Saint Errant Brewing

There isn't even room for a mobile canning line at Mikerphone.

 

Does Begyle do 16's or 12's?

 

I believe they do six packs of 12 ounce cans.

 

I understand that. Still, Saint Errant is making moves to get with the times, while Mike is still stuck with 12 oz glass bottles.

 

They do four packs of 16's as well.

 

Well if Errant is just doing 12 oz cans I can't say I really care about the difference

 

Thanks for correcting...I hardly ever buy anything from Begyle, so wasn't 100% sure.

 

thoughts on takers & leavers or puncher's chance?

early reviews suggest these could be their best effort to date in each style.

 

Mike owns a business and has a strategy. St. E is just a gypsy brewer. I'm sure Mike will have cans when he builds a production facility or 2nd location brewpub while St. E is going to be like Hop Butcher....

 

You don't need a business degree to make craft beer your hobby but like you should have some sort of awareness. Mikerphone leased their small building in 2015 when no one could hardly muster a fuck about them. Cans were gaining in popularity but Mike was doing just fine selling 750s. Little did we know that there would be people who appear to be averse to beer in glass bottles. And unfortunately there's room to make and bottle beer only in Elk Grove. He's already mentioned building out a production facility in Madison, WI. I have to assume this is where cans will come from. And I'm going to assume he's going to keep his mouth shut about this facility until it is close to fruition after talking up EGV for 2 years before it opened.

 

I think the argument of 'just a gypsy brewer' is a bit outdated in terms of long term success for breweries. Look at Mikkeller, who was very successful and highly regarded before ever opening their own brewery.

Not saying that Saint Errant will or will not reach that, but what I'm saying is I don't think that point matters anymore.

 

Yeh, but the context of this is about being able to can (or not). I think the point is that right now StE is a smaller operation that hasn't invested as much into the business. Mikerphone is not, they are a business that produces a lot more beer, and has a taproom that has a lease. Without opening a 2nd location, they aren't going to be canning any time soon.

 

I guess this is a dumb question, but why wouldn’t they use the 12oz bottling line? Why doesn’t Mikerphone use it more? More dollars, less work?

 

I don't think it is a dumb question, but it is just simple supply and demand. A four pack of 12oz. bottles is 48 ounces. Two 750ml bottles are roughly 50 ounces. A 750ml sells for $12ish whereas a four pack of 12oz. bottles will sell for $14ish (High end). So $24 vs. $14 makes it an easy decision *IF* you can sell in that format. As most people have noticed, St. Errant 750ml beers FLY off the shelves right now...

 

(citation needed)

 

I haven't noticed their stuff flying off the shelves, actually. That could be due to me going to beer stores too much (i.e. I see them so much because I'm THERE so much ). But, I am pretty sure that 2 of the Binny's that I frequent (Grand & Lakeview) have had some of their releases sit for a couple months. I still think that is great for them, if stuff is sitting 2 months tops, but I don't consider that flying off the shelves either. Maybe I'm just being a stickler, or maybe my stores have the bottles hanging around longer.

 

I wish I lived closer to those stores then The bottles are gone from Mikerphone in one day and they last 1-2 days at the Schaumburg Binny's, especially the stouts.

 

St. Errant is the bitcoin of beer. All I hear is how great and hard to find it is, but I echo Croush's sentiments that I always see the beer sitting on shelves for weeks after release.

 

I found Takers & Leavers to be punishingly bitter; smelled good though.

Royal Bogan didn't do it for me either; again, too bitter.

I'm clearly never going to love these guys; some of my friends clearly do since they keep bringing them to sessions.

 

Both of these are fair questions and ones I've asked. I've got to the point where I try any new Mikerphone beers I'm interested on draft, and only buy 750's of the beers I really liked in the past (Poetic Hustler, Bean Spirit, etc). At the 4x12 oz format, I'd buy more to go. I've bought a few St Errant beers, but again would buy a bit more if they did the 4x12 format.