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Owner of the venerable Syracuse beer tavern The Blue Tusk, Mike Yorton, passed away at the age of 49.Mike Yorton, the iconic Armory Square bar’s “Tuskafari” leader with dreadlocks and a beard, passed away on Sunday. He was 49.With the help of his father, Tim, and other family members, Yorton ran The Blue Tusk in the Center Armory building from 1995 until it shut its doors last year.A 69-tap bar showcasing both American craft beer and difficult-to-find imports was the brainchild of Mike Yorton. He was to blame for the relaxed, tie-dyed, jam band-meets-beer enthusiast atmosphere of the bar.A 69-tap bar showcasing both American craft beer and difficult-to-find imports was the brainchild of Mike Yorton. He was to blame for the relaxed, tie-dyed, jam band-meets-beer enthusiast atmosphere of the bar.The Blue Tusk contributed to Central New York’s adoption of the then-new craft beer movement, which may have seemed strange at the time. It was acknowledged as a trend-setter in prestigious national beer publications.After losing its lease due to a disagreement with the new owners of Center Armory last year, The Tusk, located at 165 Walton St., closed. The Tusk, which Mike Yorton had welcomed as one of Center Armory’s first commercial tenants, was honored at the occasion by the building’s original developer and owner, Bob Doucette.Armory Square won’t be the same without the Blue Tusk, Doucette wrote in a letter headlined “Truthfully, I never fully grasped Mike’s concept.”Thankfully, it didn’t matter because he and his father were determined to build a beautiful meeting place and were on the right road from the start, according to Doucette. They were the best tenants, and I’m happy to add that they later became my friends.No specific cause of death has been identified. Currently, no plans have been made for the funeral.Mike Yorton was raised in Chittenango by his family. When his father, who owned the Armory Deli, made the decision to relocate and grow the company in 1995, he asked his son to take care of the beer (and then wine) side of things.Thanks for reading from Ghsplash a news publishing website from Ghana. Share this article, For spelling mistakes and other related issues contact us
