Sometimes less is more?

I know there are spots for niche businesses. As I recall from a couple visits to Munich and Hamberg, many places have very limited beer selection. Of course, that's a different culture. I wish them the best, but I have my doubts in our current culture.

 

I just thought I'd point out that having just one or two beers is quite common in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. There are many that offer three, four, or even five beers but at a place like U Fleků in Prague which has a longstanding reputation one beer is enough. That beer, of course, is quite good. The question is can that business model work with fickle Americans, and I'm not sure that it can.

 

Neither would I

I do remember from my trips to Germany (none of which have been recent) places having one brewery's beer and maybe 3 offerings - a Pilsner, a Helles, and a Hefeweizen. Of course, I typically wanted a Hefeweizen, so I targeted places that had those. And most of my time was spent in and around Bavaria. Though I did find Weihenstephaner and Andechs in Berlin.

 

I believe that betting on a food service business lasting more than a year is always a bit of a gamble, I have to imagine that the odds are worse these days than they were pre covid.

That said, after reading the thread linked in the OP and a linked local article it sounds like the people behind this venture know their way around the relevant industries as well as the local landscape so I don't see a good reason to bet against them.

I understand that this business concept might seem ridiculous to a group of people that are as obsessed with beer as the general poster here, but we are a vanishingly small minority of the total customer pool. If I lived near a business like this and the beer and food were good and the atmosphere enjoyable I could easily see it being a monthly visit. Alternatively, if I regularly vacationed on the area I could see it being a must stop on each visit. So I guess I don't see why the model couldn't work.

From my perspective, the biggest risk is the lack of non beer beverage options (although given the parties involved there may well be wine or other alcohol available, i don't know how ME liquor licensing works). But on the whole this seems like a restaurant/pub experience that could have appeal to a wide audience

 

Maybe I have mis-read or misinterpreted something. But are they really only serving oysters For food?

That’s kind of my kerfluffle here. I’d gladly go there for food (if they serve more than just oysters), and have one of the two (likely very delicious) lagers on tap if I wanted something. I can understand going there for lots of reasons besides a beer, but beer being part of the whole package. BUT…only if they serve actual food.

If all they serve is oysters…no. I don’t get it. I don’t know how they could stay in business. How the heck are they getting enough business (hypothetically) with only 2 beers and no food but…oysters?????

 

I guess my concern is that I don't see either us beer snobs or the general population going more than once or twice. Both the food and the beer menu are a bit thin. Just personal experience here - I think you either need a great beer menu or a great food menu to survive today. A lack of one can make up for the other. The menu looks good, but not a place my wife and I would go more than once. We'd get tired of it quickly and we would not be going for the beer. (Although I do love poutine!) And it's certainly not a place we'd take the kids. (I'm NOT trying to start a discussion about kids at breweries. Please!). Anyway, again, I wish them luck and I'm anxious to see how it goes.


Here’s a look at the draft food menu:

House Smoked Oyster – $18
saltines/mustard/onion

Pickled Curds – $8
Pilot bread crackers

Cretons – $12
Toast/mustard/sweet pickles

Chowder – $14
Smoked haddock/cream/potato/bacon

Ham Plate – $12
Country ham/pickle/garlic Mayo

Pult Tartare – $14
Dry aged beef/mustard seed/yolk/bacon/toast

North Haven Oysters – 6 for $16, 12 for $28
Mignonette classique’/lemon

Crab Louie – $18
Toast

Salad – $10
Little gem/ranch/pulverized dorito

Chicken Sorta Montreal Style – $18
Mashed potato/gravy/freezer peas

Schnitzel – $20
Pork steak/potato salad/maple mustard

Poutine – $16
Previously frozen French fries/curds/gravy

Curry Wurst – $18
House curry sausage/fries/mayo/ketchup

“Meat” Loaf Sandwich – $16
Bunch of veg in the shape of a loaf/Fish & Whistle milk bun/mayo/giardeniera/cucumber salad

Lobster Themidor – MP
Lobster/bernaise/fries

Maple Calvados Ice Cream – $8
A Parlor ice cream exclusive

 

I just checked on the taplist a bierstadt before posting. They have the helles, pils, and tmavé 13 on tap. That's it. And people are always there. Why? The beer is great at worst and best of the style at best. They've been killing it for years now with no indications of slowing. So could this place work put? Damn right it could. They just have to make the best examples of the styles and make the place a great place to socialize. It's a no Brainer.

