Or rather, it continues.
I was first introduced to Dave in absentia and his work at the house of a friend of mine. We were hanging out, sharing some bottles of beer, and she pulled out an unmarked bottle mailed from New Hampshire. "It's a homebrew from my friend Dave." she remarked while grabbing a bottle opener and some fresh glasses.
Not long after, the circles we ran in collided online and we have been friends ever since.
About 10 years later, in the beginning of 2022, Dave reached out to me to pitch a new brewery idea.
Over the years we had definitely discussed opening a brewery. Beer was a passion of mine; I have been brewing since I was 19, and have read more textbooks about beer and brewing than I would care to admit. My career took me away from the beer world, but it has always been my goal to make it back here.
Dave dove into brewing headfirst. After those first homebrews I had the chance to sample, he started a career in the industry working at breweries ranging from the most ragged startups, to some of the most polished and well respected producers in the country. I have tried beer he has made at virtually every stop along the way. I drove nearly 14 hours round-trip through a snowstorm to pick up some kegs in 2017. And over beers and whatnot, it always came up: "If you ever want to start something, let me know".
So reaching out was a natural next step in January of 2022 after he decided it was time to move on from his role at the time.
We started with an idea and a concept. Quality above everything. Everything intentional, everything remarkable. Nothing is there just to be there, it all has a purpose. The brewery was about us coming together and forming something great from a meeting of the minds. And from this concept our name, Concordance Ferments, was born.
A Concordance; an agreement or consistency in ideas. (Also, fun fact, a list of words in the bible. Who knew?)
Our beer opinions were rooted in the same place. There is a wealth of interesting processes and historical traditions that make amazing beer, but we have come a long way in a few thousand years of brewing science and there are amazing modern techniques we can use too. At the end of the day, great beer is great beer.
We both hate walking into a brewery with 15 IPAs on tap that were all indistinguishable. We both feel strongly that oak and age can do wonders. Yeast is magic, and if you help it do its thing, you'll be surprised at what you can produce.
We wanted a place that felt like home. We wanted everyone to feel comfortable grabbing a beer, hanging out, playing games, building community. We wanted outdoor spaces, and we hoped that we might even be able to be near some natural water because it is calming. As we looked for a location, we gravitated towards older churches. The aesthetic was grand and homey at once. And we also liked the idea of two Jews getting a bunch of people drunk at church.
Everything is purposeful and this location search dragged on with a purpose. We found and dismissed dozens of places. But eventually we found our building.
The Dungworth Mill was constructed in 1724. It is the oldest structure in Hatboro. In 1777, General Washington supplied his men with bread and rest here before meeting with General Lafayette. In 1778, the upper floors were used as a lookout during the battle of Crooked Billet. In the years since, it operated as a machinist shop creating parts for other mills, and subsequently as a restaurant and event space.
It took almost no time to recognize how perfect this place was for what we wanted to build. The space was lovingly restored to its original beauty by the former owners, the Clausers. It has the outdoor spaces we wanted, the brewery space we needed, and even the water that we never actually expected to find. It felt cozy and homey and like an amazing place to grab a beer and unwind. Throughout this process Lynda Clauser has been such an amazing partner and new friend, and we are excited to carry on what she has done at this amazing location.
It took a long time, between licensing, and zoning, historical registration, etc. but we got through it all.
On January 5th we officially purchased our brewery.
And so it begins, or rather, it continues.
In the coming months we are excited to get this place ready for all of you. We appreciate your support, and hope to see you all soon.
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