Summer Swelter: The Low Season for Bars

As the last traces of sunlight faded from the corner of Columbia and Degraw streets on one of the hottest day Brooklynites had seen since 1957, Jamie Mandel poured an ice-cold beer into an appetizingly chilled pint glass.

"Normally," he said, "I wouldn't be able to talk to you at this time of day."

The bar, , was lively but only about half-full, leaving Mandel with the time for more than the usual short burst of conversation.

Yes, the dog days of summer are upon us, and despite their annual arrival, each year seems to bring new challenges to local watering holes.

Some neighborhood patrons are making the best of the heat.

"I have to tell you, there's an appeal to less crowded bars," said Charles Wyatt, a Red Hook resident and B61 regular. " I feel like I can strecth out a little more on days like these."

Mandel has worked at one of Columbia Streets most prized institutions for the better part of a decade and has a wide frame of reference to compare this summer to ones past.

"This year is definitely slower than the last one, but I think there are a few reasons for that," he said.

Aside from the heat, the bar has had its share of inconveniences to deal with, including the recently-begun four-year Gowanus flushing tunnel project whose orange netting and street blockage begins on Degraw Street, directly behind a bank of large windows that are normally open wide.

Across the street at , co-owner Nicki Humphrey echoed bartender Mandel's sentiments. MikNic's floor to ceiling windows which, when open, help draw old and new patrons inside for a drink or two, were also closed in order for her two air conditioners to make the bar comfortable.

"I love having the doors open, and so do our customers," she said. "But on a day like today, it's difficult."

MikNik's cozy backyard was also quieter than normal, but Humphrey said she expected more people later in the evening. The bar has decided to combat the heat and smaller crowds with nightly activities to accompany cheap cans of Narragansett Lager and Budweiser.

For one, the bar projects movies onto the wall of its backyard. On this particulart evening, a " Flight of the Conchords" retrospective was to be feautured. Humphrey, a New Zealand native, has a special place in her heart for the comedy duo.

"We also started a weekly karaoke night, and we definitely had people from other neighborhoods, which was great," Humphrey added.

Other bars with more foot traffic are also feeling the affect of the slow season.

"The weekdays are sometimes tough," says Atlantic Avenue bar Roebling Inn's bartender Marni Ludwig. "Our Saturday nights are still pretty good, but it seems like the crowd dies down a little earlier at times like this."

Like other bars in the neighborhood, Roebling has other offerings besides local brews and cocktails to satisfy its patrons' needs. The bar menu includes bratwurst, soft pretzels and personal pizzas to make an outing there a kind of one-stop shopping experience.

That's a huge plus when going outside can be a painful proposition.

"And," Ludwig added, "our AC is pretty awesome."