Mike Scotese, Man on a Mission

Last time I saw Mike "Scoats" Scotese we were at the Mayfair Business Association Christmas party at The Grey Lodge. He was graciously hosting if "hosting" means running around like a chicken without a head serving his fellow business peers and not relaxing at all. He would occasionally stop to socialize, make sure everyone had enough to eat, and recommend one of the fabulous craft beers on the Grey Lodge menu. Then it was right back to work waiting tables, cleaning up, and putting in more yummy food orders so we could cram our faces with cheesesteak egg rolls. Nom nom nom. I can safely say this is probably why the man has 2 very successful business, The Grey Lodge and the Hop-Angel Brauhaus and I am a part-time, smart-assed blogger. The boy has hustle.

Scoats has been at this location since 1994 and it has been The Grey Lodge Pub since 1996. There has been a bar at 6235 Frankford Ave continuously since Labor Day 1950, which for those of you who don't know history, was a little bit after the dinosaurs stopped roaming the earth. (zing old people!)

So how does one decide "I need to run one of the Fifty Best Beer Bars by Beer Advocate Magazine in addition to receiving countless other local and national accolades"? Easy. Scoats did what most of us only dream about. Instead of accepting his fate and being chained to a cubicle desk, he decided that his talents lay elsewhere. Since he had gotten lots of experience working in bars and restaurants to pay his way through school he felt like running a bar came naturally. Now he is a beautiful, bar-owning, beer butterfly and I'm still a blogger. (This entry is ruining my self esteem but I can still alliterate like a mofo. )

Scoats resides in his finely-crafted beer manor in Tacony and loves doing business in Mayfair because "it's a real place, not a strip center in a land of strip centers". His favorite business in Mayfair is the Mayfair Shop N Bag because of their fair prices, easy to find items, and the fact that they always have plenty of cashiers. A busy man like Scoats appreciates these things!

In 2012, The Grey Lodge will be working closely with Yards and Philadelphia Brewing in order to introduce more people in the neighborhood to great beer brewed right here in the city. I for one, can't WAIT!! The Grey Lodge also has a blog that Scoats updates frequently to keep you abreast of the different craft beers in rotation. You can visit it here at greylodge.com.

Now seriously slacker, get back to work. Scoats has been up since 6am and has already waxed his car, done a 1000 piece puzzle, solved the debt crisis, driven a bus full of children to the zoo, and led a discussion on urban gardening for the Philadelphia Horticulture Society. You've picked your nose and pretended to work for the past 2 hours while Facebook stalking your ex.