Beer, With A Side of Bureaucracy In Framingham
PHOTO/BRANDON BUTLER
Sam Hendler, one of the co-founders of Jack's Abby Brewery in Framingham.
The newest brewery in Central Massachusetts, just outside of downtown Framingham, did not get to opening day without hitting some bumps along the way.
That's because in the brewing industry, entrepreneurs must navigate a web of state, federal and local permits. Even so, Sam Hendler, one of the co-founders of the business called Jack's Abbey Brewery, is not bitter about the situation.
"It's just part of what you go through when you start a business," he said.
But, the process has left a lasting impression on Hendler and his two brothers who are running the brewery. The company's best-selling beer, so far, is named the Red Tape Lager, which is a tongue-in-cheek reference to all of the hoops the brothers jumped through to get the business off the ground.
And given new regulations from the state issued just this week, the brewery could have more hurdles ahead.
But for now, beer is flowing into tasting glasses on Morton Street in Framingham and the brewery is looking to tap into the Massachusetts beer market. In fact, local officials plan to join the entrepreneurs at the company's headquarters today at 4 p.m. to cut a ribbon at the new business.
In The Family
It should be no surprise that the Hendler brothers started a business.
From a young age the three men, Jack, 28, Eric, 26, and Sam, 21, worked at their father's ice-packing business in New York.
For the past six years, Jack has been one of the head brewers at the Boston Beer Works chain restaurant in Boston. He wanted to start his own brewery and what better idea, he thought, than to keep it in the family.
Armed with financial support from their family, the brothers rented almost 6,000 square feet of warehouse and office space in Framingham, starting in February.
One of the frustrating parts of starting the business, Sam Hendler said, is that to get a brewer's license the brothers had to have all of the equipment needed to make beer. So they had to make a significant investment in new brewing equipment before they were guaranteed they would actually be allowed to make the beer.
Then, the application process for getting a brewer's license at the state level was confusing. And even since getting the permit, the brothers have run into more issues.
A ruling by the state's Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission this week requires that farmer-brewers, which Jack's Abby is licensed as, must grow or buy at least 50 percent of their ingredients in Massachusetts. Read more about the ruling here.
Sam Hendler said the regulation is unreasonable because there is not enough supply of hops and barley to support all of the breweries in Massachusetts. The alternative is for brewers to license themselves as manufacturers, which can cost thousands of dollars compared to the hundreds of dollars for a farmer-brewer license.
"If this ruling had come out a year ago, we wouldn't have opened in this state," he said.
Sam Hendler and other brewers in the state have vowed to fight the regulation from the ABCC.
In the meantime, the brothers are trying to build up the business as much as possible before they have to apply for a new license at the end of the year.
So far, the brewery makes four beers that are sold at six local bars and restaurants in MetroWest.
The brothers don't have any employees yet, but building a workforce is an eventual goal, along with bottling the beer on site so that it can be sold in liquor stores.
The brothers are confident in their beer and business strategy. While there are a plethora of breweries in New England, Jack's Abby is focusing its products on a niche market within beer brewing: lagers.
While lagers are traditionally viewed as a heavier beer, Jack's Abby is attempting to showcase the diversity of brew.
Already Jack's Abby has a pilsner, which is a lighter-colored beer, a black lager and the Red Tape lager. A hop-heavy beer is set to be released today. Despite all being lagers, each are distinct.
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