There is a new microbrewery in the city where I live – Toledo, Ohio. It is called Black Cloister and it has been open for about a month. One thing I noticed after my first couple of visits to the Black Cloister was the absence of any televisions. As it was a new brewery I assumed that a television set or two would appear in the taproom sooner or later. When none appeared after a few weeks I asked the CEO and Founder Tom Schaeffer about this. He told me that he was not planning to have any televisions in the Black Cloister. You see it is not that kind of place. You don’t go there to watch the Tigers or the Indians hit home runs. You go there to drink great beer and to engage in conversation with friends and fellow beer lovers. On my next visit I found myself a victim of Tom Schaeffer’s genius. Shortly after I had settled in at the bar a couple walked in and sat down next to me. As an introvert I would typically have avoided any conversation with strangers by glueing my eyes to the nearest television screen. But I couldn’t. So a few minutes later I found myself engaged in a conversation. It turned out they were from nearby Waterville and this was their first visit to the Black Cloister. As I had followed the microbrewery’s evolution I was able to tell them a little about the place. We had a great conversation. The Black Cloister Brewery reminds us that there was a time without televisions when people congregated at their neighborhood pub to meet friends, exchange news, and engage in fellowship over a couple of pints. Looks like Tom Schaeffer and the Black Cloister have hit a home run with their concept of a community gathering place.