It seems so much longer than a year that we were...

Wait. Where were we a year ago?

Oh, yeah. We were piles of earth, with some concrete, and big dreams. And a sleeping Sudhaus (brew system) waiting to be awakened. And a loose team of dedicated (and at times discombobulated) beer lovers. Bierkeller lovers.

Well, we awakened. And...here we are.

The End.

Kidding. It's just the beginning. And it still feels like we're just getting started. So read on, won't you? You will? Danke.

Quick recap: We got the doors open with a ton of help not only from our contractors (thanks, Sherer and Associates, Beach Company, UCB, Mashburn and Co., et al!), but also from our team. As in, we literally at times stamped this dream out of the ground. Out of those piles of dirt. We hung tiles; we cut and glued up sheet after sheet of FRP (look it up); we primed and painted (and painted again) paneling...on the walls and on the ceiling; we fusion welded pipes and connected clamps; we laid more tiles on the floor (and ripped them up and laid them again); and painted some more....

Among all of this, we tried our best to keep you all involved in our evolving progress. In our story.

Because without all of you, there'd be no story.

No Bierkeller.

But even more important to this, is the story of how our team came together during it all. It feels like a family. And that sounds cliched. But as I type, I see them in my mind's eye, downstairs serving and socializing with all of you and with each other. And laughing. Having fun. Making this thing into what it is. What it can become. Day-by-day (the only way anything true ever gets done). Day in, Day out.

So, first and foremost, to the Bierkeller team: thank you. thank you thank you thank you.

Now...what it is that team has accomplished. And the challenges we've faced.

We've sold you a ton of beer. Both the opening days (and weeks...and months) and the events have at times been beyond our wildest expectations. We've worked super hard to make our beer the best it's ever been. From trips to the Halletau in Bavaria to outings at the Munich Oktoberfest (for research purposes) to hours spent analyzing grain and yeast to learning this brand new brew system, the team has gone above and beyond. And we couldn't be happier with the results. And I couldn't be happier with them.

Thank you, Dr. Claire Hann (our Production Manager and recent PhD recipient in biology), for all your expertise and hard work (and companionship on these crazy trips). If there's one thing that has taken our beer to the next level, it's the work you've done with the yeast. Great beer isn't an accident, folks. It's folks like Claire who make good beer into great beer. Day in, day out.

We've also, well, made a realization: we're not a brewery with snacks. We're a full-fledged restaurant with a brewery attached. Y'all have scarfed down pounds and pounds of schnitzel, meters of sausages, mounds of sauerkraut, a plethora of pretzels. And we've adapted. And listened. And changed. And improved. Day in, day out.

To thank for this we have a whole crew and their collective expertise and experience: Justin Purdy (more about you later), Brian Morris (our Kitchen Manager and head chef), and our newest leader, Brent Bullard. But the brunt of this fell to Brian. And he stepped up time and time again. And continues to. Danke, Herr Morris. You've done a great job, day in and day out.

Getting all those beers into your glasses through probably the most unorthodox of pouring systems this side of Prague, is our Beer Hall queen bee, Jen McGehee. While we may have pushed her out of her beer expert comfort zone with tiling floors, she stepped up and held her own through it all (and there was much to hold one's own through, day in, day out). Bravo, queen bee.

Were it not for Jen, we may not have found our fabulous events manager, Brittany Jacobsen. What can we say about Brittany that hasn't been said already? Oh, we haven't said enough. Stay tuned. She's a phenom. Every day. Every event. From Oktoberfest (that was thrust on her with a very tight timeline) to our Weihnachtsmarkt, to the overall experience (both for customers and for all of us as a team). Day in, day out.

Back to Justin: he's been with Bierkeller since the beginning. From a fan hanging out under the Festzelt tents at our very first events to an invaluable supporter at our pop-ups to a canning companion during covid to, now, our Guy Friday. Our Operations Manager. Our stabilizing force on many days. Day in. Day out.

I'd of course be amiss not to mention our other owner, Sam Moses. Without him believing in a small Stange of Kolsch the way he did way back in...what was it, 2013? we wouldn't be, well...much more than a shed in a streetcar-suburb back yard. He navigated the legal (and other) pitfalls. He provided invaluable insights. And he found a lot of the financing that it takes to get an operation like this open. Prost, partner!

Then there's the rest of us. You know them. You love them (too). And they literally make this place run. I can name them all. But I prefer you come meet them for yourselves. They're great. Every day.

Day in. Day out.

And in the days to come. We've got so much we are already very excited about. From our first Fasching/Karnival (Mardi Gras) in February to our Bockbier Fest in March to our planned Canalfest in May to Bierkeller floats down the river in summer...back to our opening anniversary and oktoberfest and Christmas. Full circle, so to speak.

We're gonna do it all again, Columbi-Ja. As a team. A strong team that's getting stronger. That's thinking of you and what we can do to make your experience even better. That's working extra hard to get better and better.

Day in, day out.

Until then, we will see many of you in the coming days. From our European Early New Year's celebration to our Stammtisch Member Appreciation Party to new beer launches to...well, come along with us, won't you, and see. Day after day, we're here for you. Through Dry January (ouch...) and further into February and into the new year. What a journey it's already been. 

And we're just getting started.

Vielen, herzlichen Dank, Columbi-Ja. Wir lieben Dich. Prost!