“While my name is on the award it was undoubtedly a group effort. “This was a long, hard road, and I am honored and grateful to be recognized for this important milestone,” says Sam Hendler, co-founder of Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers and president of the Mass Brewers Guild. To date, there are more than two dozen wholesalers in Massachusetts compared to 214 craft breweries across the Commonwealth, with 30 additional breweries expected to open before the close of 2022. Fast forward to 2022, and the landscape looks much different as beer distributors have continued to grow and consolidate while hundreds of new craft breweries open each year. The law essentially bound the brewery to its business partner for life providing unwaivable protections to the wholesaler. The state’s franchise laws were originally enacted in 1971 by state legislature to protect in-state distributors from large out-of-state and foreign brewers - at a time when small, independent craft brewers did not exist. In November 2021, he was honored by Brewbound Awards as the Beer Champion of the Yearalongside guild executive director, Katie Stinchon and Atlas Distributing owner, Joe Salois. This is the second award Hendler has received for his work to achieve franchise law reform in the state of Massachusetts. As part of the compromise, breweries that produce fewer than 250,000 barrels of beer over a 12-month period would be allowed to terminate their wholesaler contracts at any time by giving 30 days’ notice and paying “fair market value” for their brand rights. Things just got even more refreshing with 3 new innovative recipes – Blood Orange Lemonade, Starfruit Lemonade & Strawberry Lemonade.During the 2020 legislative session, Hendler was able to successfully negotiate one of the most progressive franchise law changes to date-ending a 10-year battle with the Beer Distributors of Massachusetts. Look for Raspberry Pink Lemonade, Watermelon Lemonade, Tart Cherry Limeade, Blueberry Lemonade, Mango Limeade. Inspired by gourmet lemonade-recipes, these sparkling seltzers provide craft-focused consumers the guilt-free refreshment they seek–with the bold flavors and natural ingredients they demand.
Crafted with simple ingredients – the essence of fresh lemons (or limes), bubbles and triple-filtered water, plus the natural fruit flavor needed for each of the signature recipes.
In 2016 Polar Beverages introduced Polar Seltzer’ade, naturally calorie-free seltzers inspired our favorite lemonade recipes. More info can be found at About Seltzer’ade Bay Brewing Company in Boston, MA and Windsor, VT. The UFO line of unfiltered wheat beers is brewed by the Mass. Since then the UFO line has grown to include flavorful year-round offerings like UFO White Ale and UFO Pineapple, and fresh seasonal offerings such as UFO Winter Blonde and UFO Apricadabra. UFO hit the scene in 1998 with a Hefeweizen. The name UFO stands for UnFiltered Offering all UFO beers are unfiltered, leaving the yeast suspended in the beer which creates its signature cloudy appearance. UFO is a portfolio of wheat beers that’s a little bit different, a little more refreshing and flavorful, and most importantly, a beer that everyone can enjoy. For mouth-watering food and cocktail recipes utilizing UFO’s entire line of unfiltered wheat beers, check out the UFO Beer website at About UFO Beers Year-round unfiltered wheat beers include UFO White, UFO Pineapple, UFO Raspberry and UFO Hefeweizen. UFO Blueberry Lemonade is the latest “flavor adventure” in the UFO Beers lineup, and a berry limited release for summer 2018. The culinary minds behind UFO Beer recommend food pairings with summer favorites like chicken piccata, pan-roasted swordfish, summer salad or lemon pound cake. The resulting recipe, like Polar’s famous seltzers, is subtle yet refreshing, and finishes with a crisp, citrusy note. UFO Blueberry Lemonade is an unfiltered hefeweizen brewed with the essence of Polar Seltzer’ade Blueberry Lemonade, thirst-quenchingly drinkable at 4.8 percent ABV and 13 IBUs. The pairing with UFO Beer was a no brainer and the result is serious refreshment,” says Ralph Crowley Jr, CEO of Polar Beverages. “Our Seltzer’ade line is focused on simple ingredients and craft recipes.