Fewer things are more indicative that autumn has arrived in Maine than trees laden with apples. From wild roadside trees – as unkempt as can be – to meticulously cultivated orchards, this time of year attracts throngs of participants eager to pick their own fruit. Cider making is a tradition that goes hand-in-hand with apple season, and often provides a use for the less desirable fruit and even wild and foraged apple varieties.

Maine’s wild and cultivated apples make it a prime state for locally sourced fruit.

From nano-cideries such as High Ridge Farm in Montville to larger producers such as Ricker Hill Farms in Turner and their plethora of Mainiac Cider varieties, the cider market is a diverse one and Maine cideries are satisfying a variety of tastes and styles.

Alcoholic ciders – commonly referred to as “hard” ciders – have been dominating the shelves at markets and the bottle and tap lists at many restaurants.

In Belfast, Lizzie and Khris Hogg recently opened the doors to their dedicated cider bar, Perennial, serving up locally sourced, curated plates alongside a large selection of ciders.

With the opportunity to develop relationships with multiple producers across the state and region, Perennial has the ability to offer an array of cider options for their patrons to sample.

A Perennial flight of Rocky Ground, Dahlia, Cornish Common Fruit and Whaleback Traditional Dry from Lincolnville.

“The decision to open a cider bar was the culmination of several different inspirations,” said Khris Hogg. “Mostly, I had taken an interest in traditional cider, heirloom apples, and all of the history and stories that go along with them. It seemed odd that despite all of the cider I was seeing in the Northeast, there was no central gathering place anywhere to sample and enjoy a large variety of ciders and meet others with the same interest. Essentially, there was no ‘brewpub’ equivalent for traditional cider.”

Hogg explained that part of the motivation for the ciders he and Lizzie choose to offer is the relationship that producers form with their orchards, trees and programs.

“We favor ciders made by people who have a relationship with the trees that produced the fruit they’re fermenting, whether it’s because they gathered the fruit themselves or they grew it themselves,” he said. “As much as possible, we lean toward ciders using biodynamic, organic, or unsprayed apples. Beyond the fruit, we favor dry or barely off-dry ciders, and ciders that have been allowed to go through a slow, natural fermentation, which usually includes some amount of aging.”

Whaleback, Rocky Ground and Bent Bough are among a variety of Maine cideries.

Hogg explained that when they put out a call for those willing to contribute apples to the blend, they received a strong response. And now, Perennial is planning a 2020 collaboration with nearby Whaleback Cider in Lincolnville. Hogg said he is hoping that this collaboration will function as a house cider for the majority of next summer. He also stated that the project has inspired the start of a Belfast apple tree map.

At Rocky Ground Cider in Newburgh, foraged and heritage apples are the name of the game. Helming the cidery are Abbey Verrier and Angus Dieghan, a couple who explain on their website that they spend the autumn looking for the aforementioned obscure and otherwise unusable apples.

According to the Rocky Ground website, the couple “spend [their] autumns in a junky Subaru cruising Maine’s countryside for the best cider fruit. These are wild apples and ancient varieties unlike any you’d find in a grocery store. They are often inedible with a mixture of bitter, tannic, and insipid flavors that, when fermented, make a deliciously complex cider.”

With multiple varieties popping up at various specialty shops and restaurants, the ephemeral products produced by Rocky Ground often incorporate honey and maple syrup. Their styles are inspired by the traditional cideries of France, England and Spain, but that they also strive to produce products reflective of Maine’s “tradition and terroir.”

At High Ridge Farm in Montville, cider is a part of their farm culture. According to their website, they have worked to revive the culture of cider as a table wine, serving it during their seasonal dinners, taco nights and in their tasting room, which offers pairings of sumptuous farm-raised cured pork and cider from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., June through October.

At Pownal’s Portersfield Cider, farmer/ owner David Buchanan has been reviving his 117-acre property since 2012, slowly bringing his orchard back to life. At Portersfield, a tasting room remains open through December and hours can be viewed on their website.

A flight of cider at Ricker Hill Farm.

At Ricker Hill Ochards in Turner, a large tasting room offers their Mainiac Cider. Surrounded by outdoor pavillions where families can enjoy baked goods, a wide variety of hard cider and complimentary popcorn, it boasts a festive and welcoming atmosphere. The family-friendly atmosphere is also home to a pick-your-own orchard and welcomes friendly dogs. It is hardly an exaggeration to observe that the varieties of cider and related products seem endless, lining displays and refrigerated cases.

The cidery has a number of unusual varieties on offer including a pineapple infused “tropical vacation” and a variety with hints of vanilla among them. Nearly everything is available to sample as part of a design-your-own flight, and nearly everything is available to take home in bottles and cans. Additionally they offer refillable Flagons (akin to growlers offered at most breweries).

Hogg said that there are several young cideries that he is excited to watch, including Rocky Ground in Newburgh, Bent Bough Cider, High Ridge Farm and Cornish Cider Company. Recently, Bent Bough and Rocky Ground collaborated on a release.

“I’m always excited to taste anything any of these folks make,” Hogg said. “They’re young, they’re passionate, they’re opinionated, they’re earnest; they genuinely care about apples, and their creative visions are formed in conversation with the landscapes and trees they forage and tend. In their own ways, they’re artists, and I think what we’re tasting now is just the beginning for some really thoughtful, really talented Maine cidermakers. Along with Portersfield Cider and Whaleback Farm Cider, this group of folks is defining what ‘Maine cider’ will mean, one vintage at a time.”

Two things are clear in the world of Maine cider: it’s a growing industry and with cideries emerging rapidly, using a native heritage fruit, cider culture is here to stay.

From traditional, to dry, to funky or sweet, Maine cideries are at the forefront of creating products that are certain to make cider an intriguing choice to excite nearly every palate.

— Text & Photos: Jenna Lookner. Jenna lives on her family farm in Camden. She enjoys exploring her natural and cultural surroundings with her husband and three rescued mutts.

Farm-to-flask has been around since the colonial era, when Americans believed that fermented and distilled drinks were a cure-all for pain, illnesses and general fatigue. And when one didn’t have the fancy still equipment to get “boozy, buzzey and halfway to Concord,” applejack was one of the first and most practical ways of producing a higher concentration of alcohol from freezing fermented cider.

With the proliferation of apple trees on the east coast, thanks to what European colonists brought with them, applejack became a Maine pasttime and staple.

