customers.”  Said Al.

He continued. “I hope this year will be a better for the customers and the store.”

- Colette Funches