Sometimes less is more?

If the food was great I'd consider it, but I tend to like to see a nice beer list/menu with a lot of options, and I find pilsner and a dark mild lager to be kind of boring styles, so the place wouldn't be high on my list of places to visit (absent food that's worth of the trip itself).

 

I guess I don't know how other people eat but these all sound like meals;
Chowder – $14
Smoked haddock/cream/potato/bacon
Ham Plate – $12
Country ham/pickle/garlic Mayo

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

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

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

 

Something for the owners to think about - I was in a Minnesota taproom last year that had 10-12 beers available, but not a single IPA. Closest was probably an ESB. I was sitting at the bar enjoying a fantastic nut brown ale when a group of 4 came in and looked over the beer list. Not seeing an IPA, they turned around and walked out. I think that there are enough people in the IPA camp that a brewery should strongly consider keeping one available.

 

Some of them do. The Meatloaf sandwhich most of all does, and the schnitzel seems like it probably is. Perhaps the chicken too. But, I have a hard time believing the chowder is meal-sized portion. I suspect the Ham Plate is more of a charcuterie style/size, and meant for several people to have "one small" sandwhich. The Curry Wurst may be, but people charge outrageous sausage prices, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was essentially one "large" Sausage and fries that were more intended for sharing than a personal meal.

I've been to far too many establishments that market items like this as potentially meal-size, when they are really meant for sharing, and often not an actual meal-sized portion. Often the flavors are strong enough you wouldn't want a meal-sized portion either.

 

Since there is no list outside of the draft food list for Sacred Profane its very difficult to make a comparison in that way. The initial post indicate they will have 2 beer styles and oysters. The draft menu clearly offers more than oysters. The food menu looks similar to bierstadts menu, however there is much more being offered from SP. Time will tell if SP carries more to drink besides their 2 Czech beers. I stand by my comparison, with three tap options Bierstadt shouldn't do as well as they do per most of BA. Yet here they are leading the crispyboi hype train across the nation.

 

Nobody around here is doing that, although there are places that only have 3-5 beers. Unsurprisingly, those are the places that specialize in European styles.

Personally, I'd be fine with it if those beers were good. That's not unusual in Germany (helles and weiss, alt and pils, etc.) although I think US craft drinkers have become too accustomed to a variety of options. Even if something is good, it's become par for the course to try something different each round. I'm guilty of it, too. That said, I think I could probably even be happy with one option if was the right style. Something suitable for all days and all cravings. A bitter akin to London Pride would probably work for me.

 

I didn't feel comfortable jumping into the NE Forum thread, but will post a few observations here.

• From 1990-2015 (legal drinking years), I was perfectly fine going out and drinking just bourbon/whiskey on the rocks and Guinness in a proper Irish Bar, with Gin on the rocks and Budweiser or Heineken for Summer outdoor outings. For the general public, I think there are a large number of people with a similar width/breadth of beverage preference, and or are amiable at drinking just about anything. People here are bringing their ticking mindset into the equation, which is understandable considering the subset of people discussing this.
• I like to see brewers hone in and perfect a style, far more should be doing this. It's how legendary beers are created
• A large majority of craft breweries are cookie cutter in terms of their curation, be it the décor, their draft list, ambiance, events (bingo, trivia), a food truck or perhaps snacks, etc.. For this brewery, I believe their success or failure will largely depend on what special experience they can provide, how they set and develop their food menu, the quality of their food offerings, their customer service. I think of the concept more of a Hopleaf than a typical "craft" bar or brewery. If they can deliver in this aspect, I think they can be successful.

I see one concern going in is whoever is funding this (bank loans, private investors), they are going to want a successful business. They are limiting what they can change / adjust with the initial buildout, but it doesn't mean they will never have other options.

They can also bring in brews they contract brew elsewhere, and serve wine and spirits (if legal based on their license) if their is customer demand beyond the two planned beer servings, and if needed adjust their brewing as best as possible within their space.

