We don’t know about you, but we can’t help but be filled with a sense of optimism this week. More and more shots are going into arms to help us get back to some sense of “normal,” there’s no snow in the forecast (knock on wood), Tax Day got pushed from next week to May 17 (procrastinators, time to celebrate!), and more and more tasting rooms are opening up across the state.
Combine that with a major honor Maine just snatched away from Vermont (check it out in the news section) and we have to admit, we’re feeling pretty dang good and hope you also share our feelings of renewed hope.
Here’s this week’s guide to the latest beer releases, rundowns of what’s on tap, upcoming brewery events, and a roundup of Maine beer news.
Beer This Week is Sponsored by: Tigpro Stainless Fabrication
Tigpro specializes in the design, fabrication, and installation of high-quality, custom-built brewing systems, tanks, process piping, and supporting equipment to the brewing industry. With more than a decade of experience, the Tigpro team can design a brewing system to meet your brewery’s unique needs.
Upcoming Releases & Events
Blaze Brewing has us contemplating the sky, York Beach Beer Company has combined Mainers’ favorite shirt fabric with some south-of-the-border vibes (and we don’t mean New Hampshire), Definitive Brewing is giving us flashbacks to our college days and overdrawn bank accounts, and Allagash is once again bringing the love in this week’s new releases.
Thursday, April 8
Blaze Brewing Co.
28 Pearl St., Biddeford
Looking at the Clouds, Blonde Ale (4.8%) & Bayview, IPA (6.7%)
Looking at the Clouds (not to be confused with “Look at the Flowers” for any of you Walking Dead fans out there) is dry-hopped gently with Simcoe and Cascade. The soft malt base and delicate dry hop provide the perfect beer for a late summer Saturday. Looking at the Clouds smells and tastes like mandarin oranges, cantaloupe from the farmers market, and a long day’s work.
Bayview is brewed with a simple grist and then dry-hopped excessively with El Dorado and Mosaic hops. This combination along with a multi-step dry-hopping process has yielded an incredibly juicy and soft beer. Bayview smells and tastes like blueberry frozen yogurt, ruby red grapefruit, and Hawaiian Punch.
York Beach Beer Company
33 Railroad Ave., York
Flannel Sombrero, Mexican Style Lager (5.3%)
A craft version of everyone’s favorite summertime import light Lager, Flannel Sombrero goes hand in hand with reclining in a beach chair and listening to the waves. We’ll take ours with a lime wedge, por favor.
Friday, April 9
Atlantic Brewing Company
52 Cottage St., Bar Harbor
Sass Kicker, IPA (6.9%)
Brewed on International Women’s Day, Sass Kicker is an IPA brewed by Atlantic Brewing’s marketing manager Allie Sasner using the 2021 Pink Boots hop blend. A portion of the proceeds from Sass Kicker will go to the Pink Boots Society to continue their mission to assist, inspire, and encourage women in the industry through education.
Bath Brewing Co.
141 Front St., Bath
&
Trinken Brewing Co.
144 State Rd., West Bath
F.W.B., Rye American Pale Ale
Trinken and Bath Brewing collaborated on F.W.B., a Rye American Pale Ale brewed with Kveik Norwegian farmhouse yeast. It’s a blend of peppery rye malt, citrusy hops, and tropical fruity esters, and will be available on draft.
Definitive Brewing Company
35 Industrial Way, Portland and 318 US Route 1, Kittery
Insufficient Funds, Triple IPA (10.3%) & Batch 300, Sour IPA (7.5%)
Definitive collaborated with their friends from the South Shore, Vitamin Sea Brewing, to bring you Insufficient Funds, a Triple Dry Hopped Triple IPA clocking in at 10.3% ABV. This highly hazy, high-impact ale tastes like pineapple rings and smooth cantaloupe sorbet.
Batch 300 is a commemorative release in celebration of Definitive’s 300th brew! This special beer is a Sour IPA with tangerine, mango, and passionfruit that tastes like adult fruit juice boxes and crushing goals. Both are dropping Friday in Portland and Saturday in Kittery.
