It's that time o' year once again! Time for us to look back on what we done did this year and then probably (definitely) get all misty eyed about beermaking.
But since you've probably read about seventy different "year in review" pieces this week, we'll start by sharin' the details on the fun times we got comin' up before we get into the heavy navel gazin'.
But since you've probably read about seventy different "year in review" pieces this week, we'll start by sharin' the details on the fun times we got comin' up before we get into the heavy navel gazin'.
New Beers!
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| Shut Up Kelly! Robust Porter is making her cask debut at Maverick Marketplace Cafe this Thurday at 7:30pm - last time we had a cask on, it was empty in just a couple hours (thank you!), so be sure to come and grab a pint and say hi to Jimbo - she'll be there pourin' and hangin' all evening. | Maybe Saturday Session IPA is now on tap in Everett! We loaded this beer up with fistful after fistful of punchy, fruity hops - the end result is a delightfully tropical beer well suited for any weekend activity, whether you're at the discotheque or simply going for restaurant. |
Shorter days and low temps don't get the Fermentation District down! Conquer the cold and come party with us, NSB, and SPD on Friday the 13th to show your love for all things winter - there shall be puffy jackets, yetis, comfort food, spiced cocktails, snowflakes, and loads of delicious beer! To pair with the release of our latest single hop beer (Summit!), we're gonna have some sweet 'n savory s'mores treats available for you, and the Boston Yeti will be hoppin' around the neighborhood! And if there's snow, we're totally gonna have a snowman contest in the lot/on the loading dock (because why the hell not)!
And. And! Later on this month, we've got deliciousness on the books pretty much every dang day we're open (and when we don't have pop ups, we've almost always got soft pretzels for your carboloading pleasure)! Check it out:
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Anyway, now that we got all that news outta the way, let's get self indulgent all up in. Woo!
This time last year we were still neck-deep in the delusion that we might somehow be "opening soon," despite the fact that our brewery-to-be was little more than a dank hole. And while we were largely being held back by delays beyond our control, we grabbed the silver lining by the horns and made the most of them lemons that life handed to us! We took that optimistic delusion and used it to carry us forward through a number of marathon renovation sessions (not to mention a wide variety of tools thrown across the room in pain and/or disgust and/or frustration).
This time last year we were still neck-deep in the delusion that we might somehow be "opening soon," despite the fact that our brewery-to-be was little more than a dank hole. And while we were largely being held back by delays beyond our control, we grabbed the silver lining by the horns and made the most of them lemons that life handed to us! We took that optimistic delusion and used it to carry us forward through a number of marathon renovation sessions (not to mention a wide variety of tools thrown across the room in pain and/or disgust and/or frustration).
And after all that sweating and hammering and cursing and napping, a brewery was born! Finally!* And dang but it was the greatest feeling ever.** After weeks and months full of planning and building and puzzling over government forms and waiting and waiting and waiting for things to be ready, we got to make beer and serve it and excitedly demand*** that a number of visibly-uncomfortable people tell us their opinions of our beer as they drank it.
In the interest of being concise (well, as concise as we get around here), here's a roundup of 2016 by the numbers:
Original estimate, in hours, for time to paint the brewery: 15
Actual number of hours taken to paint the brewery: 95****
Number of times we asked ourselves "how in hell did I get paint there?": 200+
Number of times we asked ourselves "how in hell did I get paint there?": 200+
Number of hammers thrown across the taproom during construction: 6
Number of nail guns thrown in similar circumstances: you don't want to know
Number of nail guns thrown in similar circumstances: you don't want to know
Total screws used, in pounds, when constructing the cold room: 40
Number of times we had to take naps on the taproom floor because we were too tired to keep working: 17
Number of times we had to step away from our day jobs to take naps in the park like hobos: 40
Number of months we've been full-time at the brewery: 2 (Jared), 8 (Jimbo)
Number of times we had to step away from our day jobs to take naps in the park like hobos: 40
Number of months we've been full-time at the brewery: 2 (Jared), 8 (Jimbo)
Number of months since we started brewing: 7
Number of batches brewed: 48
Number of different beers made: 20
Approximate amount of grain used, in pounds: 9,000
Approximate amount of yeast used, in cells: 270,000,000,000,000
Amount of hops used, in pounds: I dunno, a lot probably
Hours spent asking aloud "where the hell did I put my gloves?": 300
Hours spent wearing said gloves: 120
Number of batches brewed: 48
Number of different beers made: 20
Approximate amount of grain used, in pounds: 9,000
Approximate amount of yeast used, in cells: 270,000,000,000,000
Amount of hops used, in pounds: I dunno, a lot probably
Hours spent asking aloud "where the hell did I put my gloves?": 300
Hours spent wearing said gloves: 120
Number of times we said "we could be open within a month or two": 500
Number of times this ended up being true: 1
Number of times this ended up being true: 1
Number of months the taproom has been open: 4
Number of employees we started with (not counting ourselves): 0
Number of employees we thought we'd need (not counting ourselves): 2
Number of employees we realized we'd need after opening day: 12
Number of employees we started with (not counting ourselves): 0
Number of employees we thought we'd need (not counting ourselves): 2
Number of employees we realized we'd need after opening day: 12
Total words written in the blog: 28,141
Average words per month: 2,345
Most verbose month: September
Least verbose month: July
Number of times Jimbo's mom commented on our blog posts: 19
Percentage of total blog comments made by Jimbo's mom: 95
Percentage of total blog comments made by Pinball Mitch: 5
Average words per month: 2,345
Most verbose month: September
Least verbose month: July
Number of times Jimbo's mom commented on our blog posts: 19
Percentage of total blog comments made by Jimbo's mom: 95
Percentage of total blog comments made by Pinball Mitch: 5
But what this all really comes down to is that we wanted to make something that people would enjoy. We set out to create the kind of place that we would want to go to, and it's positively friggin' heartwarming that y'all like to come in and drink some tasty beers and eat our (increasingly ridiculous) snacks and play our games and doodle on our tables. It brings us joy every time we see somebody get excited about our flight snacks or our coloring contests, and it's even more exciting when we see that same person come back a few weeks later so they can show their friends that weird little brewery they found. In other words, we view Bone Up as a reflection of ourselves, and we're just glad that you like it.
But that's all in the past, and we must look forward, not backward! Upward, not forward! And always twirling, twirling toward the future! Now that we've managed to get up and running, the theme for the coming year is More. We're redoubling our efforts to cram even more fun things and fun events and tasty beers into this weird little brewery of ours - we've got more tanks coming so we can brew more beer which means we'll be open more hours and if all goes well, we'll be doing more distribution, more events, and more (well, any) festivals. 2016 was a good year where we made (and drank) a lot of good beer and had good times with good people, so in 2017 we'd like to do a lot more of that!
High fives, thumbs up, and cheers to what's next,
Jared and Jimbo
Jared and Jimbo
* Despite the admittedly-confusing "established 2014" that we optimistically emblazoned on a t shirt or two.
** For about ten minutes until we realized the sheer number and steepness of the learning curves we'd be encountering.
*** Generally while grinning from ear to ear and vigorously nodding at nothing in particular.
**** Lesson we didn't need to learn the hard way #38: the phrase "use only in a well-ventilated area" is not to be taken lightly.
** For about ten minutes until we realized the sheer number and steepness of the learning curves we'd be encountering.
*** Generally while grinning from ear to ear and vigorously nodding at nothing in particular.
**** Lesson we didn't need to learn the hard way #38: the phrase "use only in a well-ventilated area" is not to be taken lightly.
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