Maine moonshiners irritated by Prohibition (enacted some 70 years before it took hold in the rest of the United States) also decried any form of government interference on a product that they could easily forage from their own orchards and produce with very little equipment at home. Using nature as an ally after the fall harvest, the moonshiner would “jack” or freeze distill the hard cider (which, technically was actually a concentration, rather than a distillation.) As alcohol freezes at a lower temperature than water, applejack would only be made in the winter. Leaving the apple hard cider outside overnight, the moonshiner would then syphon out the ice that accumulated, leaving behind the liquid, which increased the percentage of alcohol. If a hard cider averages around 5% and apple wine around 10-12%, applejack spiked as high as 30% or 60 proof.

Unfortunately, similar to bathtub gin, the leftover liquid also contained amounts of methanol, ethanol and other impurities, but drinking it in small amounts seemed to be the trick. To give it complex flavors, the moonshiner would take his time to “age” the applejack, by letting charred oak chips marinate in a jar of it.

Bruce Olson, co-owner of Tree Spirits Maine makes an applejack, but emphasizes, not the old-fashioned way. “The cheap way, the freeze distill way, is a bit dangerous, because there’s a lot of bad stuff still left in there,” he said. “So, we distill our apple picnic wine. Technically it’s more of an apple brandy. It comes out clear like moonshine, but we found people don’t associate clear spirits with applejack, so to give it some color, we barrel age it for six weeks in a rum barrel we got from a rum distillery in Rhode Island.”

Photo courtesy of Tree Spirits of Maine

There are a ton of recipes on how to make applejack at home. But one of the best and most reliable forums is Homebrew Talk, where experts can steer you in the right direction. Just remember the Government considers freezing a form of distillation and it is against the law to make applejack unless you have a license (and pay the appropriate taxes).

If you’re like our forefathers in Maine, that might not deter you. Luckily Tree Spirits Maine’s Applejack is just a bottle away.

— Text & Photos: Kay Stephens. Kay is the Managing Editor of Maine Brew & Bev Guide, and has been making hard cider at home for the last three years. She may get into making applejack. Shh. Don’t tell.

You’ll find Strong Brewing Company at the junction of Route 175 and Route 15 in Sedgwick. Park across the street and walk a quarter-mile west on Rope Ferry Road to the Bluff Head Preserve, 58 acres under the care of the Blue Hill Heritage Trust. Three short trail segments—Oaks, Erratic and Pine—combine for a delightful walk of 1.5 miles out to Bluff Head. The 90-foot high ledge overlooks a big bend in the tidal Bagaduce River, which flows 14 miles from its source at Walker Pond to empty into Penobscot Bay at Castine.

If a little more walking is in order, head south on Route 15 for about four miles to Cooper Farm at Caterpillar Hill, home to two miles of trails. The view of the Deer Isle-Sedgwick Bridge over Eggemoggin Reach from the extensive blueberry fields is impressive, while the mossy spruce woods below are delightfully cool and fragrant. In late July, the berry picking is amazing.

Strong Brewing is housed in the daylight basement of the clapboard home of Mia Strong and her husband, Al, who was a homebrewer for many years. Together, this pair of admitted beer geeks decided to open a brewery as their retirement job.

The taproom is a cozy space with a few tables and chairs, while the brewing operation is behind the hanging windows to the right. At the short bar you’re likely to find Mia or son, Stephen, serving up pints and flights of ales and lagers poured from six taps. Localmotive, a California common style brew, Bale O’Hay IPA and Soulpatch Porter and are the mainstays, while in summer you’ll also find Maineiac, a double IPA, and the hoppy Rope Ferry Red, among other refreshing selections.

Enjoy your brew indoors, or better, outside at the picnic tables on the lawn or under the timber pavilion topped with a bright red roof, which regularly hosts live local music talent. There’s usually a food truck parked next door as well.

RESOURCES

Hike: Bluff Head Preserve, bluehillheritagetrust.org   207-374-5118

Brew: Strong Brewing Company, strongbrewing.com 207-359-8722. Tap Room hours can be found in the Maine Brew & Bev Tasting Room Directory.

— Text & Photos: Carey Kish of Mt. Desert Island. Carey is an avid beer drinker, editor of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide, and author of AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast.

Andrew Stewart and Jeremy Howard

Camden Gets its First Waterfront Distillery

Blueberries are on the menu this year for Camden’s first distillery. Though instead of that sweet, jammy taste one expects from a pie or even a brew, Blue Barren Distillery’s newly released Eau de Vie will surprise you with its sophisticated spirit. 

Co-owners Andrew Stewart and Jeremy Howard, a seventh generation blueberry farmer, are behind the new venture. 

“Everyone knows the blueberry industry is in decline, which is unfortunate, because it’s still one of Maine’s most iconic products,” said Howard. “So, a couple of years ago, Andrew and I were talking one day, brainstorming ways we could make a secondary product out of each year’s harvest. With his experience in the restaurant industry, our thoughts turned to a distilled blueberry brandy.”

Photo: Blue Barren Distillery

First, Stewart and Howard had to invest several years in educating themselves about the distilling process and settled upon the location, a machine shop that abuts Lyman Morse’s marina on the “quiet” side of the Camden harbor, right next to The Rhumb Line, another popular dockside bar/restaurant. 

The microdistillery’s workhorse is a 100-gallon stainless and copper Vendome Copper & Brassworks still, a magnificent piece of equipment that dominates the newly opened tasting room. 

As the owners awaited their grand opening last May with an outdoor deck, they conducted a couple of soft opening trial runs to unveil their first product, a clear blueberry Eau de Vie. 

Every year, each batch of blueberries will have their own flavor and identity and will be sold on a limited basis. Stewart and Howard look forward to the distillery’s next projects, aiming for a Scottish-inspired gin styled after a Plymouth gin as well as a rum with six new spirits.

Photo: Blue Barren Distillery

Both men have a lot on their plate (Stewart runs Camden’s Drouthy Bear, while Howard assists with Brodis Blueberries, the family farm in Hope). As such, they’re not looking to go far and wide with distribution, wanting to keep Blue Barren Distillery a mainstay for the local community. 

“We just want to make a local product that the community is proud of,” said Stewart. “In both of our jobs, we work with and engage with the people who live here year round, so we wanted to give them a place and some nice spirits they can enjoy.” Blue Barren Distillery’s 2019 fall hours are Thursday – Sunday | 3pm-8pm.

— Text: Kay Stephens. Kay loves beer and hiking and often combines the two. She is an author and freelance writer whose work has appeared in a number of Maine newspapers and magazines.