I would most certainly want to visit this brewery, Allagash and a few others my next visit to Maine.

 

I like the idea. I like the several nods to Québécois cuisine in the menu too.

Until a couple years ago, Steam Whistle in Toronto was a one beer brewery. They would offer an unfiltered version of that pilsner at the taproom to give you a second option. That was it. In fact, when they first decided to make another beer, they actually created a whole new brewery called Von Bugle to offer a Vienna lager (since shuttered).

In recent years they have added a couple other beers to their line-up (lager and pale ale) and they brew Voodoo Ranger for Ontario. They very recently acquired Beau’s, a brewery outside Ottawa, but it appears to remain a separate entity.

The ‘one’ beer model has worked for them. It is a popular brand. The Roundhouse taproom is a very popular tourist spot at the foot of the CN Tower. I’m not sure how easy it would be to recreate this success today though.

 

There are quite a bit of similarities between the two places. The below is not an attempt to suggest that Sacred Profane can not succeed with their business plan... or that similarly focused businesses can't succeed. It is just a zooming in on some possible differences.

With regards to the theme of the thread, one potential difference between the two is that Bierstadt currently has 25 different beers listed on BA. Sacred Profane might be intending to brew more than two types of beer (and only serving 2 at any one time), but at the moment the statements from them seem to indicate that they are only planning on making 2 beers. I could be misinterpreting them. Variety comes in different shapes. It can mean having many options available at the same time, but it can also mean having a new option compared to the last time you were there. Bierstadt might not need to release a "Baltic porter," but there is little doubt that the action helps to maintain a sustained interest with some people. Maybe it's only a few. It's possible that Sacred Profane is planning on only ever brewing 2 beers... but circumstances might cause them to bend down the road. Time will tell.

In addition, I might be mistaken, but I feel like a key part of Bierstadt's initial success was their unusual approach to having their beer in other venues. By having their beer served in their unusual glass and generating conversation around it, they turned the simple act of someone drinking their beer in a bar into a marketing opportunity that would help drive customers to their taproom and help create brand value. Will Sacred Profane's beers only be available at their location or will they be available at other establishments with particular Czech style draught systems? Again, time will tell.

The location obviously makes a tremendous impact. Bierstadt might not have found success in a different state with a different local community. I would think that the GABF helped Bierstadt's reputation outside of their area as well.

Lastly, Bierstadt's unusualness is also part of their success... but that doesn't mean that it's a formula that can become more usual. You mentioned they are leading the train. While the implication is that they are helping to pull other cars along for the ride, the lead is still a lonely position to be in.

@JackHorzempa

 

Indeed. They have changed recently to offer several beers. For most of its existence, the brewery offered one beer in two ways. It was that model that allowed them to grow to the point where they have capacity to brew on contract for New Belgium, and a acquire a large Independent brewery like Beau’s.

I wasn’t as clear in my post as I could have been. I meant that the ‘one beer model’ was hugely successful for them. They opened in 2000 and only introduced other beers under the Steam Whistle brand in 2018 or 2019. So, despite the variety today, they were indeed a ‘one beer brewery’ for nearly two decades.

 

As I noted at the end of my first comment:

“I’m not sure how easy it would be to recreate this success today though.”

I don’t see it working today on the scale they began at back in 2000. They began as a pretty big and slick operation. There were still only a handful of breweries with tap rooms in Toronto in 2000.

 

So…given the fact that they will serve more than just oysters, and the fact that they will definitely be brewing some amazing classics, I think it’ll be a great spot to visit. I hope they do great.

 

That's going to be up to SP market researchers. I would assume they are doing some looking into the craft beer community and restaurant community to see if this would be sustainable. I'm unaware of what the craft beer landscape looks like in Biddeford Maine, but I would assume a person would want to see a large craft beer consumption rate in the area and possibly a more mature customer base. I hope they do well. I have friends I want to go visit in Boston and it looks like that place would be within driving distance for us.