It’s officially been one wonderful month since we opened Triple Bottom. Since then, there’s barely been time to eat and shower, much less pause and reflect. I’m so grateful to every one of you who has come by to have a beer. We love meeting you, getting to know our regulars, seeing you all bring such good vibes into the space, and hearing your ideas and advice as we keep trying to make Triple Bottom better. This community of neighbors, collaborators, and visitors from far and wide has been tremendously generous and welcoming to us, and we are so fortunate to be a part of it.

I’m also feeling humbled by the challenges we are taking on — some of which we anticipated, and some of which have caught us by surprise. We knew we were signing up for long hours and, for the most part, those hours fly by because (wouldn’t you know it) running a brewery is actually really fun! We knew that our bootstrap budget meant we’d be repurposing our desks as festival tables, filling and seaming 600 cans by hand in preparation for Oktoberfest, and returning UHauls at 1am because we don’t have our own vehicle big enough for a tent. We knew our mission meant we’d be taking some extra time and care to make sure our team members have what they need to shine — and we also knew that they would shine. They are the heart and soul of Triple Bottom and every day we are in awe of their dedication, thoughtfulness, and service.

The challenges we didn’t know about rarely slow us down for long, but one in particular keeps arising — and finding a solution that is safe and just is certainly keeping me up at night. We’ve been open for five Fridays. On three of those Fridays, we’ve had the same visitor come in and ask for money or food. He needs both of those things, undoubtedly. And he, and so many other Philadelphians, needs a longer-term place of safety and support to regain his health and start building towards stability.

We see all that, as almost any business would. And as a fair chance brewery, we have spent an enormous amount of time learning about and picking apart the unjust systems that lead to experiences like this person is having. Some of our team members have had to navigate those same systems.

But, we also see that when this person comes in, he yells at our guests. He has been aggressive. He has made threats to our team members. He is in need of a safe space, but so are our customers and team. And when he refuses to leave, we have felt that the safest thing we can do for everyone is ask the police to come walk him out because our priority is and has to be creating safe space for all of you. As clear as that is to us, I can tell you that calling the police on someone is a horrible feeling.

I am writing this in part to help myself process it all. In part, to say thank you to our guests and team for the patience and empathy you show as we figure out the best way to create a safe space for you all at Triple Bottom. And in part, because we as a city need to do better. Given a choice, our Friday visitor would not be coming in, yelling and asking for money. In an ideal world, he’d be coming in to order a drink or some food, and spend some time with his friends. We’re trying to find a long-term solution for this one person so he can get the support he needs, while also acting in the moment to create safety and comfort for our guests and team. And we’re also thinking about how we, as a business, can do more to break down the systems of injustice that lead to these situations in the first place. We welcome your ideas as we grapple with this.

Our patio in the fall is glowy and wonderful.

We also continue to welcome you to come hang out with us. Because, despite a handful of difficult moments, Triple Bottom is proving to be the place of joy and community that we hoped it would become. As we think about our role in big issues like poverty, we also think about our role in creating opportunities to celebrate and have fun over great beer.

We’ll be introducing at least two new beers over the next two weeks, and have so many more in the works. Our opening tap list focused on sessionable brews, and now we’re integrating some more experimental recipes. Our shelf of ingredients currently includes juniper berries, cardamom, and dried Persian limes — among other exciting flavors.

We continue to add to our food menu (our latest addition of Stargazy pies might change your life). Happy hour is on Tuesday through Thursday, and also on Sunday as you settle into the Eagles game on our big screen. We have Quizzo, cheese and beer pairings, and Civics on Tap all coming your way.

It’s been an INCREDIBLE first month. We are so lucky to be here with all of you. Can’t wait to see you soon.

-Tess