For nearly 30 years, the nonprofit Portland Trails has worked to assemble an impressive 70-mile network of recreation trails in the Portland region. Among these gems, the Presumpscot River Trail offers a half-dozen miles of splendid walking along the namesake river that separates Portland and Westbrook on its 26-mile route from Sebago Lake to Casco Bay.

Presumpscot River Trail

From Riverside Avenue, meander through Riverton Trolley Park, where interpretive signs tell the history of this late 19th century park that once featured a casino, amphitheater, dance hall, croquet courts and more. Cross U.S. Route 302 and stroll through the dense green corridor along the east bank of the Presumpscot. Retrace your steps to the road and cross the bridge to explore the equally nice west side of the river.    

Geary Brewing Company

Established in 1983 by David and Karen Geary, the D.L. Geary Brewing Co. on Evergreen Way is the first brewery not only in Maine, but in all of New England. The first Geary’s Pale Ale was sold in 1986. After a 30-year run, David Geary sold the business to a group of investors headed by Alan and Robin Lapoint of Freeport, who have carried on the Geary’s heritage of English-style beers, while modernizing the brewery and crafting a line of contemporary brews.

A new, closed fermentation system enables Geary’s to produce any style of beer, like the OG Lager, a traditional Munich-style lager, and the Riverside IPA, a New England-style IPA. In addition, a new pilot system allows the brewers to have fun and experiment with many different brews, such as Windhold IPA, a filtered, juicy double-hopped IPA. Geary’s stalwarts can enjoy their longtime favorites, too, from the Pale Ale, Hampshire Special and Old Thumper to London Porter and Brown Ale.

The beer garden sports picnic tables and lounge chairs, while the tasting room is an intimate, friendly space; both are conducive to enjoying a pour or a flight and chatting it up with craft beer enthusiasts from near and far.

RESOURCES

HIKE

Presumpscot River Trail
trails.org 207-775-2411

BREW

D.L. Geary Brewing Co.
www.gearybrewing.com  207-878-2337
Tasting Room Hours

— Text & Photos: Carey Kish of Mt. Desert Island. Carey is an avid beer drinker, editor of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide, and author of AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast.

Kombucha: lately, it’s hard to avoid talk of the fermented drink lauded for its health benefits, funky flavor and historic provenance.

With origins traced to ancient China, “booch” is hardly a trend. The effervescent elixir was once known as the “tea of immortality” and claims about its health benefits are wide-ranging.

At the University of Maine, Food Microbiology Assistant Professor Jennifer Perry, Ph.D is studying kombucha with her lab group. “When [kombucha] is prepared in the traditional way, there are lots of viable microbes in the drink at the time of consumption,” she explained. “One of the biggest questions related to kombucha is actually whether or not it has any value as a probiotic.”

Brewing kombucha is both straightforward and challenging. It requires introducing a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) into sweetened green or black tea.

The SCOBY is a mucus-like whitish disc that eats the sugars in the tea, fueling the fermentation process.

Portland’s Urban Farm Fermentory (UFF) outlines the process on their website: the yeasts immediately begin converting the sugars into alcohol. The bacteria from the SCOBY then converts that alcohol into a plethora of healthy, beneficial substances including B vitamins, amino acids and additional organic enzymes.

After the initial fermentation process is complete, the SCOBY is filtered out and flavors are often added to the fizzy, fermented brew. UFF creates experimental flavors that are limited to release in their tap room, however they bottle and distribute their most popular flavors – and they aren’t what you may imagine – from chaga mushroom to ghost chili, elderberry to turmeric.

Once finished, traditional kombucha contains a nominal amount of alcohol, as much as two percent, but routinely closer to .5 percent. For reference, Budweiser beer is five-percent alcohol and Guinness is 4.2 percent. For kombucha, alcohol content has been the subject of growing pains.

According to a 2017 Forbes magazine article, in 2010, Maine Department of Agriculture inspector Randy Trahan happened to notice leaking kombucha bottles on the shelf at Whole Foods in Portland. Knowing that alcohol is a byproduct of fermentation, Trahan sent several of the bottles to the University of Maine for testing, where “it was discovered that the bottles contained alcohol levels ranging from slightly over 0.5% to over 2.5%, which was well above the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s regulation that labeled non-alcoholic beverages must contain less than 0.5% ABV.”

Portland’s Whole Foods removed it from their shelves while manufacturers struggled with labeling, eventually settling on two paths forward: sticking with traditional recipes and labelling brews with excess alcohol, or reformulating to keep the ABV within the legal limit.

Nearly a decade later, Perry’s research continues to focus largely on understanding the ephemeral product.

Photo: Thomas Madden

“We’re trying to look at how different these cultures really are and how much they might change over time or in response to different types of processing,” Perry explained. “Although, there are lots of different microbes in the culture, not all of these end up in the drink itself, and that’s one of the other things we’d like to understand. How can we tweak the brewing process to make sure that we’re getting the best of the possible microorganisms and biochemical compounds left in the finished product? We want to help brewers to produce consistent products over time and to really maximize the health benefits of the product.”

Perceptions of kombucha are perhaps as wide-ranging as the iterations of the beverage itself, and they are rapidly changing. In 2009, Slate Magazine voted kombucha the “most liberal product” on the market in a tongue-in-cheek listicle.

But will kombucha be Maine’s next big thing? At present, two Maine companies are producing and distributing kombucha on a commercial scale.

UFF counts kombucha among their diverse range of products. Founded in 2010, the bright green exterior makes their tasting room impossible to miss. Inside, the building is outfitted with eclectic vintage furniture. A classroom area provides a space for workshops and dogs relax on the floor as their owners enjoy a tasting. A display calls for foraged products, used in recipes including their popular chaga chai kombucha.

Photo: Thomas Madden

Owner Eli Cayer explained the decision to incorporate kombucha. “It was a natural fit,” he said, “especially when we were starting. I wanted healthy beverages with a bit of alcohol and kombucha really fit in as something we could do.”

Cayer explained that the heirloom SCOBY that UFF uses was purchased from a woman in Kennebunk who was, several years back, growing SCOBYs for kombucha makers all over.

It took a little time and perseverance for kombucha to catch on, said Cayer, and that education was key. Still, his kombucha business is growing throughout New England.

“We’re really all about fermentation, foraging and locally-sourced sugars,” Cayer said. “We’re just going to keep doing our thing, keep experimenting. We’ve found that one thing kind of pulls another.”

Also in Portland, Root Wild Kombucha has set up shop. Root Wild is the result of a partnership between Reid Emmerich and Lone Pine Brewing. The tasting room opened in October, 2018.

