Mary Jane Mahan is the author of Love at the Pub: An Insider’s Guide to Craftsmanship, Conversation and Community at the Brick Store Pub, which came out in October.

1) So, why write a book about the Brick Store Pub?

There’s no place on earth like the Brick Store Pub. It was a blast having the Belgian Bar as my “working office” and interviewing the community on pub barstools. The hazard of writing such a book is that I’m not Hemingway — so after one beer interview, I’d have to quit writing. It took at least an extra six months for this book to get finished thanks to the delicious beer at the Brick Store and it was all worth it!

The Brick Store is an Atlanta institution and a world-renowned pub because the owners care deeply about how craft beer is stored, poured and promoted. They also pride themselves on friendly, knowledgeable service — very important hallmarks of a successful business. The Brick Store Pub is not only rated the #2 beer bar on the planet [according to BeerAdvocate.com], it is also the “heartbeat of Decatur” according to Emory University employee and Brick Store regular Cathy Keeler. She’s right!

2) What do you like best about the pub?

I love that the Pub is a place where you go to relax and enjoy your company whether that’s on a date or with your grandparents. The Belgian Bar is the coolest place on earth to hide and enjoy a mystical Trappist beer.

3) What makes Brick Store different than your typical pub-type restaurant?

The Brick Store Pub is a true public house and “third place” where the community gathers to visit with one another, not get wasted and act like a buffoon. The fact that there are no TVs means real conversation happens on the barstools, whether you’re with your friends or you’ve just made a new acquaintance. What’s amazing is the diversity in the Brick Store. From newborns to teenagers to retirees, from Emory professors, lawyers and CEOs to blue collar laborers, punk rockers and musicians, from liberal to conservative, from gay, straight and other, you will find everyone under the sun at that horseshoe bar.

4) How did people you know react when you told them you were writing a book about Brick Store?

I’m the 10th hired employee at Brick Store Pub and a Decatur resident since 1997, so that means I know a lot of people. No one really believed me when I told them about the book, including me. It took a couple of years for me to get up the nerve to really start the project.

5) How long has this project — coming up with the concept, researching, writing — taken you?

I sat down in the Brick Store and started taking notes in winter 2003. The original book concept was on the “wisdom of waitressing” and meant to be in the inspirational or personal development genre based loosely on the Pub. When I came up with the title Love at the Pub in 2006 and seriously started interviewing people, I got a tidal wave of response on people’s adoration and gratitude for this drinking institution. The book quickly became a historical homage and my interview data yielded the three main themes of craftsmanship, conversation and community.

6) What’s something that you think most people don’t know about Brick Store that they should?

Three things come to mind:

• Decatur pioneers had envisioned a town renaissance since the late 1970s. When the Brick Store opened in 1997, the Square turned around from “deadsville” to the thriving city it is today. The Brick Store had a great deal to do with that.

• The reason for the Pub’s success is that it is run by three caring, passionate, fun-loving, ordinary guys who shut down their business at least twice a year to throw parties for their staff who they consider family and treat with respect.

• There’s a wall panel door in the second-floor Belgian Bar that’s from a morgue.

7) Do you have a favorite story that you unearthed during the writing process?

My favorite story is how the front door got built at the very last second in the crudest way possible. At 11 p.m. just days before the Pub opened, owner Dave Blanchard pulled inside an artist and carpenter he met while working at Twain’s and said, “We’ve got to have this front door! I’ve got the planks in my car, could you do build this right now?” They made up the door design on the spot and drilled the planks into the floor to clamp it together. Over 12 years later and against all odds, it’s still standing.

I also loved learning about an Emory graduate student teacher who brought some students there because it was the closest thing he could find to a classic symposium.

8) How many of Brick Store’s different beers have you tried?

I’d say about 20 percent. I tend to get stuck on my favorite style, India Pale Ales.

9) Do you have a personal favorite?

I am currently in love with classic Belgian tripels such as Westmalle. I do love porters and stouts as well such as Smuttynose.

10) Where can one get the book?

Get Love at the Pub at Brick Store Pub, Cook’s Warehouse, Amazon.com or www.loveatthepub.com. Get a free pint with your book on Thursday, Dec. 10 from 5 to 10 p.m. for the Book Signing Block Party that includes a backyard bonfire, pig roast, beer vault tours and a bocce tournament. For $20, it is the best holiday present your parents could ever put in your stocking.

— Interview by Editorials Editor Asher Smith