Saturday, April 10
Barreled Souls Brewing Company
743 Portland Rd, Saco
Dark Matter, Dark Ale (10.1%)
“We are much more certain what Dark Matter is not than we are what it is.” – NASA. Hard to argue with that! Three different bottles are being released, along with a huge Dark Matter tap list since the Dark Matter release was one of the many, many things COVID-19 stole from us last year. Keep an eye on Barreled’s socials for more deets.
Wednesday, April 14
Allagash Brewing Company
50 Industrial Way, Portland
From Maine With Love #3, Wheat Beer
Fresh on the heels of last week’s release of From Maine With Love #2 comes From Maine With Love #3. This sour and balanced beer makes the most of two unexpected ingredients. Allagash blended a Sour Blonde Ale with juice from Aronia and elderberries to create a beer with notes of raspberry, cherry, and a hint of dried apricot.
New Releases
Banded Brewing, Gritty’s, and Mast Landing are giving us major summertime vibes with the releases of Mango Sorbet IPA, Downeast SIPA, and Arizona Sun; and while we’re not fully sure what a Quantum Cuddle Kitten IS, all we know is that Lone Pine has made us want to go there.
Banded Brewing Co.
32 Main St, Bldg. 13-W, Suite 102, Biddeford and 82 Hanover St., Suite 6, Portland
Mango Sorbet IPA (6.8%)
A collab with Banded’s neighbors Sweet Cream Dairy, this stunner IPA is laced with juicy mangos. Rich candy sweetness is mellowed by hops with complimentary tropical fruit flavors. A silky texture verging on that of freshly pureed sorbet.
Bangor Beer Co.
330 Bangor Mall Blvd., Bangor
Derailed, White Stout (4.9%)
A Blond Stout brewed with lactose, cacao nibs, and locally roasted coffee, Derailed is now available in cans in the taproom.
Baxter Brewing Co.
120 Mill St., Lewiston
Out of Range Blueberry Ale (4.5%) & Free Jacks, IPA (6%)
Baxter’s summer seasonal, Out of Range — as its name implies — reminds imbibers to get out and escape into nature. Known for famously celebrating their home state, Baxter found a natural progression with this year’s Out of Range, heightening its call to nature with the addition of the beer’s star ingredient: Maine blueberries. Out of Range will be the perfect beer to cool off with after a race or a long swim.
Capturing the essence of the great New England states in a beer, Free Jacks celebrates the partnership of greater Boston’s first professional rugby team and a regional brewery that knows what it means to be a workhorse. Inspired by the passion and the things we all love; this beer can be consumed anywhere from the chilly side of the pitch to the warm hearth of your local watering hole. This crisp, full-flavored IPA is brewed in the spirit of and commitment to craft, innovation, and quality.
Foundation Brewing Company
1 Industrial Way #5, Portland
Vigor, Double IPA (8%)
Vigor is back for its first release since last spring! This New England Double IPA is inspired by the invigorating rush we get each year as the days become warmer and nature springs back to life all around us. Double dry-hopped with Amarillo and Sultana, Vigor’s flavors of soft, ripe pineapple and guava mingle with a satisfying, resinous character.
Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Company
396 Fore St., Portland; 187 Lower Main St., Freeport; and 68 Main St., Auburn
Downeast SIPA, IPA (4.8%)
Downeast SIPA is back on tap this week. This lovely session IPA features locally grown hops, locally malted barley, and locally sourced oats. Bright and bursting with citrus flavors, Downeast SIPA is the perfect antidote to the high gravity beers that are popular this time of the year.
Lone Pine Brewing
219 Anderson St., Portland, and 48 Sanford Dr., Gorham
QUANTUM CUDDLE KITTEN, Double IPA (7.8%)
Strap on your helmet, grab your kitten mittens and get ready for the cuddliest jump to Mach speed you’ve ever experienced. QUANTUM CUDDLE KITTEN Double IPA has traveled through space and time to fill your glass with a staff favorite from Lone Pine’s Galactic Series. Dry-hopped with Ella, Citra, & Galaxy hops, QUANTUM packs out-of-this-world flavor.