Emmerich espoused his passion for kombucha, something he’s been making commercially since 2009 when he launched the Maine Kombucha Company and assisted with the kombucha program at UFF. “It stemmed from a passion for fermentation,” he said, “but it wasn’t love at first taste or smell.”

Despite his initial impression, Emmerich continued crafting kombucha and joined the UFF team in 2009. After his departure in 2017, he worked to find a space. Currently, Root Wild has 12 taps: eight kombucha and four beers. They offer cans on site and at several locations statewide. “We really want people to come to our tasting room,” he said. “We’re offering classes and music, we just want it to be a community spot.”

— Text: Jenna Lookner. Jenna resides on an old family farm in Camden. She enjoys exploring the intellectual and natural world with her husband and three dogs. Growing up in the restaurant business, she has a deep-rooted passion for local food and drink of all kinds.

Nestled between a Weathervane restaurant and a Starbucks, and directly across from the Kittery Trading Post in southern Maine, Woodland Farms Brewery is quietly making its mark amongst the giants in the regional beer scene.

The tasting room is comfortable and clean, marked by flash tattoo art displayed amongst the Mexican candy skulls and a hardwood bar – reclaimed from a barn owned by the family that gave the brewery its namesake. It feels like a comfortable living room that proudly grew from punk rock roots. Patrick Rowan, owner and head brewer, has decided to fuse a portion of his family legacy (a dairy farm a mile away from their present location) with his passion for well-made ales and lagers. He has been steering the brewhouse to make things that aren’t commonly found in such a small start-up. “There’s integrity in making what you love,” noted Rowan. Dedicating time to brewing a wide array of less popular, or even difficult to produce styles may not be the most economically sensible, but the product is nonetheless delicious.

In order to achieve financial viability, a smaller brewery typically sticks to brews with massive crowd appeal and with fast turnover in production. This ensures that product moves out the door and cash flow is strong in the tasting room. This cash flow enables breweries to start their fringe projects, taking gambles on styles that are less well known to the public, using the mass appeal to finance their passion projects. Woodland Farms understands this, and while they still produce a popular New England style IPA and a pale ale that are crowd pleasers, Rowan knew that he wanted to make beer that satisfied his love of styles that are less appreciated in the region. Two years ago, when they opened the brewery, they debuted a Mexican-style lager and a turbidly mashed lambic-style sour ale. Neither of these are known to be large sellers among local breweries, nor are they easy to produce well. The line up at Woodland Farms carries clean and sour fermentations, lagers and ales and they do this using only a three-barrel brewhouse, which takes a lot of extra time and energy to produce, using processes and protocols that most fledgling breweries wouldn’t dare to attempt. A basic ale can be fermented and onto draft lines in under two weeks, but a traditionally made lager takes almost 45 days. A lambic-style sour? Up to three years for the right blend of tartness and body while being aged in oak barrels (an added cost, mind you). In order to fulfill their need to distribute and keep the tasting room ready to serve, it led to 14-hour shifts doing triple batches to fill up fermenters. “We are always moving . . . it’s a perpetual flywheel,” noted Rowan.

Woodland Farms server Michael Enright echoed that the brewery isn’t “beholden to the same style trends as others.” Their small size and commitment to unique beers such as a Dortmunder-style lager, dry Irish stouts, Munich dunkels, or solara-method sours are there to create “balance across [a spectrum] of styles,” he said. Last year, the staff made a pilgrimage to Germany and Belgium to get focused on the origin stories that comprise historic beer styles by touring storied brewhouses and meeting with brewers. Rowan considers the pale ale and IPAs to be gateway vehicles to bring consumers in and then educate them that beer’s roots go deep and in many directions.

With spring in the air, and with warmer temps, consider grabbing their Medico Mexican-style lager or something like Ruby Slippers or Chauncey – a pair of sours aged over fruits. Medico is an excellent, dry, crisp lager with bright minerality and would be quenching in the heat. Chauncey, a sour ale fermented saison style, aged over dark cherries, is reminiscent of a bold Berliner Weisse. Woodland Farms puts in the time to create a breadth of offerings with a width of flavors.

— Text: Matthew Brown. Matt is a resident of Portland, a Certified Beer Server in the Cicerone Program, and an avid homebrewer.

On a brisk Sunday afternoon last October in downtown Portland, a gleeful couple got into my car as I tapped the little pink icon to notify Lyft they were ready to head to their next destination.

“So what brings you to Portland?” I asked, as we got going.

Regardless if they’d come from Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Arizona or even the South – if they were young vacationers, they all answered the same: Maine breweries.

I had been working on a couple of stories in the Greater Portland area and I got to thinking about what attracts young people here. Even though I am one, I didn’t quite understand the perspective of the millennial and I wanted to get into that headspace of people drawn to a spontaneous adventure in little, old Maine.

Don Littlefield, General Manager of Maine Brew Bus Tours said his company has been keeping track of the demographics surrounding his clientele.

“Of the 7,000 guests that took tours on The Maine Brew Bus last year, one third were between 26 and 35 years of age,” said Littlefield. “We know that our guests are visiting from Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, as well as from within the state of Maine. Often they are visiting the area without cars, or with the clear intention to leave their cars safely parked while they visit our craft alcohol producers. So taking one of our tours is a great way for people to get an overview of a truly impressive – and often overwhelming – roster of locally-owned breweries, wineries, and distilleries in Greater Portland.”

It’s not just the beer they were coming here for – it was the culture and experience around the breweries themselves.

Whether through the magnetic force of social media, or through old fashioned word-of-mouth, the tales of our legendary beer and hospitality are what draw people from all over.

So what is the Maine brewery experience?

The Maine Beer Trail is the best place to start. It’s an online guide passport to all the breweries in the state, broken down by region with info on whether they have a tasting room, offer tours or serve food. Essentially, it is the roadmap to multicultural brewery experience across the sweeping vastness of Maine.

If you go to Goodfire Brewing in Portland, you will be treated to tasting room hollowed out of an old warehouse through the fellowship of home brewers. Every beer is distinct as you sit beside the colorful wall art of their flame-hop logo and the industrial-sized fermenter tanks.

Want the vibe of the Maine brew scene, but don’t like beer? Enter Urban Farm Fermentory and enjoy their wide range of drinks including mead, kombucha, jun, beer and cidah (or cider if you are not a local). They specialize in a seasonal foraging and make their drinks from blueberries, basil, maple, lavender, balsam fir or even seaweed.

