Decocting A Decade: Jack's Abby Looks Back On 10-Year Anniversary

FRAMINGHAMMER, MA — Jack Hendler has come a long way since he began brewing beer nearly 20 years ago.

One of the first beers he ever made — way back in 2005 — was a pale ale. While he was making the beer, he noticed he made a big mistake: he left out the hops, which are not only necessary to make pale ales, but to make just about any beer.

"It was a good learning experience," Hendler says now with a laugh.

In 2021, Hendler and his brothers, Eric and Sam, are preparing to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their Framingham brewery, Jack's Abby. Since that humble, hop-free beginning in 2005, the brothers have gone on to build one of the most successful breweries in New England, which is the second-largest in central Massachusetts and now the official beer of the Boston Celtics.

Jack, Abby and Co.

Originally from New York, Jack Hendler came to Massachusetts — specifically MetroWest — for his now-wife, Abby. If you didn't make the connection already, that's where the brewery got its name — it's also a reference to the abbey beers made by Belgian Trappist monks.

Growing up, the Hendler family ran an ice business, instilling an entrepreneurial spirit in Eric, Sam and Jack. But when Jack left brewing school in Germany in the mid-2000s, the family business was no longer around. He convinced his brothers to come to Framingham to open a brewery.

The original Jack's Abby opened in 2011 along Morton Street in the space now occupied by Exhibit 'A' Brewing Company. There were only about 2,200 craft breweries in the United States that year, according to the Brewers Association. Now there are close to 9,000 nationwide and just under 200 in Massachusetts.

Even a decade ago, the Hendlers felt squeezed. That led them to start brewing beers that were traditionally European — think lagers and pilsners — but with the added kick of hops, a nod to the West Coast IPAs that were so popular then. Plus, Jack Hendler loves German-style beers, and still travels there each year to keep his brewing skills sharp.

"Ten years ago, we felt it was an extremely crowded craft beer market, and we needed to find a niche," Sam Hendler said.

Jack's Abby mainstay Hoponius Union now straddles the IPA craze and a reemergence of craft lagers, the brothers say. The brewery also makes Framinghammer, a lager-style Baltic Porter.

"I think lager on the craft beer side — it's been controlling the market on the macro side — but you're starting to see a little bit of a shift going back toward craft lagers and more of an appreciation for beers that weren't there," Jack Hendler said.

It was also a relatively unfriendly time for craft brewing in Massachusetts. In 2011, state law didn't allow breweries to serve their own beer. Jack's Abby was limited to 2-ounce tasting glasses and selling beer to go.

Framingham expansion

In 2013, the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission authorized a new permit allowing breweries to pour beers on-site. That allowed Jack's Abby to expand to its Clinton Street facility, which occupies nearly a full city block, including sister brewery Springdale Beer Co.

The Clinton Street brewery opened in 2015 and made Jack's Abby a fixture in the renewal of downtown Framingham. The beer hall served typical bar fare, but also wood-fired pizza — which the Hendlers chose for its complex simplicity.

"There's just that common thread of beauty and simplicity in the beer we produce and the pizza we make," Sam Hendler said.

The growth also added to the local economy. The brewery employs over 100 people (up from one employee at the end of their first year) and is on track to brew 50,000 barrels of beer this year, the brothers say. The entire state produced about 520,000 barrels in 2020, according to the Brewers Association. You can find Jack's Abby for sale in stores in every New England state, plus New York, New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania.

The Hendlers do have an interest in expanding outside Framingham, but nothing specific right now, especially following the pandemic. In 2020, the largest brewer in central Massachusetts, Tree House, announced it would expand from its base in Charlton to Deerfield and Cape Cod. And Everett-based Night Shift, which also expects to brew 50,000 barrels this year, just opened a taproom at the Natick Mall.

"Hopefully there will be more to come in the future," Sam Hendler said.

Beer-less winter

You can't talk about Jack's Abby's past decade without talking about its past year.

When the pandemic hit last spring, the brewery was about to announce a major partnership with the Boston Celtics, creating a special beer for the team called Pride and Parquet. That announcement was postponed until July when the NBA season became clearer.

But the shutdowns cut deeper. The brewery lost about 40 percent of its wholesale business when bars and restaurants were forced to shut down, Sam Hendler said. The closure of the beer hall cleaved another one-third off the business, leaving just retail sales. Can sales were extremely popular, but it was also a challenge for the brewery to retool to focus on production.

Jack's reopened the beer garden last summer, but closed it down in the winter. During the second wave, the brothers decided to keep the beer hall completely closed rather than risk health and safety.

Even during the tough times, the brewery donated thousands to local causes, including pizza donations.

"It's really hard to even describe, unless you had hours and hours, how COVID-19 affected us," Sam Hendler said.

Hop forward

The official Jack's Abby 10-year anniversary is on July 22, and the brewery is planning a weekend of festivities with music and food.

Asked about what he's learned over the past 10 years, Sam Hendler said it's how to succeed by learning from mistakes.

Jack Hendler followed that up with a laugh, describing a potentially complicated beer release they're working on for the anniversary weekend. The 12-pack will include four beers from the brewery's past (Ratskeller Golden Lager, Jabby Brau Hoppy lager, Framingham Lager, and original recipe Hoponius Union), four beers currently on tap and four future beers: the Framinghopper double-hoppy lager, the triple-decocted Lager of Lineage, a Mexican corn lager aged in tequila barrels and Lager Beleza, a tart beer with tropical fruit.

"We have 12 specialty batches of beer currently in the tank to execute this, it's mid-July, our busiest time of year, and we're installing brand new can line," Jack Hendler said with a laugh. "But we knew we wanted to do something interesting."

"We're just all thankful to be here, thankful to our team for getting the work done, thankful we're still in business after the last year and a half," Sam Hendler said. "A lot to be thankful for as we look forward to year 11."