“You don’t forget the house you grew up in, just like you don’t forget your first beer. Here’s to Germania Street, and the places that make us who we are.” -Steve

Steve reached out to us via Instagram back in November 2020 telling us how inspired and excited he was to be at the brewery the day before. He began to tell us about his dad who was born and raised right around the corner. Steve’s dad grew up on Germania Street in the 60’s and 70’s when the brewery complex was abandoned, sneaking under the fence with his friends to explore what used to be the Haffenreffer Brewery complex. After sitting vacant for a few decades, it would become home to the Sam Adams Boston Brewery as well as several other businesses. And even now, Steve says his identity is strongly tied to Jamaica Plain, the Brewery, and Germania Street.

Steve asked if we would be able to produce a special beer label to surprise his dad with.

Steve’s story quickly became the talk of the brewery, and everyone agreed that we had to do something. The entire team was so moved by this request that we decided to run a small batch especially for his family, an homage to the JP neighborhood and those that make it so special. We did this special label featuring the name “Germania Street Ale” with can art showing the actual house that Steve’s dad grew up in so many years ago.

The collaborative effort across the Sam marketing, brewing, operations, and design teams turned this dream into a finished product in just 48 short days.

Steve was able to pick up the few cases we made specifically for his family in early January, and soon wrote back to us expressing the love and appreciation his father had for this extra special project. To be able to honor the people and places that surround us and make the Jamaica Plain neighborhood what it is today, makes it more than worthwhile. Especially in this uncertain time, we know that a sense of family and community keeps us together in our home of JP.