And roughly an hour north of Portland, you’ll find Norway Brewing Co., which provides a completely different atmosphere.

Charlie Magne Mellus, head brewer and co-founder of Norway Brewing Co. explained that “people want to go out and experience the authenticity of every brewery.” From their tasting room made from an old storefront, to their mix of quality beers served in a flight on a steel office drawer from the oldest filing cabinets ever, they have made a name for themselves by providing a unique experience that can’t be replicated.

When asked what draws young out-of-staters, Magne Mellus answered, “We make the best brunch in Maine – we pair beers with a themed morning dish that is legendary.”

Every person who came to Maine to explore the brew scene couldn’t wait to come back.

So, when I dropped off my passengers, I always asked, “Are you coming back soon?”

The unanimous answer? “Absolutely, which one should we go to next?”

— Text: Dustyn Bailey. Dustin is a young professional uncovering the clockwork of today’s advertising and storytelling. From the mountains to the shore, he loves discovering new people and places in Maine.

It’s late winter. March. There’s a snowstorm forecasted for the weekend. Two actually. Though I love drinking dark stouts and porters in the winter months, I’ve had it. I want out. Suddenly it dawns on me like a July sunrise over Portland Harbor. The best way to herald in the warm weather just around the bend? Homebrew a crisp, hoppy session ale as a makeshift rain dance to bring on the sunshine.

No beer says summer like a bright, low-alcohol session ale. Few other beers have seen more success in the past few years than session beers. And for good reason. A well-crafted session ale offers bold hop flavor without the knockout punch of all that alcohol. It can be generously imbibed on a hot day and still keep you on your toes.

A session ale is roughly defined as a beer below five-percent alcohol by volume. It’s a beer one can tipple over and over in a… well, a session of drinking. Its origins come from the low-alcohol beers that workers were served during and after work shifts. Maine boasts a glut of brilliantly crafted session ales: Simmer Down from Sebago Brewing, Rally from Austin Street Brewery, River Trip from Allagash Brewing, and Maine Island Trail Ale from Rising Tide Brewing, to name just a few.

With these sumptuous beers as inspiration, I set out to create a session ale homebrew recipe of my own.

Beer is essentially four ingredients: water, grains, hops, and yeast. Portland, Maine, boasts one of the best water supplies in the country, so the H2O is taken care of with tap water from Sebago Lake watershed.

Next, the grains. For me, the grain bill is the most intimidating component of a session ale recipe. Add too much and your alcohol content rises above the five-percent threshold. Adding too little results in a watery beer. And, adding a grain with too much flavor will overshadow the hops. I clearly needed help from the pros to dial in my grain bill.

“Most importantly select a base malt that has the flavor profile you’re looking for,” explained Nathan Sanborn, Co-owner and Director of Brewing Operations at Rising Tide Brewing. “Beyond that, use a light hand. I think that where people often go wrong is over-using specialty malts.”

Sanborn went on to explain that Maine Island Trail Ale features only American two-row barley. Using strictly two-row sets the stage for MITA, as it is affectionately known among locals, to have a clean, clear finish.

Taking this tip into consideration, I decided to use two-row as the foundation for my recipe. Next, I needed a specialty malt to boost the body of my session ale. This lead me to reach out to Jason Perkins, the renowned brewmaster at Allagash Brewing Co.

Perkins noted that “for specific grains that help with body, we’d point you to oats, raw wheat, rye, or spelt.”

Considering this list, I decided that oats were the way to go. Adding a light amount of oats would give my homebrew more body and a light haziness without imparting flavors that will take away from the hop profile.

Speaking of hops, with the grain bill set, it’s time to talk lupulin. I’m all in on the juicy hop craze. For my palate you can’t go wrong with Mosaic and Citra hops. Mosaic hops have a beautiful tropical fruit profile, while Citra hops impart an aggressive citrus bang. So I go with equal parts Mosaic and Citra. For a fruity, bubble gum flourish, I decide to add an ounce of Azacca hops.

The real challenge for me wasn’t in choosing the hop varietals; it was deciding when to add the hops. Again, I turned to Nathan Sanborn at Rising Tide.

“We tend to push most of our hopping late, so we get the level of bitterness we’re looking for while retaining as much other hop aromatics and flavor contributions as we can,” he said. “Additionally, we will chill our whirlpool down to about 160 degrees for additional flavor and aromatic contributions with substantially reduced bittering.”

The longer a hop is boiled, the more bitterness that is pulled from the alpha acids. With this in mind, I made a bold decision: only add hops after the boil. Since homebrewing is all about experimentation, I wanted to see what happened if I added hops at zero minutes of the boil, then at 175 degrees and again at 160 degrees as the wort cooled, saving some Mosaic and Azacca hops for dry hopping.

This hop schedule should ensure big fruity hop aroma and flavor with very little bitterness, all playing nicely over the clean grain bill.

As for the yeast, I’ve become partial to London Ale III (Wyeast 1318). To my palate, this yeast is fruity without being oppressive. It helps bring out the juicy character of hops and produces a drier finish in my homebrew than the common American Ale yeast strand (Wyeast 1056). But, in the spirit of experimentation, go hog-wild to find the yeast that works best for your taste buds and the environment in which you brew.

So there it is, my session ale ingredients: two-row barley and oats for the grain bill; late addition Mosaic, Citra, and Azacca hops; and London Ale III yeast. (See sidebar for amounts and hop schedule.) I’m now ready to homebrew my session ale as an offering to Freyr, the Norse god of summer to bring on the sunny days ahead.

— Text & Photos: Dave Patterson. Dave is a novelist and freelance writer from Cape Elizabeth with a mighty thirst for craft beer. His debut novel, Soon the Light Will be Perfect, is available at all major booksellers.

When one thinks of the benefits that Maine breweries provide to the Pine Tree State, a handful of things stand out: money pumped into the economy, a positive reputation that attracts visitors to the state, and of course, delicious beer and a cool hangout spot for locals and out-of-staters alike.

Another benefit? Maine breweries help keep Maine farmers’ livestock well-fed. In fact, one could argue that the more you drink, the more you’re helping local farmers, in turn.

At Saco River Brewing Company in Fryeburg, about 1,000 pounds of dry malt on average are used throughout the week in their 7.5-barrel system brewhouse, said co-owner, co-founder and brewer Mason Irish. Some weeks Irish uses about 3,000 pounds.