Maine Beer Company
525 US-1, Freeport
MO, Pale Ale (6%)
MO is back! A staff favorite, brewed with Falconer’s Flight, and Simcoe hops, MO has aromas of tangerine, apricot, and orange alongside notes of passionfruit, pine, and malt sweetness — making this Pale Ale an easy-drinking classic.
Mast Landing Brewing Company
920 Main St., Westbrook
Arizona Sun, Double IPA (8.1%)
What better way to capture the power of big, warm Western skies than with a 100% Citra-hopped Double IPA. Arizona Sun captures the shimmering joy of a beautiful day through two rounds of dry-hopping; a solar burst of citrus notes with a balanced, hazy body to refresh your restless palate.
Nonesuch River Brewing
201 Gorham Road, Scarborough
ESB, Extra Special Bitter (5.4%)
This bright Ale is purposely brewed to be mild in every respect. It has a mild ABV and bitterness and is caramel sweet. ESB is the quintessential pub beer and should be enjoyed with lively conversation. Head on in for a safe, socially distant pint before it kicks!
On Draft
Help support local breweries while sampling these flagship beers and rising stars. Here’s a taste of what you’ll be able to enjoy at select breweries this week.
Island Dog Brewing
125 John Roberts Rd., Unit 15, South Portland
- A Beer Called Blue, Blueberry Wheat (4.8%)
- ClearCut IPA, American IPA (6%)
- Spicy & Smoky, Copper Ale (5%)
- Smitty’s Irish, Red Ale (5.2%)
- Black Forest, Porter (5.2%)
- None More Black, Black IPA (7%)
Mast Landing Brewing Company
920 Main St., Westbrook
- Rooftops, Kolsch (5.2%)
- Neon Sails, IPA (6.3%)
- Islands, IPA (6.8%)
- Louder Now, IPA (7%)
- Super Wrastlin’ Moves, Double IPA (8.1%)
- The Good Light, Saison (4.7%)
Rising Tide Brewing Company
103 Fox St., Portland
- Back Cove, Pilsner (5.1%)
- Nature’s Gold, Maple Golden Ale (6%)
- Nikita, Rye Russian Imperial Stout (9.6%)
- Circumnavigator, Bock (6.7%)
- Seacrow, Schwarzbier (5.1%)
- Cow Island, Milk Stout (6%)
Maine Beer in the News
There is a LOT going on in beer news this week, which is just the way we like it. Among the headlines: a new brewery comes to East Bayside, the Maine Brew Bus just got Cher Horowitz’d (i.e. they [well, their name] got a makeover), and Maine now has the most breweries per capita in the U.S. Take THAT, Vermont! We’re number one!!!
Maine Brew Bus rebrands as Maine Brews Cruise
The Maine Brew Bus is rebranding as Maine Brews Cruise to reflect an acquisition it made last year as it seeks to expand its national footprint.
Maine now has the most breweries per capita of any US state
After many years of lagging behind Vermont, Maine now officially has the highest number of breweries per capita in the country.
Maine breweries work together to protect local water
There are more than 150 active breweries in Maine as of 2020, and brewers say much of the industry’s success is thanks to Maine’s clean water.
Tap Lines: Belleflower’s opening in East Bayside marks the start of better days
The new brewery, owned by former employees of Boston’s Trillium, moved into the space occupied by now-closed Brewery Extrava.
Embracing its commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability, Allagash Brewing Co. just announced the establishment of its Recycling Co-Op.
Looking for an opening? Here’s where you now can go to have some fun again
Places to have fun and relax are beginning to open up in Maine just in time for spring, including brewery tasting rooms, patios, libraries, tennis courts, ice cream stands, music venues, and theaters.
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Maine Beer This Week! If you own a brewery or other beer business and would like to be featured in upcoming issues, please email us to learn more.
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