The Pour House Dries Up?

When tourists think of Boston landmarks, they often mention the Bunker Hill Monument, the Old North Church, or even the Bull and Finch Pub. But those are small-time compared to one of the city’s greatest monuments—the Pour House.

From college students who take advantage of the half-priced food nights to baseball fans who enjoy one of the bar’s huge beers after a game, it’s a tough place not to like. Which is why we were heartbroken to read the rumors flying around RedSoxNation.net and Yelp that one of our favorite dives was about to close.

On Monday, we got an email from a Boston Daily tipster who reads the RedSoxNation.net message boards. A user reported that the Pour House was caught up in a liquor license triangle between Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey’s new bar and Pat Lyons’ bar inside Fenway Park. (If you’re a member of the board, you can read the post in its entirety here.)

The Red Sox need a 2 AM license for the new bar being built in the bleachers and the city said they had to buy an existing 2 AM license and no more can be created.

The Red Sox and Pat Lyons have bought the Pour House license and will move it to Lansdowne St where the new bleacher bar is being built inside the park.

DKM gets the 1 AM license that Foggy Google has but will take over the space next door at the Pour House.

The Pour House will close as soon as the Red Sox bar is ready. City approval is nothing but a rubber stamp given the names involved.

As you can imagine, the response was immediate and negative. One user said “The Pour House was my favorite pre-game destination and one of the few bars in town that I actually enjoy. It was never too busy and the menu and beverages were very cheap. Best of all, it was relatively Pink Hat free.” We also found users on Yelp who’d heard the rumor.

In a panic that our beloved bar was closing, we called the Boston Licensing Board, which told Boston Daily that there had not been a transfer of the license at 907 Boylston Street. Whew. And we weren’t the only ones who were relieved.

“Oh, did you read that on Red Sox Nation?” one of the Pour House bartenders responded when we walked over there earlier to inquire if the bar is shutting down. “I read that too. I had to come in and check with my manager, who said the bar is not closing. So spread the word, we are not closing.”

Just to be sure, we spoke to a manager at the bar, who gave us a “big denial.” We’ll say it again: Whew.