We old farts who were around during the 2012-2013 academic year were witness to the fall of two great reigns.
The first came in the fall at the end of Muschamp’s Gators. Despite that nearly undefeated season, the guy just could’t get any good PR.
The second, with the end of spring semester, came the great void ripped into the UF social fabric: the demise of Penny Wine.
Via: One to Nothin’
For you whipper-snappers, Penny Wine was an experience like no other. The — dare I say — transcendent experience that was Penny Wine promised, well, exactly as its namesake suggests: wine for a penny. Every Thursday night, the Beef O’Brady’s that once occupied Piesano’s space on University offered glasses of the world’s worst wine for just a penny per glass. You might ask yourself, “Who the fuck wants to go out to Beef O’Brady’s?” or “Why would you drink wine that tastes like an expired Capri Sun?” But quiet down, little ones, these are questions we do not ask of Penny Wine.
Like any “18 to party, 21 to drink” establishment in Gainesville, it got packed fast. The hour between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., it would go from nice conversations with a decent amount of people standing around to complete ratch-nasty-ness with barely any room to avoid the drool of the two black-out drunk strangers making out next to your face.
Penny Wine was the Thursday facey station, where you would get to see everyone at their absolute worst. With wine for a penny and a small cover, it was even cheaper than pre-gaming at home and not drinking in Midtown!
Via: Elite Daily
A few factors contributed to the atmosphere of complete irresponsibility. Inhumanely cheap alcohol and thirsty girls were the obvious attractions, but the ease of underage drinking really gave it its character. A staff lenient on fake IDs and the ease of passing bands made it a freshman oasis.
We all know how freshman get, but that was the appeal. Penny Wine was the one time a week it was okay for a perfectly legal 21+ adult to act like an 18-year-old at his first alcohol experience outside of a sketchy house party.
Unfortunately, due to unbeknownst circumstances, Penny Wine kind of died after Spring 2013. They still “had” it during Fall 2013, but no one was there. Penny Wine died, and so did Beef O’Brady’s, and now we are blessed with the beauty that is Piesano’s (shoutout to calzones).
Noticing how much the Gainesville old-timers love to reminisce over Welch’s grape juice we dared to call wine, Dynasty Group revived the premise of Penny Wine this semester at Bank Bar & Lounge on Thursdays.
You can see how strongly I feel about the old Penny Wine, so I could not wait to go.
Dynasty has some good things going: a much better location (legitimate bar downtown versus a fucking Beef O’Brady’s), better wine (All Barefoot. Yes, finally a recognizable label) and less freshmen (guess the bouncer had a cup of coffee and put those bands on just a little more tightly). However, Dynasty also got some things terribly wrong: a much better location, better wine and less freshmen.
Via: Cha Cha
The new Penny Wine has nothing to do with the old Penny Wine. The only commonality is in its name. (I’d say the wine too, but the old wine probably had less grape content than Robitussin.) The new Penny Wine makes me feel more like an adult. It’s still a facey station, but everyone’s standing around, having normal conversations. Some people are dancing, but there aren’t strangers paired off groping each other on the floor with their tongues down each other’s throats. The worst part is: the wine isn’t even a penny! At Beef’s, the waitresses would refuse you service unless you gave them a coin. At Bank, the bartenders will laugh at you if you hand them anything. It’s not about the money, it’s about the ritual.
If you’re looking for the old Penny Wine experience at the new Penny Wine, you won’t find it. I really can’t say anything bad about Dynasty’s version of Penny Wine except that it just isn’t the same.
If you want to go downtown and get literally free Barefoot wine, then by all means, go. It’s a good atmosphere and it’s decently facey. If you’re looking to relive those old Beef’s days, then you’re better off finishing off a bottle of whatever box is cheaper than Franzia and heading to “Beat the Clock” at Grog.
Rest in peace, old Penny Wine. We’ll pour one out for you.
Feature photo courtesy of: Respite Care
