Blog: Tell Me I Can’t

Tell Me I Can’t (NEIPA) was inspired by Lynn, MA native, Ruth Law Oliver. Oliver was an aviator in the early 1900s. She believed in soaring past the obstacles of being a woman in what was considered solely a man’s profession. Determined to fly, she asked Orville Wright for flying lessons. The story goes that he declined because he thought women were not mechanically inclined. Oliver’s response was, “The surest way to make me do a thing is to tell me I can’t do it.”

Bent Water’s Tell Me I Can’t is an inspirational reminder that in times of adversity or doubt a ‘can do’ attitude can take us to new heights. Speaking of ‘can do’, Bent Water brought back the talented designer of the 2020 Can Do Pink Boots label, Kelly Nichols. Nichols has actually been a part of Bent Water from the start. Her mentor is Mike Shaughnessy, our creative director and one of our co-founders, who creates all of our labels and design work. It only made sense to welcome Nichols to our team and to have a Pink Boots label designed by a woman.

The 2021 label for Tell Me I Can’t was designed with inspiration and encouragement in mind. Nichols took Ruth Law Oliver’s attitude of overcoming adversity and, in essence, wrote it across the sky on the illustrated can. 

Oliver is featured in a plane of the era, trailed by a message for countless generations. That theme crosses over into the graphic can where the stream of pink coming from the plane widens to encompass all of the women Oliver inspired: past, present, and future.

You’ll notice the plane is soaring through a sea of blue, which alludes to breaking barriers and succeeding as a woman in a “man’s” industry. Yet, the circular pattern is across the entire can, blues and pinks, in a statement that this message of overcoming is for EVERYONE.

Tell Me I Can’t was brewed to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8 and to support the mission of the Pink Boots Society to help women advance in the brewing industry. With a nod to a Lynn native, Tell Me I Can’t is also a sneak peek into Bent Water’s 2021 Lynn Tribute Series, which will be a rotating line of New England IPAs. 

Five beers inspired by Lynn, MA origins and with universally engaging stories will roll out over the course of the year and will reach all of Bent Water’s territories. We’ll be officially announcing the series soon, so keep an eye out and get ready to watch the shelves.