It is with great excitement that we can announce that The Deck at Gentile is finally open!
This has been quite a process for us. It started years ago when we looked at the space behind the brewery and envisioned a little urban oasis tucked behind buildings with the cool architecture of a 150-year-old brick chimney, a steel fire escape, trees and ivy. The process continued with a successful investment effort on Mainvest, a crowd-sourced investment platform based in Salem, MA. That money started getting spent this past winter when we put in a third bathroom inside the taproom and started our design and permitting work. Construction began in earnest in May and we wrapped the project in mid-July. As we opened we were still stringing lights for that evening.
Things you should know about The Deck:
- It is not weatherproof, so it will only be open if it is not raining. We have the ability to open it post rain or start pouring beers there when we open the taproom proper and then shut it down should the weather turn sideways.
- The Taco Slide (see below) is only available when The Deck is open.
- You may not walk beers from the taproom to The Deck or from The Deck to the taproom.
- Access to The Deck is along the right side of the building, up the loading dock and through the fence.
- The only bathrooms are inside the taproom.
- There will be some Deck-only beers and some taproom only beers but hopefully you can find something you will enjoy at each bar.
- Tabs are transferrable from bar to bar if you would like to move around while you are here.
- BYOF is allowed, but come on, Taco Slide (see below)!
- It is seasonal, and eventually we will shut it down for the winter. So get it while the gettin’ is good!
A big thank you to the consulting team at SV Design in Beverly and Lisa The Engineer at LJO Engineering in Essex for the professional stamps to permit and move the project along. A bigger thank you to the construction team at Thompson Construction out of Lynnfield, Kingston Plumbing in Danvers, electrician Bob Theriault, TruBlue Fence, Modern Draft from Somerville and United Elevator Company. These people built an outdoor bar through the heat of June and the rain/heat seesaw of July. And the finished product is just beautiful and seems to function exactly as it needs to.
This project also allowed us to partner with our new neighbors, Nacho Tacos. If you have not already heard, a most-excellent feature of The Deck is The Taco Slide! We were able to connect the back side of our deck to a small closet in their space. You simply scan a QR code, place and pay for your order, they call your name when your order is done and slide your food down to you.
We are also going to try something new for our business and have a TouchTunes jukebox installed for The Deck. It will be app-based, so if you want to listen to music you like, feel free to download the app, and play some songs. Maybe even sing along if the mood strikes!
And while we have your attention, there are a few events we would like to tell you about. First, on Saturday, July 31, we, along with Historic Beverly, are co-hosting a cornhole tournament from 2-6pm at the Hale Farm to benefit the reopening of The Larcom Theatre in Beverly. The tournament is being run by Beantown Cornhole, tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased ahead of time here. We will have cold beer available for purchase. Cash prizes will be won!
Also, two food trucks to talk about for the last two Fridays in July. On Friday, July 23, Empanada Dada will be back frying up his pockets of fun! And the following Friday, July 30, Bonetown Burgers pulls up their metal machine full of smash burgers and tots! Round up your crew and come down for a good time at Gentile! And TACOS!