Since they opened in July 2016, every pound of malt has been repurposed after its use to feed local farm animals. The spent malt either goes to Irish’s friend, Brad Littlefield in Fryeburg or, if there’s too much for Littlefield, to Jeff Hatch, owner of Sherman Farm in East Conway, New Hampshire – just five minutes from the brewery.

Though he has a small number of cows, Littlefield predominantly uses the grain to feed his pigs. Hatch, on the other hand, only picks it up a few times a month, getting most his grain instead from Moat Brewing Co. in North Conway, New Hampshire to feed his 130 cows. He chiefly looks to Moat for grain since they brew in greater volume than Saco River.

Both the farmers agreed that the used grain Saco River Brewing provides aids them by curtailing their spending on feed. “It’s certainly better than paying $1,100 for three tons of grain,” Littlefield said. “It really helps out the bottom line.”

Hatch said the grain is so high in protein that it helps his cattle put on weight more rapidly and gets them to market quicker. Using grain from breweries also helps him cut his grain costs by about a third, which he said is “very significant.”

“It works for the brewery, and it works for me,” he said. “The grain is still fairly sweet and the cows really like it.”

Through the Maine Brewers Guild, Irish said he heard that some brewery owners in Maine are looking for ways to dispose of their used grain.

“It seems like an easy problem to fix,” he said, adding that as long as breweries are producing enough grain to make it worthwhile for farmers to pick up, finding a farmer in need shouldn’t be problematic.

Willis Stinson, owner and brewer at the three-barrel nano-brewery Pour Farm in Union, hasn’t come across this issue; in fact, he said every brewery he’s spoken to donates their spent grains to farmers. His brewery, open since June of last year, also donates spent grain (about 400 pounds or 200-250 pounds of dry grain) each week, rotating between a multitude of farmers who own cows or pigs, or both.

“It worked out really well for me because it’s one less thing I have to worry about,” he said. “You pick it up for free; we’ll call it even.”

When he’s done with each brew, Stinson simply places the used grain outside the brewery.“The grain is normally out there by 2:00 p.m.,” he said. “Then, I send a picture [to the farmer] and say ‘Lunch is served.’”

The perks for Stinson? The farmers do him favors from time to time. “They bring me meat back every now and then, like sausage or bacon,” he said, noting he appreciates the process going full circle since the meat was once fed with the grain from his brews. “It’s more like a thank you. Then, we fry it up for breakfast the next morning.”

At Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub in Portland, about 1,000 pounds of grain is used each week, according to brewer Larry Hudson. All of the used grain Gritty’s produces ends up in the hands of Roger Bean, who owns a small farm in Buxton with his wife. They host eight heads of cattle, around 100 chickens and some geese. He’s been the beneficiary of Gritty’s used grain since June of last year, and also has a neighbor who receives a lot of grain from Sebago Brewing Company.

When Hudson is brewing, he alerts Bean. On the day of the brew, Bean pulls his truck up to the back of the brewery on Wharf Street, tosses the heavy bags onto his truck and brings them back to his small farm.

After almost a year of taking the grain from Gritty’s, Bean said the impact on his farm animals has been significant.

“It cuts the amount of hay [the cows] eat by almost half,” Bean said, noting that he believes the grain also improved the flavor of the meat, particularly the liver, something he’s not typically the biggest fan of. “It’s quite a combination,” he said.

Hudson said donating the spent malt works out well for both parties. “We don’t have to pay to dispose of it, and it’s an environmentally-friendly way to do it because it’s being put to use for feed, which is ideal; it’s great for everybody,” Hudson said.

For many Maine breweries, it’s not just grain-to-glass anymore; these days, it’s malt-to-moo.

— Text & Photos: Garrick Hoffman. Garrick is a freelance photographer and writer living in Portland, Maine. A Media Studies student at USM, Garrick does work for Mainely Media in Biddeford and a variety of other clients.

People venture to Maine’s small towns to bask in the warm sun and soak in the cool waters, but it’s easy to overlook the fact that not all local businesses experience the warm months as a leisurely holiday. Nestled in downtown Norway, Maine, Norway Brewing Company gears up for the summer by opening its seasonal beer garden, so more people can enjoy the excellent beer and food it offers year-round. Charlie Melhus, owner and head brewer, said, “People love sitting on the wooden benches and picnic tables, so we’ll have 100 more seats outside in addition to our restaurant seating.” 

Originally from Norway (the country), Melhus later laid down his roots in Norway (Maine) at a young age. After being an inspired homebrewer, he vowed to start a brewing company. He met Ken Collings of Freeport Brewing Company while working in the kitchen at the Broad Arrow Tavern in Freeport. “Ken taught me how to all-grain brew, and I helped him with a few of his own brews,” he said. “I remember telling him that I would start Norway Brewing Company.” 

Melhus then moved to the country of Norway in 2008 and landed a job at the Lervig Brewery. “Working there influenced my brewing style,” he said. 

Returning to Norway, Maine, in 2014, he and his wife Erika labored to start their brewery. Each having a culinary background, they opened a brewpub to norwayoffer a more holistic food and beer experience. “Our brunch menu is often paired with a new beer, so you have that immersion of flavors, which gives people a more defined experience than waiting in line for a taster.”  

From Our Tank to Your Table is imprinted on 32-ounce growlers sold on site because they are committed to local businesses. “We keep that focus on Maine agriculture,” said Melhus. “Our goal one day is to make beer with 100% Maine ingredients.” Norway can fulfill anyone’s palette with a variety of bold dark beers, IPAs, and bottle-conditioned farmhouse ales. The Lust 4 Lyfe IPA has a nice balance of citrus and dry, piney notes. Summer beers include a dandelion saison, a barrel-aged peach, and a rye gruit collaboration with Urban Farm Fermentory. Their farmhouse ales and saisons have rustic and fruity esters.“By bottle-conditioning beers that have volatile aromatics, they continue to get better, not deteriorate,” said Melhus. 

If you want to escape this summer, drive to Norway for the Norway Arts & Music Festival (July 13), the Foothills Food Festival (August 10), or for fresh beers in the sun. As for Charlie Melhus, he’ll keep working tirelessly to move his brewpub forward. His job may not always be a vacation, but it’s certainly a dream come true. 

— Text & Photos: John Breerwood. John is a cellarman at Shipyard Brewing Company and is currently trying to get his first novel published.

