Barley's has some taps, populated by dull beers that Capital City Beverages(CCB) is trying to move before expiry. Not that you'd want to drink from these taps; the co-owner has instructed employees to dip paper towels into the mildewy water that pools in the bottom of the keg boxes, and use these makeshift "wet wipes" to clean the faucets. The co-owner in question, David Gregory Purnell, a salesman at CCB, fancies himself a Kim Jong-un type leader, going so far as to style his hair after the North Korean dictator. Adorning the walls of His Imperial Beer Store are several large photographs of himself, documenting some of his life's greatest achievements: Catching a tuna, catching a bass, and winning 4th place at a gumbo festival. In these photographs, his all-seeing eyes - obscured by sunglasses - are merely a haunting metaphor for the intricate, covert audio and video recording that anyone who dares enter his domain is subject to; not even traditionally private areas such as the restrooms are immune from his tyrannical curiosity. This may sound inappropriate - dystopian even - but when questioned, Mr. Purnell reassuringly barks back, "If you don't like it, you can leave!" He displays a "Certificate of Completion" for the Cicerone CBS test, yet erroneously refers to himself as a Cicerone. After he gets to drinking (as late as 6:30 A.M. some days) he admits that he cheated on the exam with the help of another CCB employee, Derek Nelson. Do not get him started on his 5' tall 4th place gumbo trophy, complete with a second, smaller trophy, explaining the imagined significance of the first. He claims to have graduated from Ole Miss, but when asked what he got his degree in, he leers at his interrogator, and grumbles this rare truthhood: "An envelope." The owner, Deborah Challener, teaches law at Mississippi College, a Christian university. You'll only find her at the store on Sunday mornings during church hours, not knowing how to fill a growler or pour a pint. She won't be able to answer any questions about beer but she will direct you to an employee that can. To Deborah, beer is a mystery. In their employ is the greatest couple of beer experts one could hope for in central Mississippi. Even the most pernicious of small business owners must appreciate their attitude, tone, and obedience. Despite vicious verbal abuse from the co-proprietor, they greet every person that walks through the door with a hearty "Welcome to Barley's", a genuine smile gleaming across each of their faces. Among their ranks are legitimate Cicerone CBS title holders. Absolutely any questions you have these gentlemen will be able to answer with 100% accuracy and confidence at the drop of a hat. Just try them. The dazzling intelligence, sharp wit, and endearing charm possessed by these employees is matched only by their immense work ethic, eagerness to please, and passion for helping match every client to what will become her new favorite brew. The lackluster attempts of the owner and co-owner at tending to even the most simple of customer requests serve only as fodder for entertainment, as they lock up, fumble their words, and leave the patron more confused than had they not asked a question in the first place. Mr. Purnell has the traits of a bully, and despises people shorter than he is. Tiny men, whose insufficient heights are burned into Purnell's memory, are the subject of many of his child-like tantrums and fantasies. When pantomiming his version of various run-ins with these peas under his proverbial mattress, Princess Purnell resembles a cutout of a clown at a carnival; a post-stroke countenance, his Parkinson's-presenting palm outstretched as if to say, "You must be this tall to get my respect." Asked if he worked his way up through the ranks at CCB, he winces, visibly perturbed by the insinuation that he may have done an honest day's work in his entire life. The disgraced co-owner harbours a great disdain for the practice of tipping, a well-known custom in the United States of America. The supposed Jackson native has a certain European je ne sais quoi, and any questions regarding his origins are met with a curiously prepared avowance of his ancestry and a litany of local institutions of education that he purportedly attended, with the clear intention of assuaging any concerns about his nationality. To paraphrase Shakespeare, methinks he doth protest too much. In sum, Greg Purnell over-serves customers regularly, to the point of vomiting. He then drives himself home drunk, often with his children in tow. Ask him about Kristina. If you're looking for beer in the Gluckstadt/Canton area, and don't want to just drive a few minutes up the road to Craft Beer Cellars in Ridgeland -where they don't film the restrooms- then stop on in at Barley's today! read more