My first bar shift - June 14, 2014.
What a ride it’s been: Today marks 6 years since our grand opening. This weekend usually hosts our biggest party of the year, but 2020’s anniversary is quiet here at the brewery.
It’s important to acknowledge milestones, but I believe it’s equally important not to let them define you. Yes, it’s been 6 years - and I’m proud of that fact, we all are - but recent weeks have felt more like starting over. Right now, we’re focused on what’s ahead, not what is past.
“One's victories in battle cannot be repeated--they take their form in response to inexhaustibly changing circumstances.” -Sun Tzu
With that, rather than reflect on the past, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on what’s happening at Able, and what you can expect to see from us in the near-term:
TAP ROOM: Renovations to the tap room are nearing completion, with everything on pace to be done by early July. Bigger space, better flow, more seating, air conditioning, new flooring, expanded outdoor seating, and thensome...all built around the original 27’ White Pine bar (which now has charging outlets). We were also able to work in a new glass washer for the Bar Team (you are so welcome, Nicole). You’re going to love the new space; if you happen to drop in for beer to-go, we’ll gladly show you around. We’ll announce a date for grand re-opening in the coming weeks
DISTRO: The Distro Team is still embracing the hustle, and is still on the road everyday (including rn). We’re beyond stoked to have our partnered restaurants beginning to reopen; we def missed them (be sure to get out there and give them your support). We started producing limited quantities of kegs just for them.
Direct (our new home delivery service @ ableebenezer.com/order) is here to stay. In fact, we’re working now on expanding & improving the service. A big shout out to all of you Direct customers who took the time last week to complete Nicole’s survey; your feedback has been a huge help.
Soon, you will see same-day orders stretch into the evenings, delivery windows narrow from hours to minutes, and the delivery radius begin to expand. You will soon be able to choose when you want beer delivered, and receive up-to-the-minute text notifications on your driver’s route status & estimated arrival time, no joke.
-Accident on the DW Highway has traffic backed up? No worries, you’ll see a text with adjusted ETA.
-Chris driving like a mad lad up the Everett TP? No prob, you’ll get a heads up that he’s ahead of schedule.
-You’re the next stop & Dan is 15 minutes out? You’ll see a notification letting you know it’s time to pull out your ID & put pants on (optional).
We didn’t know what this service would become at the onset...honestly, the first iteration of it was intended to be a life raft, nothing more. 3 months later, we’ve delivered nearly 1800 individual orders across southern NH (for perspective: our Distro Team ran just over 2500 total orders to retailers & restaurants in 2019). We’ve already created new jobs with Direct, specifically the Dispatch role (the “managers of the chaos” that proper route planning & execution is, currently being filled by our Bar Team), and anticipate the Distro Team will continue to expand as we move forward.
The Brewhouse team is beginning to get caught up, and is now able to invest more time into R&D. Ingenuity #7 is finally done and in the tanks now; release date to be announced soon. Going forward, we’re committing to actively pursuing fun ideas & expanding our variety of offerings (again, per your feedback), while also maintaining the core brands we all have come to love & expect: Burn the Ships & Victory nor Defeat (never forget where you came from).
Finally - and we’re wicked excited about this project - we’re committing to a new collaboration series with fellow local producers (first up: Ancient Fire collab. Stay tuned, more to follow...).
Beyond all that, the Able team is staying strong, safe & motivated. It’s a slow Sunday today; Brendan’s here covering Dispatch, Mike’s covering down on the road to give Dan & Chris a day off, and I’m knocking out maintenance ahead of tomorrow’s canning run. At day’s end, we’ll crack open a Burn the Ships and give a quick cheers to 6 years.
Thank you all for an incredible 6 years; it has been the time of my life, and - as much as I like to believe there’s nothing I can’t do on my own - we could not have done any of it without you.
Now get out there & enjoy this beautiful Sunday! Cheers.
-Carl
Final brew day in the garage. January, 2014.
