Summertime—and the living is definitely easy with the abundance of breweries, distilleries, wineries, cideries, and meaderies in Maine. Now, pair that with the freshest, most local cuisine, and we have a recipe for a unique and tasty road trip.

Get your Google Map routes cued up. The theme is unique tasting pairings of craft beverage producers with quintessential Maine food.

Photo: Hardshore Distilling Co.

Hardshore Distilling Co. & Island Creek Oysters

Portland

Hardshore Distilling Co., located at 53 Washington Avenue in Portland, Maine, is best known for its Hardshore Original Gin. This botanical-forward spirit features rosemary, mint, orris root, coriander, and juniper. It is exceptionally smooth, and has a herbaceous, fresh profile.

Just a stone’s throw away is The Shop by Island Creek Oysters, a raw bar and shellfish market at 123 Washington Avenue. Their hand-picked oysters are locally harvested and top-notch.

Tasting Combo: The Shop offers oysters that are available for purchase, and a raw bar with the shucking done for you. If you buy them to take them back to your lodging, create a simple gin mignonette out of Hardshore’s gin with minced shallots and rice vinegar. The strong briny flavor of Maine’s exceptional oysters stands up well to a gin-based mignonette rosemary and mint notes.

Photo: Kay Stephens

Maniac Blueberry & Ricker Hill Blueberry Farm

Turner

Blending blueberries and hard cider, Ricker Hill has a tasting room in Turner, Maine, where you can grab a flight of premium hard ciders or try a glass of the varieties on their 18 taps. Their family-owned apple orchard and farm, which dates back to 1803, grows apples, blueberries, and cranberries that they use to make hard craft cider, ranging from sweet and dry to a delicious tart character.

Tasting Combo: The Maniac hard cider is full of blueberry aroma and rich fruity character. Pair that with an afternoon of pick-your-own blueberries. From July 15 through September, they offer a U-Pick Blueberries experience, allowing visitors to pick their own blueberries at a rate of $1.99 per pound.

Non-Alc Pairings & Cheese at Maine Tasting Center

Wiscasset

Eric Rector is an ACS award-winning cheesemaker who sold his cheese and yogurt under the Maine Cheese Studio brand using milk exclusively from White’s Orchard Farm. He now teaches cheesemaking and eating around Maine, including at the Maine Tasting Center in Wiscasset. One of his upcoming classes, “Artisanal Cheeses of Maine,” allows participants to sample a curated selection of Maine cheeses and then, afterward, go to the Tasting Room for a full pour of Maine wine, beer, cider, mead, or soda.

Tasting Combo: An African-grown coffee like Mbingo Mountain Coffee from Waterville in a medium dark roast will pair very nicely with a creamy blue cheese like Spring Day Blues from Durham, ME. The chocolate and bourbon notes in a darker-roasted African bean coffee can work well with the aggressive fruitiness found in a fudgy blue cheese.

Photo: Lauren Jellison

Cellardoor Wine & Flavorful Fish Tacos

Lincolnville

Cellardoor Winery has two locations in Maine: Lincolnville and Portland. The Lincolnville location on the bucolic Youngtown Road is where this modern winery started, featuring a restored 1790s barn and a five-and-a-half-acre vineyard. They offer food and wine pairing experiences regularly with four-course menus that rotate every weekend, allowing guests to learn about the chef’s preparation, the art and science of food & wine pairings, and sharing a meal at the counter with others.

Tasting Combo: One of the four courses Chef Lauren from Fox in the Vines typically prepares is a blackened and oven-roasted hake fish taco with lime poblano aioli, charred cabbage slaw, and queso fresco. The pairing that best goes with this is the Cellardoor 2023 Albarino. The citrus notes and crisp acidity of the Albarino pair perfectly with the blackened fish and aioli, which transcend the flavors of summer.

Lubec Brewing Co & Shellfish Platter

Lubec

Lubec Brewing Company, the easternmost brewery in the United States, is located at 43 Water Street in Lubec, Maine. Owners and spouses Gale White and McGinley Jones offer raw, unfiltered beers crafted from 100% organic Maine-grown grains and hops.

The Shore Thing, down the road at 69 Johnson Street, is a limited dine-in and take-out eatery that offers an abundance of fresh, local seafood, such as haddock, clams, scallops, shrimp, and lobster.

Tasting Combo: To go with the Shore Thing’s delectable fried scallops and clam platter, there is no better beer pairing than Lubec Brewing Co.’s “Clammer Slammer,” a Belgian Blonde with a low 4.8% ABV. The subtle saltiness in the Clammer Slammer mirrors and enhances the oceanic flavors of the clams and scallops.

Enjoy your trip! Take lots of photos and if post them, tag Activity Maine so we can see where you’ve been.

Story by Kay Stephens. Kay is an author, freelance writer, and the Managing Editor of Activities Guide of Maine and Maine Brew and Bev Guide.