Our Daily Show Interview! Brian Trust- Pour Decisions: First Reaction Post Hearing
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ALTON – The owner of an Alton bar at risk of losing its late night liquor license has launched a movement to “Stand Up” for the fair treatment of all businesses amid claims the city is unfairly targeting his establishment.
A hearing held on Monday, July 14, 2025, concerned the possibility of revoking the late night liquor licenses of two downtown bars, Pour Decisions and Hiram’s Bar. Under the Alton City Code, a “late night liquor license” allows a business to continue selling alcohol from 1 to 2 a.m. on weekdays and 1 to 3 a.m. on weekends. The owners of both bars were called to appear before Mayor David Goins, who also serves as the city’s Liquor Control Commissioner.
Brian Trust, co-owner of the Pour Decisions bar in downtown Alton, said he’s launched a new Facebook page called Stand Up Alton. A post from July 17, 2025 addresses the reason behind the page’s creation.
“To be clear, this page – Stand Up Alton – would not even exist if the City of Alton had announced that ALL bars were losing their 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. privileges,” the post states. “If it were a citywide policy for the sake of public safety, we might not agree with it, but at least we could respect the consistency. But that’s not the case.”
At the July 9, 2025 Alton City Council meeting, Trust said his bar was being “singled out” over problems that existed downtown even before Pour Decisions opened its doors. As of July 18, Trust said, “I still feel that it’s a personal attack or I’m being targeted.”
A final decision has not yet been made on whether or not Pour Decisions can keep its late night liquor license. In the meantime, Trust said his employees have voiced concerns about losing their late night shifts if the bar’s license is revoked.
“One of them was expressing disappointment with me yesterday because she overheard how things are going to change, and if they change, that takes her out of her shifts – that’s her livelihood,” Trust said.
Losing the late night license would have a significant economic impact on Pour Decisions, which Trust said relies heavily on late night liquor sales.
“When we did our hearing, the financials spoke for themselves. We do amazing from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. – matter of fact, we actually struggle during the day,” Trust said. “On behalf of my employees, yes, it’s a big deal for them, it’s a big deal for me.”
The focus of the Stand Up Alton movement has now expanded beyond the liquor license issue, as Trust maintains his business is being unfairly targeted by city officials over loitering and other problems that pre-existed Pour Decisions. Rather than forcing certain bars to close early while others remain open, Trust advocated for the equal treatment of all local business owners.
“If you’re a business owner and you get shut down at 1 [a.m.] but you watch all that revenue go somewhere else for the next two hours, don’t tell me [you] would not be upset,” Trust said. “What’s fair for one is fair for all, period.”
Trust called on community members with strong opinions on the matter to make their voices heard at City Council meetings. He also called on City Council members to “be accountable” to the voters who elected them by putting their phones down and truly listening to their concerns.
Hiram Lewis, owner of Hiram’s Bar in downtown Alton, was also present at Monday’s hearing. Lewis said he’s still waiting on the “outcome” of the hearing, indicating no decision has been made yet regarding the late night liquor license for Hiram’s Bar. He declined to comment further on the matter at this time.
For more context behind Monday’s liquor license hearing, see this related story on Riverbender.com. The full Our Daily Show! interview with Trust is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
