Sacred Profane Brewing Launching Summer 2022

The fixation on this thread is super bizarre to me.

Firstly, because it's an anonymous internet forum for hobbyists so of course some portion of people are going to be vocally skeptical of such a novel model. But secondly, because it seems to indicate that despite this group opening a craft brewery at a time when many people are discussing the idea of a "bubble bursting" for the industry sector and doing so by following a radically different business model than the vast majority of market there was no skepticism published by the formal industry press? No beer centric publications raised the questions that @Jbrews did? None of the podcasts pushed back on the partners they interviewed?

Based on the breweries I've seen open over the last 5 years, and the changes I've seen existing breweries make, and the writing from professional beer writers and brewing industry observers I've read, I would say that the owners of Sacred Profane are attempting something that almost no one thinks is practical. So why are the only skepticisms of the project available to cite in stories coming from half drunk beer geeks on an anonymous internet forum?

 

Not that I am aware of and I have listened to a number of podcasts and read a few articles.

If you have an explanation as to why the only "skepticism" is from BAs posting in this thread I would like to hear it.

And if you have an explanation as to why in the Aaron Goldfarb piece he only chose to quote 'negative' comments from BA I would like to hear that as well.

Cheers!

 

I'd guess it's because having a skeptical opinion to hold up makes for a more interesting and textured story. Just saying, "this place is opening, it's super unique, everyone thinks it's a slam dunk." Is a shorter and less interesting story. A bit of conflict is essential for a good narrative

 

That article already lost me at the title: "The Anti-Hype Brewery." The existence of the article invalidates its own title. If there was no hype, there wouldn't be an article about it.

The article's claim above is odd. The article links to descriptions of Hladinka, Šnyt, and Mlíko. Sacred Profane offers all three on their menu (classic, half pour and foam) and BA users have posted pics of getting non-"classic" pours there ( @MattOC ).

 

These forums are read by many in the industry (owners, brewers, workers). I've talked to many who said they read these forums, and sometimes changes result from them.

See the Trillium wage issue, the owner of Threes Brewing coming on here to discuss their issues, and recently Sierra Nevada bringing back Oktoberfest/Summerfest.

I thought they had five different pours at Sacred Profane?

 

I understand the broader intent of your post, but the topics of those first two examples are so different in subject matter than the topic of this brewer’s portfolio.

@unlikelyspiderperson

 

This begs an interesting question that I will attempt to answer. I did not write about Sacred Profane in any publication, so there's a bit that I cannot answer, but rather I'd speak from my experience within the beer writing industry and as a journalist.

Writing about beer is not dissimilar from writing about sports, inasmuch as there's this perception (both from insiders and outsiders) that the writing is non-serious. This is, of course, both true and untrue. For every seven thousand, "Best IPAs to drink rIGhT nOw" list, there's one thoughtful piece on climate change or racism in the industry.

For some journalists, I think asking "difficult" questions (even when they're not that difficult) makes them uncomfortable in the coverage of an industry that's deemed "unserious." Too often, I think folks worry about losing their access and that's problematic for the beer writing industry.

If following up, after hearing a business plan or goals, with some non-threatening follow up like, "This is different than most endeavors. Does the novelty of this concept elicit any worries or concerns? If so, what are they? If not, why not?" is something the writer can't (or won't ask), they're not doing their job. Ask the questions people want to know. It's not difficult.

So I think you've raised fair questions @unlikelyspiderperson on the failure of journalists or podcast hosts or whomever. I wouldn't say that I was ever "skeptical" of the idea (but, in interest of full disclosure, I did enjoy a fair amount of insider information that I wasn't at liberty to discuss or post). Again, I was not writing about the SP opening or business. That said, I hope I would have done a better job asking questions if I was, regardless of my skepticism or lack thereof.

 

I mean you were behind the taps so can we expect you to ask those same questions? Your insider access and fear of losing that access, would that prevent you from doing your job as a journalist?

 

Three pours listed on the menu - classic, half, and foam. I also did a half and half while there and a couple days after my visit they posted a blended pour on IG. So, I guess that would be 5.

 

I think the thing that also needs to be clearly said is that the owners of Sacred Profane are opening a business and their interest in engaging with the media will be connected to that. While devoting energy to this at this point in time, the main goal for most interactions is going to be exposure rather than debate… and that’s not a criticism of them at all.

 

I would hope that any publication that employs me would have the trust and confidence in me to do so (and, subsequently, the readers would too). I have never been worried about doing so, historically (see: Schilling). If a place is going to cut off "access" because someone asked questions, that's on them. Most journalists would agree.

 

Interesting quote. My in-laws live in Maine and we visit 2-3 times per year, most recently this past week. Normally, a place with a concept like Sacred Profane would be very high on my list of places to visit for the beer alone.

However, I found the food menu to be extremely limited. No one in my family eats meat so we would have been limited to bread and french fries. I don't expect any restaurant to accommodate my dietary restrictions and I wouldn't hold a meat-focused menu against any establishment. However, I'm not gonna go to an eating establishment where there's nothing for me to eat. That doesn't work for anyone involved.

I was considering a visit but was unsure on whether this was a restaurant with appealing beer or a tap room with food options. At the end of the day, I was uncertain and my partner said if there was nothing for her and my daughter to eat, she didn't want to go. So we skipped it and went elsewhere.

