Nugget may strike Goldschlager

Students stressed out with finals may be yearning for an afternoon Long Island Iced Tea or Sex on the Beach, but neither thirst can be quenched at The Nugget. At least, not yet. 

"I don't know that there's been that much of a desire for The Nugget to serve hard alcohol," said night manager Charlie Coons. "But if a lot of students say, ‘Why don't you do hard liquor?' We're open to that." 

An Alcohol Beverage Control law restricts the type of liquor license that The Nugget carries, allowing them to serve only wine and beer, Coons said. 

Currently, The Nugget has nine types of beer on tap. The most popular libations on the menu are Guinness, a heavy stout; Pyramid, a cloudy wheat beer; and Samuel Adams, a full-bodied lager. 

But Coons said The Nugget is very open to change. 

"We're here to serve whatever the students and faculty want," he said. 

Five years ago, the look of the place was very different, Coons said. On Thursday nights, bands played there, including Sublime and Adam Ant. However, Coons explained, a lot of nonstudents attended the concerts, making for a potentially dangerous situation. 

"If we lose our license here at The Nugget, the whole campus goes dry," Coons said. "We're very protective of the beer here."

Changes are in the works as far as appearance goes, Coons said. Although the pub does have a satellite dish, they are working on getting a connection to DirecTV to make it more like a sports bar. 

Students are divided on the issue of having hard alcohol. 

"I think we need it for finals because I'm stressing out," said senior Kevin Soult, communications major. "I could use a Kamikaze or a Surfer on Acid." 

"I think a lot of college campuses don't even have bars," said junior Analisa Alt, interior design major. "It would give everyone more of a reason not to go to class."

As far as students getting drunk off of beer, Coons said there has not been a problem.

"You can only buy one beer at a time and we don't sell pitchers," he added. 

Students willing to settle for beer can party after finals at The Nugget Thursday, May 18. There will be a disc jockey and dancing, The alcohol starts flowing at 11 a.m. and stops at 5 p.m.