Talking fun and games, fermentation and good food with Jen Jones of Boxcar Brewpub
So, how’d you get into bartending? I actually got into it in sort of a sideways way: I have a degree in microbiology, and I got a job as a oenologist, a wine scientist, at Chadds Ford Winery.
Sounds like an awesome gig. It was a pretty fun job to get after college, and I’m still doing it—I love it.
But, that doesn’t answer the question: how’d you become a bartender? Well, I’ve had a few random jobs, but I’ve mostly done private gigs with Swig Bartending and Events. They provide bartenders and servers for private events. It’s a really fun gig. And, I’ve been friends with Kym and Jamie Robinson [owner of Boxcar Brewing Company] for over 20 years now, so when they were opening this bar I wanted to help them pick out their wine list, and with my bartending experience, I just said, “Hey, I’ll pick up a few shifts.” It’s turned into a lot more than that.
Is that a good thing? It’s a great job. I’m really happy to be doing it.
Is there something particular about Boxcar that makes you feel that way? I really like the mix of clientele. We don’t have a set demographic. Any day of week or time of day, you’ll find hop heads—people who are super into craft beers—people who’ve come from all over the place to check it out, then there’s people in their mid twenties and early thirties who are coming in for open mic night, or quizzo or playing Jenga.
Playing Jenga? There are games all over the building, and it’s a great part of the environment. We also have some old school video games like Centipede and Pac Man. It’s a fun place to hang out.
Do you hang out there when you’re not working? I do.
And what do you order? It’s hard to choose. When people ask me for recommendations, I go through the menu and end up naming everything, because it’s all so delicious. I’m a burger fiend, and I really think we have the best burger around— there’s this amazing local bacon on there, Kennett mushrooms, and it’s always cooked to perfection. I also love that we have unique items on the menu, like deviled eggs, shrimp and grits, and scallops with sweet corn purée and succotash.
Sounds delicious. And, the best part of our menu is how much of it is locally farmed and locally sourced, and that makes a huge difference in the freshness and flavor.
And what beer do you order? My favorite’s the 1492 American Pale Ale.
Does your background with wine influence your choices in beer? It is an influence. I’m really into fermentation and the whole brewing experience. Being in winemaking and quality control for so long—I was a full-time oenologist for seven years, was a winemaker for a few years—I’ve found it’s a lot of the same process, but different ingredients, and once you have the fermentation bug, you have it for life.
