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Rowdy Bar That Upped Drinking Age to 25 Will Close Earlier Amid Complaints

 Phil's Crummy Corner, located at 323 Columbia St., will reduce its closing hours from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. after multiple complaints from neighbors.
Phil's Crummy Corner, located at 323 Columbia St., will reduce its closing hours from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. after multiple complaints from neighbors.
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DNAinfo/Nikhita Venugopal

COLUMBIA STREET WATERFRONT DISTRICT — A raucous Brooklyn bar that once raised its drinking age limit to 25 in a bid to pacify its neighbors now plans to reduce its closing hours after continued complaints of late-night noise and disorder.

Phil’s Crummy Corner, located at 323 Columbia St., was conditionally approved for a renewed liquor license Monday night after owner Phil Marcano agreed to close at 2 a.m. instead of 4 a.m. every night.

Neighbors have long complained of rowdy crowds, discarded beer bottles on the street and late night shouting from patrons of the bar.

In a letter sent to Community Board 6’s permits and licenses committee, 11 anonymous residents urged Phil’s to reduce its hours, as well as hold quarterly meetings with neighbors, CB6 and the 76th Precinct. The board also urged the bar to keep a sign on the street asking patrons to stay quiet.

While no one attended the CB6 meeting to speak against the bar, Marcano told board members that he had made efforts to maintain order, including hiring a bouncer, calling cabs for patrons and raising the age limit to 25 on weekends.

Marcano agreed to the new stipulations.Since last November, when Phil’s first hiked the age limit, there have been eighteen 311 noise complaints at the bar.

But Marcano insisted that after he steered younger drinkers away from the bar, “there’s a lot of stuff that stopped.”

“I help the neighborhood,” he said.

Captain Justin Lenz, the 76th precinct’s commanding officer, said the bar was complying with its license but patrons sometimes caused early morning mayhem after it closed. Lenz instructed officers to help disperse crowds who hang around outside Phil’s after hours, he said at a recent community council meeting.

Marcano defended his patrons, describing many of them as “family.”

“These are not bad people,” he said.