Andrew Kahl serves up a flight of great brews at the Bangor Brew Company

Just minutes from the hubbub of the Bangor Mall area and Interstate 95 is a surprisingly wild 686-acre chunk of land known as the Bangor City Forest. The property is also known as the Rolland F. Perry City Forest in honor of the former city forester, who cared for Bangor’s parks and woodlands from 1964 to 2006. Nine miles of trails wend through these big woods, which are popular with hikers, runners and mountain bikers, and in winter, are open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Start at the Tripp Road trailhead, just off Stillwater Avenue, and follow the East-West Loop Trail counterclockwise for an easy and very pleasant five-mile circuit. A short distance along the trail is the Orono Bog, a mile-long boardwalk through a raised peat bog, and a must-do side trip (this fragile environment is closed from December 1 through April 30; so, if you miss it, plan to come back to see this ecologically rich wetland).

Oriental Jade, one of Bangor’s most popular restaurants, was established in 1979 by the Lo family. Find “the Jade,” as it is affectionately referred to by locals, in a far corner of the sprawling Bangor Mall parking lot, and you’ll have also found the Bangor Beer Company. Attached to the family’s restaurant, the brewery opened in October of 2017. Entrepreneur and co-founder, Tyson Lo, describes the decor of the comfortable tasting room as “Brooklyn in Bangor, a mix of hipster, eclectic, nostalgic and casual. A really unique place in a sea of chain restaurants.” 10-2 and Catchphrase are the flagship brews; the former, a West Coast-style IPA heady with grapefruit aroma, while the latter is a less bitter New England IPA with a creamy body. Brite is a great everyday German lager, while Killed by Death, an imperial stout, is perfect for winter sipping. Twelve taps ensure something for every palate, from the regulars to limited releases to surprise brews. Munchies? Order Chinese and American delights from next door.

Resources

Hike: Bangor City Forest – www.mainetrailfinder.com 

Brew: Bangor Beer Company – www.bangorbeerco.com

— Text & Photos: Carey Kish, of Mt. Desert Island. Carey is an avid beer drinker, editor of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide, and author of AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast.

Aroostook County is known as the “Crown of Maine” for its vast area of 6,830 square miles across the northern part of the state, an area larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. Expansive forestlands, scattered mountains, sparkling lakes, pristine rivers and verdant farmlands of potatoes and broccoli characterize this tranquil, picturesque region. 

The scenic Aroostook landscape is home to many miles of pleasant trails suited for hikers of every interest and ability level. The County also features two fine brew pubs for quenching your post-hike thirst in the company of friendly local folks. Pair a couple of fun hikes with some good craft beer (recommendations below) and you’ve got a recipe for great weekend road trip adventure. 

Traveling on I-95 north of Bangor, be sure to pull off for the fabulous vista of majestic Katahdin en route (watch for signs). From Houlton, continue on U.S. Route 1 into the heart of the County, following the planets of the solar system, fun, roadside three-dimensional scale models from Pluto to the Sun, for the next 40 miles.

In busy Presque Isle, grab a bite, then continue on to Caribou and Route 163, right to Russell’s Motel, where innkeeper Donna Murchison will take real good care of you. The place is squeaky clean and quiet, with beautiful blue quilts on the beds handmade by Donna’s mom. Before hitting the trail in the morning, head downtown to the popular Reno’s Restaurant for breakfast.

A flight of Northern Maine Brewing Company beers

Arookstook National Wildlife Refuge and Northern Maine Brewing Company

Five miles of colored-coded footpaths crisscross the Greenlaw Brook unit of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge, 7,750 acres that were once part of the former Loring Air Force Base. Start at the trailhead (kiosk and map) on West Gate Road in Limestone, which diverges from Route 89 just over the Caribou line. Combine all or portions of the 13 Beaver, Loop, Powerline and Spruce Hill trails and the Swamp Road for a lollipop circuit of about four miles. Chapman Pond, Greenlaw Brook and Lost Pond are the scenic highlights en route. 

At the south end of Caribou, near the junction of U.S. Route 1 and Route 163, is Northern Maine Brewing Company. Established in 2016, the brewpub has become a destination, changing beer palates in the region one pint at a time. The brewery uses a semi-automated Austrian brewing system to craft a consistent, quality product line of very drinkable beers. The flagship beer is the Maine Logger, a clean, crisp Pilsen-style lager, while the Farmer’s IPA is a great entry-level IPA. The stylish restaurant features top-notch food, from pub fare to plated specialties.

Northern Maine Brewing co-owner Chris Bell shows off his Austrian Fleck’s Brauhaus Technik brewing system

Fort Kent Trails and First Mile Brewing Company

The pretty village of Fort Kent on the border with New Brunswick, Canada features a sweet four-mile system of trails that wend through some surprisingly wild sections of town. Start at the granite marker denoting the first mile U.S. Route 1 (it extends 2,369 miles to Key West, Florida) and make your way along the scenic St. John and Fish rivers via greenways and parks. En route, pass the historical blockhouse, a remnant of the bloodless 1839 boundary skirmish between Great Britain and the U.S., known as the Aroostook War. Complete the fun loop hike with a stroll along the multi-use St. John Valley Heritage Trail. 

Born out of the Old Potato House Brew Gang and a dream of starting a brewery, five friends opened First Mile Brewing Company on U.S. Route 1 in Fort Kent on Thanksgiving weekend in 2017. The tasting room has a rustic-industrial look and feel, with reclaimed hardwood from the basement grain bins, stainless steel fixtures (TIG-welded by the head brewer), and a beautiful granite bar top. Eight taps feature something refreshing for everybody, from Something Wit, a Belgian witbier, to First Snow, a New England-style double IPA, to the Backwoods Amber Ale. Three local restaurants deliver to the pub when the munchies strike. 

RESOURCES

HIKE
Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge West Gate Trails
Fort Kent Riverside Trails

BREW
Northern Maine Brewing Company
First Mile Brewing Company

— Text & Photos: Carey Kish of Mt. Desert Island — an avid beer drinker, editor of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide, and author of AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast.  

Jon Stein and Ian Heyse turn a pipedream into reality

There’s an old brick warehouse on a neighborhood street two blocks from downtown Ellsworth that’s gotten a new lease on life, thanks to the vision and determination of Jon Stein and Ian Heyse, two longtime friends turned business partners, who opened Fogtown Brewing Company in January 2018.

A storage waystation for railroad equipment, boats and lumber early on, the two-story building was a Greyhound bus service facility in the 1940s, then a telephone parts warehouse, and later a print shop. For the last 20 years, it has languished, filled to the rafters with storage. Today, you can belly up to the beautiful wood-topped bar or relax at the picnic tables and enjoy a great menu of craft brews.