Also, I find it odd that they don't serve food during all their open hours if they're leaning into the the restaurant component.

Of course, they just opened. An expanded menu might be on the horizon along with some lunch options. Wish them the best of luck. If they ever do expand their food options, I will be sure to visit. Love the concept, just didn't fit with what we were looking for on this trip.

 

If anything, SP seems to be just the next step in craft beer nerd hype.

For the last few years, lagers have had a meteoric rise in prominence in craft beer. Sure, ipas still pay the bills for most breweries, but TRUE beer nerds/brewers go for lagers most often these days.

Whether it's Hill Farmstead pushing out the goods with Peotica and Memoria, Suarez, Notch, Bierstadt, and even the 16oz can hype breweries are having lager-centric festivals.

SP is just taking that craft beer lager hype and circling back to the "old world" model of a tankpub.

What they're doing sounds great, and I look forward to trying their beers, but I don't see the need for the owners to act as if what they're doing is somehow unrelated to the trends of craft beer when it is 100% the product of those trends.

 

I was going to add to my previous post about how they don’t offer food all hours but they do offer alcohol so how can they expect it to be a restaurant experience but I wasn’t 100% sure.

 

And I would hope so too. Thanks. Sorry, didn’t read the schilling piece.

After reading this piece from Goldfarb that you shared and the inaccuracies others have pointed out, doesn’t come off as a well put together article.

 

To be fair, it doesn't seem to be the owners pushing to generate hype. Media coverage is inevitable with a new project from people with the industry pedigree that the principles in this venture have. And I have to say that the project does seem to be designed around a singular beer drinking experience rather than any of the things that are typically thought of as creating hype in beer world these days.

It's not surprising to me that this forum would be cited in the beer media, it's surprising to me that all of the criticism/skepticism of the plan that I've read or heard has been couched as coming from this thread. It's given the impression that the only people with any doubts are the randos over at BA. No serious beer thinkers apparently have any questions. I know that's a bit hyperbolic, but I think you get my point.

That is understandable that issues of politics would come into such an insular world as any small industry press. And I get that this project seems to be an interesting concept that appeals to beer geeks and comes from a group of people with outstanding credentials and great reputations, so there's no appetite for nitpicking them. I just feel like there's this whole in the coverage of this place, is this just a passion project of a few fanatics or is it a savvy move to side step a lot of the pitfalls of opening a new brewery in today's market? Is it a quirky niche project or is it a sign of things to come in the American market? Does this country (or even just that community) have a history of comparable drinking establishments, and if so what is that history?

I mean, I'm interested in this small place from across the country because I respect that the principle parties behind it have a perspective on the industry that I don't and if they are willing to go all in on a project that so thoroughly bucks industry trends then I'm curious. Doesn't need to be adversarial but I feel like there's this gap between what these people are doing and what the conventional wisdom of the industry is that isn't being probed.

Anyway, I continue to find the whole thing interesting. I'm very curious to see how they are operating and what the sense of their level of commercial success is come spring. I have a local brewery that is going in to year 12 or 13 and has never packaged beer for off sire sales (even during covid, they just did growlers/crowlers) and appears to be thriving, so I know that niches exist and can be exploited. But this seems like such a bold bet, 800k could surely have built a larger brewhouse if they followed the typical model or been allocated to other aspects/held as a buffer for the tumult of starting up a small business. But these aren't just some idealistic rich kids, there's some serious thought behind this.

Seeing how their packaged beer is received will be interesting as well, we've got a brewery that opened a couple years ago (Tremor) whose model seems to be entirely built around 12x12 cans of a light lager and a "citrus wheat". Both organic, both advertising "CA grown malt". In some ways that seems part of this same stream of the craft beer culture, interestingly the rumor I heard from the local beer bar owner is that that place is the retirement project of an ex AB exec. So coming from a different end of the industry for sure

 

I posted similar questions on page 1 of the thread.

From post #14 in a reply to Matt Osgood:

"I want to make one beer and make it better than anyone else in the world."

My reply: “Do you have an example of a US brewery where that business strategy works?”

From post #24:

“And I have no doubt that others would be OK with just one brand. But I do have doubts that this would be an economically viable business strategy, unless Brienne and Mike are already wealthy and can run this brewery like a hobby.

I suppose we will know more in a few years.”

And in post #31 (also a reply to Matt Osgood):

“Opening a brewery is a business and in the today's US craft beer environment just serving two brands of beer is very much not the norm.

If you have some contemporary examples of US craft breweries who are succeeding here please provide some input.”

Cheers!

 

I was literally their first pour and customer upon opening. We went back the second day as well for some food and beer.

The beer was great. As I expected people will continue to debate the concept. Time will tell.

Also according to BA and the “are you sick of ipas” thread and the trend to bash hazy and hip to lager. It seems the IPA bubble is getting to be quite thin…Brienne was also pretty clear when we chatted about how she is very vocal that they are not a craft brewery. And the things she said when the guy next to me said (jokingly) he was gonna post it on Untapped gave us all a chuckle and some insight. All in all she’s a cool person to shoot the shit with and have a beer.

 

Aaron Goldfarb selected some material from your post to quote in his article. What do you personally think about that?

Cheers!

 

Quit stirring the pot