Is less best, or is it just style over substance?

Following a link on social media the other day, I came across the story of what to me, seemed an interesting concept. It concerns a brewpub in America, called Sacred Profane Brewing, which has been described as the anti-hype brewery. I shall come on to the reasons for this name shortly, but for the moment I want to write about what I see as the total geekery, that is an almost a given feature of the majority of craft beer bars, especially those on the other side of the Atlantic.

Driven by sites such as Rate Beer and Untappd, no self-respecting craft outlet seems complete without offering a myriad of different beer styles, including some that pioneering beer writer Michael Jackson, could only have dreamed about. It's more likely that Michael would have had nightmares, rather than pleasant dreams, over some of the “horrors” seen in many craft beer outlets today. I’m talking here about New England IPA’s (murky, rather than just sightly hazy), Pastry Stouts, Fruit Sours, Black IPA’s, and all the rest of the over-hyped nonsense, viewed by many in the craft beer movement, as “must stock” beers.

If ever there was a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes, then the extremities chased after by those who, absolutely must experience the latest sensation in the world of beer are it, but as with every revolution there comes a kick-back, a reaction if you like against the absurdity of those obsessed with pushing the boundaries way beyond that which is sensible, or indeed normal. It’s somewhat ironic therefore to discover that a rejection of all this hype should have arisen in the land of its birth – the good old US of A!

Sacred Profane Brewing certainly wear the anti-hype mantle well, at their brewery and taproom in Biddeford, Maine, as visitors to the company’s bar will be offered just two types of beer, either a light, or a dark lager. You can almost imagine the howls of anguish from craft beer afficionados, when they discover the limited range available. Some allegedly have asked, how can the brewery not produce a juicy IPA these days and still stay in business?

Sacred Profane use a tank system designed and built in the Czech Republic, to store and dispense their beers. It’s a system that allow the person behind the bar to control the type of “pour” being used, as the way the beer is being poured changes not just the drinking experience, but the mouthfeel, and even the perceived bitterness experienced by the consumer. It follows the common Czech saying that “the brewer brews the beer, but the tapster makes the beer.”

I’m not going too far into the technicalities here, but the system at Sacred Profane has been described as the first in North America, conceived and custom-designed to make the best of these Czech style beers. It took workers from the Czech-based LUKR several days to install, and cost $80,000 – so not exactly small beer!

The investment seems to be paying off, as both beers have been well received, and are are currently scoring over 4 out of 5 on Untappd, thereby confounding the cynics who were critical of the limited range. Sacred Profane owner, Michael Fava, describes the pubs’ two lagers as straightforward beers in a straightforward place. Michael runs the brewpub with his partner Brienne Allan, and the pair took their inspiration from the "tankovna" pubs of the Czech Republic. In these establishments, tanks of fresh beer displayed under a glass bar or in a prominent position in the bar room, act as a pub’s centrepiece

Such places are becoming increasingly more common in the UK, but as Sacred Profane’s experience demonstrates, are still a rarity in North America. Despite being experienced brewers, Michael and Brienne spent several weeks in the Czech Republic earlier this year learning how to pour this unique Czech style of beer, becoming tapster-certified under the tutelage of Pilsner Urqell’s experts. I witnessed this system in operation at two of the European Beer Bloggers Conferences I attended. 

The first time I experienced this system was in Dublin, in 2014 and the second in Brussels, a year later. On both occasions, the Czech company, who were one of the main sponsors of the conferences, had brought one of their Tankovar cellar tanks, pumped full of un-pasteurised Pilsner Urquell, across from Pilsen for us to enjoy. Needless to say, the beer was excellent, and we were entertained with a demonstration of how to perform the perfect “pour,” by Pilsner Urquell Master Brewer Vaclav Berka.

Along with the tank of beer, Pilsner Urquell had brought over a mobile bar, complete with integral cooling unit, a traditional, side-lever operated font, plus a glass rinser, all in order to demonstrate the perfect pour. Traditionally, there are three different types of pour in the Czech Republic, all of which were demonstrated to us. Basically, the process is all about controlling the amount of gas in the finished beer, and this not only affects the size of the head, but also alters the mouthfeel of the beer.

I won't go into further detail here, as I've already written about it in the past. If you are interested, please click on the link which will take you back to an article written following that visit to Dublin in 2014, and as a result of the demonstration I witnessed. I also seem to have veered rather off topic, as my original intention was contrast the vast array of choice available to today’s beer drinkers, to the situation that existed when I first started visiting pubs.

 That will have to wait for another occasion, but in the meantime do consider the paradox brought about by an over-abundance of choice and remember even keg beers have a shelf-life, and over time can lack the freshness and vitality intended by their creators, becoming stale, oxidised and unpleasant to drink, instead.