Jack's Abby (2021)

I'm near Binghamton NY. If Vermont would let me in the state without a quarantine I'd be stocking up on a lot of things.

 

Who’s checking?

 

Bottle O,s in Northampton, Ryan and Casey Greenfield had them this week
Cheers

 

Not going to turn this into the thread from a while ago, but I'm not going to ignore a policy intended to keep people safe just to buy beer. If different people have different values that's fine with me.

 

Ha, for some reason when I saw this all I could think of is that that is what Dr. Fauci will look like by the end of this pandemic.

 

Cosign...this is drinking splendidly.

 

Just saw this article--https://www.masslive.com/business/2...bakers-reopening-timeline-wont-help-much.html

Seems like things are even tougher than we may realize:
"Similarly for Jack’s Abby, the state’s myriad requirements forced the brewery to close its taproom in March 2020, a decision that hurt revenue and caused the business to report a loss in 2020 that “wiped away years of profits,” Hendler said. Jack’s Abby continues losing a quarter of a million dollars a month, he said."

Hopefully Mass Beer Week can help buoy our local breweries until beer gardens open this spring. Some nice specials at JA's beer hall this week if you're in the area.

 

This doesn't sound good. Does this quote mean that every month JA's revenue is down a quarter mil from where it in previous years, or does it mean JA is running a quarter mil in the red every month? Was their tap room doing that much business? Isn't a large proportion of the losses also probably coming from lost bar accounts? I hope things finally turn a corner this spring.

 

My reading of it was that they are in the red $250k per month, but I'm not sure how much this will improve once outdoor draft sales start up again. From what I've read elsewhere, the loss of keg sales and on-premises draft sales is a huge profit loss. It takes so much more to put the beer in cans so the margins just aren't there with package sales, especially once the distributor and retailer take their cut.

I'm guessing that there is going to be a huge boost as the weather improves. I certainly plan to have a lot more porch beers this year than previously.

 

At this point, it is their decision not to open though. There are other (smaller) taprooms that are open. They serve food and have a wide open taproom. They have the ability to open and be socially distanced but they choose not to. Unless Comrade Baker is singling them out

 

Really like Jack Abby. Although I do prefer East rock and Von trap most of the time I still do really like them and I want them to be successful so I grabbed a 12 pack today at the store. Hopefully they can weather the storm.

 

They care about their employees' safety, which I applaud.

 

There's no mention of employees here. Only the requirements forced on them by the state

 

Hey Everyone!

A few clarifications on the above. The quotes in this piece are accurate, though a bit of context is missing.

In regards to our current financial performance. We are indeed losing a lot of money now, but this was anticipated for Q1. If you look at interviews I did with Jess (please don't, they are not particularly fun reads, more depressing) as far back as this past summer, you would see that I have been concerned about Q1 2021 for a long time. Especially in New England, beer sales volume is pretty awful in these winter months. Even in a normal year, Jack's Abby will often run in the red for Q1.

That said, we have not been sustaining losses at this magnitude since the beginning of the pandemic. There were months over the summer (the strongest beer sales volume months) and into the fall where we were able to turn a modest profit. January-March is usually tough financially for the beer business, Jack's Abby especially. What has historically sustained us through these thin months is our Beer Hall. With not much else for people to do during a miserable New England winter, our Beer Hall generally gets overrun all weekend during this time of year.

That all said, we knew it was coming, and planned for it. We are properly resourced to make it through to spring where our financials should stabilize significantly.

If you look at my interviews historically, I am extremely reticent to talk about the financial performance of Jack's Abby. We have been extremely lucky and are grateful for some very fruitful years. The reason I think it is important to talk about this stuff right now is not really about Jack's Abby. It is about this industry that we love.

Businesses that rely on in person gatherings to make money are really hurting right now. A lot. Especially the restaurant industry. I want to push back a bit on the idea that it is our choice to be losing this much money as we chose to keep the Beer Hall closed for in person consumption. The current capacity constraints are such that the vast majority of restaurants/taprooms cannot make money even if they do choose to be open. In this respect, Jack's Abby is extremely lucky. We have a well built out wholesale operation that has sustained us through an exceptionally challenging year. If you are a restaurant (or tap room exclusive/focused brewery) with far fewer avenues to sell your product, you may have decided to open to try to at least cover some portion of your overhead, but it is not enough to be sustainable for most people in this scenario.

We ran a successful Beer Garden this summer which ran at break even. As we looked at the winter months, the indoor capacity constraints, the rebound of COVID, and the awful balancing act of protecting our employees health and safety and their livelihoods, we came to the awful decision not to open indoors for the winter. We laid off a whole bunch of people. Again.

It is a bizarre world where business owners are left to make the choices of risk to our staff's health and safety or their livelihood. We hope to never be in that position again. We respect and support the decisions of all other business owners who wrestled with that same terrible decision, regardless of which side of it they came down on.

I say all of this to try to drive home this idea: to those with the resources to do so, please be thoughtful with whom you spend your money. Buy from businesses that you care if they do survive to the other side of this thing. Buy from locally owned small businesses. Buy takeout from your favorite restaurant (ideally directly from them, but if not possible then via an online ordering service is a great second option). If you have the means, consider leaving a generous tip on that takeout order even though you didn't get the full in person experience you would typically be tipping on. Pair that meal with a four pack from your favorite local brewery and you've got it made.

We appreciate the concern and warm feelings that were shared. We will be fine. Unfortunately there will be others who will not make it to the other side of this thing. If it is this hard for us, with ten years under our belts and a successful wholesale business to boot, imagine how hard this is for those with less resources. That is the overall point I'd like to leave you with.

Sincerely,
Sam

 

Thanks for posting this, Sam. Much appreciated.

 

When can I start my search for Brazilian Lager?

edit -- just answered my own q using the lager locator.

 

Now.

CBC Belmont has it currently. Fenway Beer Shop too.

 

Any sightings in Connecticut or word on when this will be reaching us?

 

Have you tried the Jack’s Abby Beer Finder?

https://jacksabby.com/beer-finder/

 

Yeah, the closest locations are in NY.