 

They are not, @jvgoor3786 posted the menu that i saw linked as well. Seems like a decent menu with a variety of options.

Again, I understand why some people (especially in this crowd where a diversity of good beers seems to be a top priority for visiting a place regularly) wouldn't enjoy their offerings but that's true of literally any restaurant or bar. Like @SFACRKnight mentioned, there's definitely a market for good spaces to socialize that also have tasty beer and food available. This idea that a place can't survive without a dozen beers on tap just seems odd to me and doesn't mesh with my experience of restaurants at all.

 

My wife won't eat anything on that menu and does not drink beer...yet some how I am dragging a travel trailer to ME, NH and VT late fall...and I'll be damned if I do not try this place to get some oysters and beer. I would be able to patronize this joint often if it was my local and had a lean protein/veg meal and a hearty salad option for the wife.

 

After seeing that varied menu, I'm in.

 

I rarely visit bars or breweries. I much prefer someplace with good reasonably priced food - where you can also get a decent beer. That’s sort of the pinnacle for me.

Anymore, prices are just too expensive to want to drink out, though. In this case, I probably would rarely visit if the beers are $7-8. If the two lagers Are say $3-4 though? Ok, that balances the cost of the food.

I realize that I am more the exception than the rule when it comes to prices and willing to go out. But even if the beers are $6, and let’s say you have 2 over a 3 hour experience with friends. You’re still spending $30+, and it doesn’t look like most of the food items are meals. $30+ isn’t sustainable with consistency for me or my budget, and based on where I live and my income I am more or less “very middle income”. If anything, maybe I’d go once a month at that price. But if I did, it’s probably only be if I was going with a group - or wouldn’t be the type of thing just my wife and I would do, since the food isn’t a meal. When the food isn’t a meal, it’s just wasted money, but it is money you just know you’ll spend.

 

would anyone think twice about going here if this were the wine list and the options were a wonderfully curated (from very knowledgeable owners) white and red?

 

Since it would be my own interpretation of "wonderfully curated" I'd trust, it would take convincing for me to go through the door.

A local winery opened a few years ago and my wife & I had heard good things and thought it would be fun to have a very local source.

Not so much. Their product wasn't that great -- even to our pedestrian palates.

And yeah, I approach new breweries the same way.

 

People who like the beer will continue to go. It is not advertised as "50 BEERS ON TAP" which to me is a novelty and realistically how clean do u think those lines are with more taps available? I'd rather go to a spot with quality over quantity in that scenario. You think a bartender living on tips is cleaning those lines?

Realistically for myself as well is 8-12 beers on tap too much? Not really. If you are busy enough and you have your core lineup plus seasonal and special things then yea but a place with 2 beers on tap is not going to go out of business. It will do fine.

 

Perhaps it’s a realization that you can have a successful establishment where craft beer isn’t the focal point, and this is a way to save lots of brewing time, and efficiency of time/money across the board for the 2 of them in the brewing process, ordering ingredients, less equipment etc. I’m not much experienced in the brewing process but assuming 2 beers to continuously being made in larger equipment is a lot more effiencent than 10 rotating beers in smaller batches.

 

I think everyone understands that this is not a “beer bar”. It’s a place to have “a beer” with upper-crust “snacks”. So, I’d like to hope no one is really asking if this place can stand on the fact that they only have 2 beers. The point isn’t really to go there to drink.

As I stated above, the only real question is whether it is economically viable for most people. For me - at the snack prices - it’s fine once and awhile. But not a weekly thing. Now, If I could have a sandwich and a side for $12, for example (whether that is a club or a burger etc.), and then also have those 2 beers? Especially if they have a great outdoor space for the non-too-cold months? It’s a clear winner. A place I might happily visit once a week.

Just, for me right now it is coming off as an expensive, occasional hangout. Not someplace I’ll go to once a week.