It's been almost a year since Solemn Oath Brewery landed on the scene in Chicago and the larger surrounding suburbs known as "Chicagoland." And for most of that time, they've made a name for themselves through their beer, their relationships, and their taproom that's become a unique destination for craft beer geeks, locals, and culture hounds on the fringes of the scene.
One thing they didn't spend time doing was worrying about their website. With priorities like perfecting recipes, barrel aging, building the right team and shaking the right hands, trying to think about a landing page was on a different list than landing asses in seats. But it was coming. It was always coming.
Over the past year, I worked with Solemn Oath in an unprecedented manner. It was akin to being an embedded journalist more than a photographer for hire. I was there for their first brew day, their first craft beer week pours, when they wised up and brought Paul Schnieder on full time as a brewer alongside Tim marshall. There were no first borns, but you get the idea. The taproom grew, the staff got smart, and the beer just kept getting better. Meanwhile they went out into the world and made a difference. They hand-selected accounts with Windy City Distribution at their backs. They earned their collaborations. And they took nothing for granted, including me. Together we created and captured an authentically American story in craft beer, and I'm excited today to announce it's arrival.
I'm exceptionally proud of these guys for their patience. For waiting until they had a story to tell before they asked for your attention. Because the results are more than Good Beer Hunting photos, rad illustrations from Jourdon Gullett, and Nelson Cash's smart design. It's home to some exceptional writing and storytelling by the entire team. It's a new vehicle for the crew at Solemn Oath Brewery to tell their tale, build a connection, and share more of what makes them truly special. It's part of who they are, and like them, it'll continue to grow and evolve.
So click through, clear your cache, and get lost for a little while. This might become the most important brewery website in the Midwest. And I'm so glad to continue helping them shape what they started.
Michael Kiser
