drag race to snail's pace

It has been a while since I have posted. I knew there was a storm coming, I knew that all of you were coming, and you did. Ths last month has been one of rapid acceleration of our business, both in terms of customers and responsibilities. As we have found both ourselves and our staff completely overwhelmed at times, we have also been asked over and over in the last month, "Please tell me will you stay open this winter?" Peppered in between this question is as always the fond, fond stories of Aqualand memories the rare soul who remembers Uncle Pat- my grandfather. Through the drag race, I have grown in respect for servers and restauranteurs everywhere. I wonder if the average customer understands how incredibly difficult it is to put on a smile and try your very best to give them the very best experience you can, in flavors, atmosphere and friendship day after day while the line gets longer and the kids get rowdier. Inevitably something goes wrong, as it will no matter how hard you try to think of everything and no matter how hard you try to police details behind the scene. You feel personally crushed, you appologize and do your best to make things right. In our busiest and best month, we also got our first down-ticked rating ruining our perfect Yelp Score, (though I am pretty sure if enough friends rate us well, that can be overcome). It has been so quirky. I have had people ask me why we charge so much for our beer, and why don't we offer fried food? Then the very next guy thanks me for the quality of our beer and our fresh ingedient, uniquely flavored meals. What a crazy roller coaster- highest of highs and lowest of lows. The failures make us determined to try harder, the successes make us determined to get more of the same. Another thing I have discovered is that there is a zone that you access when the place is humming. There is an energy of souls that when combined create a warmth like none other- and this seems to happen every day. There is a joy in the experience of tasting a great craft beer that feels like you have been on this quest, crossing the desert and mountain in search of that unique brewing story. Then you found out a little-known and totally obscure mad beer scientist sent a keg of nirvana to the Aqualand Ale House and you just found it. You turn to the folk at the next stools and advise them to try it too and wait for the cheer as everyone smiles together in the joy of a shared moment of flavor discovery. We have tried to provide that in both our menu and our beer. I think from what the majority of you say, we are providing that for you. But fall is coming. The pace of business is slowing, and we wonder what is wise- where to go next. As we watch the snails pace come, we have determined that we will continue to try to drill into that very special, very unique brew. We may need to do more private "beer runs" to the brewers that as so small they don't have formal distribution. We will have to coax our distributors to give us the limited stock of the most unusual, and the best small batch stuff on their list. This weekend is our first experiment in testing our fall model. We will offer four Founder's Beers on tap on Saturday, in an atmosphere complimented by live music and food specials. Representatives for the Founder's brand will be on hand to answer your questions and tell their story. Most importantly, there is a super special, limited batch keg that will be tapped- the only one of it's kind in the entire north woods region. It is our hope that each weekend this fall and winter we can do the same- something special, something unique that will be an experience to share together. I have a feeling that we will become a micro- society in Boulder Junction this fall. A support group, a gathering of friends united to celebrate the little guys, the artisans, the craftsmen of food and beverage. We are working through the plans for a special addition to our kitchen. Already purchased, the wood-fired oven that we have been storing all summer is ready to be installed before the snow flies. We have set a goal of have this cooking option for new menu items consisting of hot, hearty winter fare to satisfy the local and visiting cold, lonely, hungry and thirsty. Our fireplace will be lit for the first time Labor Day weekend- our beer garden work will begin as well and though we don't expect this to be fully constructed until next summer, we hope to add a gas fired open flame fire pit this fall and we expect to have some special outdoor winter events as well. There are all those great winter beers to be tried as we don our flannels, Stormy Kromer hats and Joan of Ark sorrels. We just found a groove and now we are finding out it is time to switch speeds. It is our goal to help you stop and enjoy the slower journey with us- here's to quieter, deeper days, more extremes of hot and cold, dark and light, and most importantly, here's to friends who will be on the journey with us!