Old Meets New: Behind Jack's Abby's Collaboration With Weihenstephan
FRAMINGHAM, MA — When Americans think about lagers, they think about the types of fizzy light beer you’d see at a college frat party or midwestern barbecue. But, when done right, the style of beer can be much more elevated than its generic competitors.
Jack’s Abby has been fighting against the watery beer narrative since 2011 and, in perhaps a culmination of that fight, is partnering with the world’s oldest brewery to continue beating the stereotype.
The Framingham-based lager brewery and Weihenstephan have partnered for a fest-inspired beer called Fest of Both Worlds, combining the classic elements of Weihenstephan’s brewing with the modern elements of Jack’s Abby.
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While the circumstances — and literal parties — around this release call for jovial times and plenty of good beer, those who don’t follow the beer world closely should note the gravity of a co-sign from Weihenstehpan.
The brewery, located in the Bavarian city of Freising, was founded in 1040. Whether the brewery is the oldest in the world is disputed by two others, but its history and influence aren’t up for debate.
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“They’re an important figure,” said Jack’s Abby chief production officer, co-owner and master brewer Jack Hendler. “A lot of what we know and think about for lager comes from that brewery and from that school.”
That school, Hendler referenced during a phone call with Patch just hours before a flight to Germany, is the Technical University of Munich’s Weihenstephan campus. It was there that the most famous lager yeast in the world — 34/70 — was developed. That strain is the yeast used for Fest of Both Worlds.
“Things that we take for granted now as brewers about lager beer were developed at that campus and in that brewery,” said Hendler. “They’re just an integral part of lager beer, both around the world and in Germany.”
You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger supporter of lager beer than Hendler and his brothers, who together own the brewery, which remains family-operated.
Since 2011, Jack’s Abby has become one of the top breweries in the country when it comes to lager. Hendler himself was named to Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 list in 2019, and his beers have been named the best in the country and world on multiple occasions since 2013.
Still, to work with Weihenstephan, one of the first breweries Hendler visited in Germany in 2005, is special.
“It’s certainly an honor,” he said. “I think it’s a validation of all the work and effort we put into promoting lager beer here in the U.S. Not that we were the first lager brewers in the U.S., but we certainly have done what we can to promote lager beer, both within the brewery walls, but also to promote lager beer, and to promote education about lager beer.”
The collaboration is also a rare honor for an American brewery and only something that’s been done twice before by two of the nation’s craft brewing giants in Sierra Nevada and Samuel Adams.
These two prior efforts aren’t similar to what drinkers should expect from Fest of Both Worlds.
Samuels Adams’ 2011 collaboration, Infinium, was described by Boston Beer Company’s Jim Koch as a cross between champagne and pilsner. Sierra Nevada’s offering, as those familiar with the brand may suspect, was quite hoppy.
Brewed in a classic style with a modern twist, Jack’s Abby described their collaborative lager as having an “assertive hop profile on a balanced malt backbone. The beer is easy to drink with subtle herbal and spicy notes.” Prost indeed.
While it’s true that the German-inspired Jack’s Abby holds their collaborative partner in high regard, the same can be said for the inverse.
The working relationship began about five years ago thanks in large part to the region of the country that’s home to Jack’s Abby and a mutual respect for each other’s beer.
As Hendler understands, the Boston market is one of the major markets for Weihenstephan in the U.S. After a visit to Jack’s Abby from Weihenstephan Global Brand Ambassador Matthias Ebner, a conversation started about hosting events during the Oktoberfest season starting around 2017.
Those parties stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which time Hendler began writing a book about lager beer, expected to be completed in 2024. The relationship continued as part of that writing process, which sparked additional conversations about another collaboration, resulting in Fest of Both Worlds.
“[We] eventually talked about how it would be fun to brew a beer together. We thought about what that might look like, and since we had this history of doing events for Oktoberfest already, we thought a great way to do a collaboration would be to brew another fest beer, or Oktoberfest-style beer, that would bring some interesting elements from both breweries,” Hendler said.
For Ebner, the real joy of the collaborative project is how it came about.
“What I Like about this project is that it came along organically over five years of friendship. Jack has the mind of a German brewer and the heart of an American,” he said.
For those looking for the beer currently, it’s available in a number of markets around New England and at Jack’s Abby’s beer hall in Framingham.
Six events are scheduled in Massachusetts to celebrate the collaboration from Sept. 14 to 17, including a ceremonial cask tapping at a public happy hour on Sept. 14 starting at 4 p.m. For more information on the events, click here.
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