“We spent 2 ½ months cleaning up the place and moving stuff out, then another year and a half designing and building the new interior,” said Stein. “We did a lot of the work ourselves, the timber framing, drywall and such, but we had plenty of help from friends too, and hired professionals to do the plumbing and electric.”

Stein and Heyse are enthusiastically brewing a variety of different styles, and with a dozen taps, there’s always something new to sample. Opening in the depths of winter gave the pair some time to ease into the operation, to talk at length with local patrons, to see what kinds of beer they enjoyed, and then add those to the mix.

The popular favorites include the Maine Coast session IPA, the kettle-soured Yellow Submarine, a Maine pilsner known as Foglight, the Night Nurse chocolate stout, and Clockwork, a blood orange and grapefruit IPA. There’s also an amber rye, a Belgian IPA, a farmhouse IPA, and a brew made with Thai chilies, lime and coconut, among other interesting offerings on an ever-changing list.

Stein grew up in Pennsylvania and has been homebrewing since high school. Heyse spent his youth in the Ellsworth area before heading west to attend Colorado College, where he met Stein and became friends. Stein majored in biochemistry, while Heyse studied ecology and biology.

After graduation, both men worked construction and a host of seasonal jobs, and traveled extensively. Stein ended up in Christchurch, New Zealand working at a brewery. He swabbed the decks and cleaned kegs before moving into brewing and bottling and getting hooked on the business. A couple years ago, he ended up on the Maine coast helping Heyse with a building project.

“We talked about our shared pipedream of brewing,” Stein said. Soon enough, the two settled on Ellsworth, which they both agreed was “a great town for a brewery.” Town officials were excited about the idea and provided much-needed assistance in turning the proposal into reality.

On nice days the big garage door is hoisted up and you can sit outside on the street front patio. Indoors, it’s a rustic living room of sorts, a comfortable space with warm lighting that’s welcoming to locals and visitors alike. Eclectic music plays in the background, but you won’t find a television or Wi-Fi. There’s live local music on occasion, and a regular round of food trucks for sustenance, in addition to the popular popcorn machine.

“It’s family friendly place where you can try a new brew, talk about beer and meet other people,” noted Stein. By the way, the name Fogtown? It’s from a poem that captured the imagination of both guys. “It provides a sense of place that people can connect with.”

— Text & Photos: Carey Kish of Mt. Desert Island. Carey is editor of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide, and author of AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast, and an avid beer drinker.

Tom Madden and John Paul of Lone Pine Brewing Company

Maine Brew & Bev sat down with Lone Pine Co-founders Tom Madden and John Paul for a Q & A update on where they are six months after their move into Sebago Brewing Company’s former facility in Gorham, Maine.

With the new expansion plans, Lone Pine Brewing Co. will potentially double their current packaging capacity by streamlining infrastructure, adding fermentation volume and renovating layout to accommodate the increased volume. Plans also include adding three to four more production and sales positions by next summer.

MB&B: Now that you have settled into your new brewery, what’s new? 

Tom Madden: We will be opening a new tasting room in Gorham this fall. Our vision is to provide an all-encompassing experience with interactive, tactile tours, where visitors can see, taste and smell the process of brewing our beers. It is being built for visitors to enjoy and stay for awhile—not necessarily just for people to come in for a taste, pick up cans and leave.

The current layout allows for about a 50-person capacity and there will a designated retail area for merchandise sales as well. We plan to open starting this November, from Thursday to Sunday. Food trucks will be on site during those days and the new location will be an added stop on the Brew Bus tours.”

MB&B: How are you handling the growth?

Tom Madden: Growth is exciting, but it’s not without its challenges, and this has been a learning experience. From March to now we have increased from seven employees to 21. Tripling the staff in six months poses the challenge of organizing operations around on boarding new staff and defining roles quickly and effectively. The benefit and challenge to having new staff with various levels of brewing backgrounds is how to matriculate their ideas and utilize their unique skill sets they bring.” The recently added staff include brewing talent from the likes of Brooklyn Brewing Co, Trillium, Stone Face, Shipyard, Sebago and Dorchester Brewing.

John Paul: A whole new scale of growth requires a business plan that constantly changes with demand. We operate on a set distribution plan in place, then the next week, we enter into a new market and that plan is out the window, so we need to make a new one.

MB&B: How do you keep your quality standards with increased production volume?

Tom Madden: Consistency is a top priority and in order to not sacrifice quantity for quality, we invested in a number of tools we to use in our own lab, such as dissolved oxygen meters to help with the quality control. 

MB&B: Which new and old beer styles are coming for fall and winter?

Tom Madden: Besides our core products: Portland Pale, Brightside and Tessalation, we will re-introduce Samara Brown and move our Chaga Stout into cans for winter and Maple Sunday will back in March. Plus T-Shirt Cannon and Onsie will be in the rotation. We are doing a wet-hopped Grisette made with local malts and feature hops from the hopyard, right here in Gorham. And, of course, we will have fun stuff for one-off styles to keep the locals entertained.

MB&B: What are your expansion plans for the next 6 to 12 months?

john Paul: Currently we are pacing at 7,800 barrels and hope to continue to fan out distribution to other states. However, the demand right here in Maine is absorbing most of our beer production and making it difficult to reach further destinations. We want to find the saturation point for our core brewing products, so they are fully accessible in Maine first.

MB&B: What has been the public response?

Tom Madden: The response from the public has been overwhelming. It’s great to see the positive feedback from interacting with people in our tasting room and seeing the enthusiasm for the work we are doing.  We appreciate the supportive response from other breweries, which have helped us grow to where we are. We’re grateful to be a part of the collaborative community where it feels more like peers than competitors. It’s rewarding to be in a position now to give back to the community and donate to charities such as Ales for Tails.

John Paul: It still feels surreal to walk into bars and hear people order Lone Pine and hear people talking about the beers. We appreciate the people who started with us since the beginning and it is certainly an effort that is bigger than the two of us.

The recent expansion has allowed Lone Pine to keep their creativity and continue their exploration into new styles of craft beer. Even with a background in finance, Tom Madden could not have dreamed that their business plan would evolve and take off so fast. They wake up every day and do something that they enjoy and which brings joy to others in forms of delicious craft beer. 

LONE PINE BREWING COMPANY
219 Anderson Street, Portland, ME
Monday – Wednesday 2 – 8pm | Thursday – Saturday 12 – 9pm | Sunday 12 – 8pm
207-536-4952
INFO@LONEPINEBREWERY.COM