Sacred Profane Brewing Launching Summer 2022

I think Notch is a place to visit AND a place to buy cans. It doesn't have to be an 'Either/Or' scenario. We can enjoy the beer both ways. Yes, Notch beer consumed on the premises is a much superior drinking experience than consuming Notch beer from cans at home, but the beer is still excellent from the can.

 

The point I was trying to make is that here in the US as well as in many other countries we care more about the quality of the beer than the quality of how it is served. It resulted in craft breweries also focusing on packaged beer rather than investing in equipment and knowledge on how to serve it well. For me, Notch seems to be a leader in changing this trend. The fact that the beer is also good is somewhat secondary.

 

Haven't been to notch, but I agree that I generally don't get great lager pours, even at beer bars and breweries.
Yeah COVID didn't help. Plus, and this is just a guess, but between better social safety nets and services along with that emphasis in Europe perhaps of treating bartenders and servers better, what you end up with is higher quality pours. If bartending is just a side gig or temporary state then I'd imagine you're not exactly going to get great pours etc the same way as if it is considered a viable long term primary career.

 

Not sure that treating bartenders better in Europe makes a difference. Beers served in Norway are the worst, and bartenders are paid like everyone else. On the other hand, anywhere in the Czech Republic, you can find very well-served beers even if the beer itself is mainstream and just OK. Also, there are many people here who know how to make mixed drinks well regardless if it a just a day job or not. I think it's just a cultural thing.

 

This, I think, speaks to heart of the questions about sacred profane's business model (and the bet that the owners are making). American bar culture has been centered on the social aspect, with the specific alcohol being delivered somewhat ancillary, for a long time (like at least 50 or 60 years from what I gather from my older relatives, maybe longer?). The reaction as it's expressed in craft beer has been to fixate on the physical beer itself, and more and more to attach value to special packaging of the beer.

Contrast this with cultures in places like the British Isles, Belgium, Germany, and Czechia where the serving vessel/technique are an integral part of the bar culture.

I think the gamble here is that the modern American beer culture (at least in southern Maine/New England) is sufficiently mature to support a place that emphasizes process and technical precision from mash all the way through to your glass. If I'm standing in front of a cooler wall of fruited and flavored beers with bright poppy labels filled with 80s/90s pop nostalgia, cartoons, and immature IP theft I'm probably feeling like it's a big gamble.

But if I'm thinking about a case like Bierkeller, begun as a pop up biergarten with draft only and an emphasis on traditional styles served the proper traditional way and now looking toward a permanent taproom after surviving covid, it seems like there's an appetite for this kind of niche.

 

And that customers don't expect a large variety of beers on draft like you will find today in the vast majority of US craft brewery taprooms.

I have been to many pubs in the Czech Republic while on vacation and the vast majority of those pubs had more than two beers on draft.

I wish the Sacred Profane folks well here on the "gamble" as you phrased it.

Cheers!

 

From the articles posted it sounds like they are planning to have more beverage options than just the two beers they will produce. But yes, that is an aspect of their gamble. I still think that the bigger question than if their variety will be sufficient is whether the general beer consumer that comes through their area will appreciate their technical diligence or if they will regard it as more a gimmick or nuisance.

Adding a more extensive bottle list, or even an additional few taps, is much simpler than pivoting a purpose built brewhouse and tank pub into something else

 

Didn't even think about Bierkeller as a rough comparison to Sacred Profane. Good point.

 

It's worth all of us (including Ms Allen, it seems) remembering that there's no good direct comparison to sacred profane because they're trying something genuinely novel in this market. Anyone trying something genuinely new is going to face skepticism (after all, if it was a viable business plan why wouldn't people be doing it already?), but they're also positioned to be a smash success if they get it right.

Personally, it feels like a genuine step forward in the maturation of the American beer market regardless of how well it does. The fact that a group of industry veterans would think this model even has a chance is heartening

 

From what I have seen, full service kitchen and full liquor license, this is not just a brewery. I think they just want to anchor everything with the tankpub concept, which is very unique for America, but I can’t think of a better place for this to happen than the Greater Portland area.

 

I think up until a couple years ago the food scene was number one, beer number two. But there’s just so many breweries now in such a small radius, I don’t know that another city in the country can claim to be denser with breweries.

It’s definitely a toss up now between what’s better the food or beer in Portland. I’d still lean towards the food though simply because there’s more variety and quality in my opinion. A lot of the breweries are fairly similar in what they do.

 

Collaboration #1:

 

It is absolutely tremendous that after all the hand wringing here about them only brewing two styles and choosing tradition over business sense (paraphrasing the haters here, not saying that myself), the first taste of their beer we'll get is an IPA.

 

It is a collaboration and brewed by (per the label) Tributary so at their spot presumably so I wouldn’t necessarily call it the first taste of their beer and or the vision of Sacred Profane.

 

As someone who's exposure is entirely through this thread, that post you like an absolutely epic troll by the SP crew

 

for sure, but personally I am opting to not let facts get in the way of comedy

 

A little over a month ago, I was at Trib and Tod told me the SP people were coming in to brew a beer. I asked him what they were brewing and he gave me this sly smile and whispered, “You know we had to do an IPA” and laughed.

I won’t quote him verbatim but they all know what the message board talk was all about.

 

for the record meant to quote this