Jack’s Abby lays claim as the first lager-only craft brewery in the country. That’s why its full name is Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers. Founded in 2011 by three brothers, Jack, Eric and Sam Hendler, the Framingham, Massachusetts-based brewery and its craft lagers have become go-to beers in Greater Boston, the Northeast and even nationwide. Jack’s Abby focuses on German-style flavors and (according to its website) the brewing team travels to Germany every year to procure German hops and malt from small family run operations in Bavaria. That’s pretty cool. Also pretty cool: Jack’s Abby brewers use old-world brewing techniques like decoction (a unique mashing process) and spunding (natural carbonation) to recreate historical lagers.
Yet, while Jack’s Abby’s mission is to create high-quality brands that honor beer tradition, the Greater Boston brewery does it in a pretty high-tech manner. That’s sort of a theme coming out of Jack’s Abby’s renovated Beer Hall & Kitchen beer experience and its new lager program, both of which capitalize on its “Tradition Meets Tech” pilot brewing system. Jack’s Abby has operated its brewery and beer hall at its Clinton Street location in Framingham since 2015, and this is its first major renovation to the space.
The renovation’s piece de resistance is its beer hall pilot system (pictured at the top, installed at the end of 2022), which is a 7-bbl brewing system that uses a combination of traditional and new tools to brew lagers. As that post says, the system has capacity for decoction brewing, horizontal lagering tanks, open fermentation vessels and the brewery’s first-ever coolship (an open-top flat vessel where wort cools). From the press release:
“This is really a dream setup for a lager brewer, and I have been really energized to get on the deck and experiment with so many of the ideas I’ve had in my head that I couldn’t previously brew. We’re going to make some incredible and fun new beers this year.” – Jack Hendler Co-Founder/Brewmaster
There are also other renovations — things like the previous T-shaped bar with dual-sided tap system has been replaced with a streamlined linear bar flanking a beautiful new copper draft system. With this announcement, Jack’s Abby also took the opportunity to announce a series of changes “designed to deliver the most exceptional lager experience possible for guests,” according to the press release. These changes are still in the works, but look to include a tour program, music program, beer garden space and new serving vessels.
“We look forward to new and existing fans stopping by to see the new space, and we hope to keep delivering fun surprises throughout the year” remarked Sam [Hendler, Co-Founder].
Of course, Jack’s Abby brewers have already started experimenting with a black pils, dry-hopped pale lager and exciting new brands like the Coolship Fermented Polotmavý Czech amber lager. There is also talk about bringing some classics back that fans may have missed — like its Fire In The Ham and Mass Rising brands. The thing is, these beers will be exclusive to the Beer Hall, which is just another reason to go.
“After nearly 8 years in this space, we’ve learned a lot about what our guests are looking for and our hall needed some updates to deliver that experience. After completing our brand refresh, it made sense to tackle the beer hall and create more beautiful and functional space for our fans” – Sam Hendler, Co-Founder.
If you want to check out that brand refresh, click right here. You can see from that photo above, those German shield brand designs have made their way into the decorative atmosphere of the Beer Hall as well. Now, enjoy more photos.
Angie Williams says
Cool stuff. (FYI, Wolverine State Brewing Company in Ann Arbor, MI opened its doors as a lager-only craft brewery in November 2010. They were founded in 2007, & opened their doors in 2010.)