There’s a heat advisory in effect for parts of Maine today, and COVID-19 cases are on the rise. Sigh. Looks like our hot vax summer is turning into a bit of a bummer. I mean, I guess we still have the hot part, blurg. Fortunately, beer is a great way to cool down from the summer heat, and the COVID resurgence is the perfect excuse not to share your stash. We know, it’s a stretch, but we want to send you into the weekend with a smile. Mask up, be safe, and drink Maine beer!
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.
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Upcoming Releases & Events
Get out your day planner (i.e., your phone) and write (OK, type) these down, because there is A LOT of beer releases to stay on top of this weekend/weekend eve. Allagash has even more Love to share with us, Blaze Brewing has a pineapple-infused beer we can’t wait to try, Definitive Brewing is in Concert Mode, and there’s a Tropical Storm “brewing” at Liquid Riot.
Thursday, August 12
Allagash Brewing Co.
50 Industrial Way, Portland
From Maine, With Love #08 (3.8%)
From Maine, With Love #08 swiftly brings together years of Belgian brewing tradition into a single, refreshing whole. Part wild beer; part aromatic amber ale; all crisp, light, and delicious.
Blaze Brewing Company
28 Pearl St., Biddeford
Jammed Flow, Double IPA (8.5%) & Backshore Pineapple, Sour Ale (4.2%)
The big brother of Jam Flow, Jammed Flow is brewed with a wheat-heavy grist and then dry-hopped excessively with Amarillo, Mosaic, and Citra. This combination yielded an incredibly juicy and soft beer that goes down easy. Jammed Flow smells and tastes like pineapple, overripe orange, and sweet melon.
Backshore Pineapple was conditioned on an irresponsible amount of pineapple puree. It’s pleasantly tart and incredibly tasty and, as you probably guessed, tastes like pineapple juice.
Foulmouthed Brewing
15 Ocean St., South Portland
Beer, American Blonde Ale (5.2%): It’s refreshing. It’s delicious. It’s…Beer.
Impure Thoughts, New England IPA (7.5%): Brewed with Idaho 7 and Comet hops, this New England IPA boasts juicy flavors of citrus and tropical fruit. But, you know, not in a braggy way. 
Yuzu Kosho Gose (4.5%): This slightly spicy Gose is brewed with yuzu lemon and chili peppers.
Liquid Riot Bottling Company
250 Commercial St., Portland
Tropical Storm, Sour (8%)
Tropical Storm is a kettle-soured Wheat beer brewed with mango, guava, and passionfruit. It was originally brewed in collaboration with the Bier Cellar for their 4th anniversary.
Friday, August 13
Definitive Brewing Company
35 Industrial Way, Portland and 318 US Route 1, Kittery
Twilight Juice (Strawberry Kiwi), Doubled Fruited Sour Ale (9%); Concert Mode, IPA (6.9%); & Tropical Raindrops, Session Sour (4.2%)
Twilight Juice (Strawberry Kiwi) is the latest and greatest variation on Definitive’s beloved 9% Double Fruited Sour Ale series. It sips like a Juicy Juice and hits like rocket fuel. 
Still missing live shows? Concert Mode is returning in its classic concert-in-a-can style to quench that never ending thirst for live music and good beer! This DDH IPA brewed with Mosaic, Idaho 7, and Topaz hops is discreetly yet powerfully hoppy on the palette, with flavors of lemon tart, fresh lychee, and guava tea leaves.
Tropical Raindrops combines light tropical fruit flavors with a lower ABV for a unique and approachable summer beverage that will help you keep your cool. We taste flavors of poached pears, Bahama Mama cocktails, and sweet exotic fruits. All beers are available Friday in Portland, Saturday in Kittery.
Fore River Brewing
45 Huntress Ave., South Portland
Lost in the Bines, Pilsner (5.5%)
Lost in the Bines is a dry-hopped New Zealand-style Pilsner that highlights the delicate and unique characteristics that New Zealand hops are known for. Floral and fruity aromas are followed by notes of fresh pollen, berries, and Fruity Pebbles, with additional flavors of biscuit and lemongrass, and a backbone reminiscent of pine and zesty citrus. Lost in the Bines is crisp through and through, and a great choice for those looking for a light, slightly hoppy, easy-drinking beer, perfect for surviving hot August days.
SoMe Brewing
1 York St. #3, York
Tailwhip, IPA (7.5%)
Tailwhip, an American-style IPA, features Galaxy and Citra hops against a smooth malt backbone.
Saturday, August 14
Threshers Brewing Co.
2B Main St., N Building 3B, Searsmont
Shangri La La, Kölsch
Threshers Brewing Company, in collaboration with the Maine-based touring indie band SeepeopleS, are releasing Shangri La La, a German-style Kölsch, with a special concert featuring members of SeepeopleS, Sparxsea, David Yearwood (Forét Endormie), and Sea Level (Dan Capaldi). The concert and release party will take place at Threshers Brewery from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Tickets to the all-ages event are $10.
Tuesday, August 17
Maine Beer Company
525 US-1, Freeport
Woods & Waters, IPA (6.2%)
First brewed in 2016 in honor of the designation of Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument, Maine Beer Company’s Woods & Waters IPA celebrates their passion for enjoying and preserving the outdoors. It utilizes local pale, wheat, and Vienna malts from Blue Ox Malt House.
Coming Soon…
Baxter Brewing Co.
130 Mill St., Lewiston
Firestack, Red IPA (6.3%) 
The delicately layered, red-hued beer has an explosive hop profile with a slightly sweet finish. Firestack is perfect for crisp autumn nights by the fire, tailgating at the game, or a refreshing reward after that last cord’s been chopped and stacked for winter.
Foundation Brewing Company
1 Industrial Way #5, Portland
Ephiphany gets a new lewk
Foundation Brewing has been sprucing up the look of their labels over the last few months. When it came time to revisit Epiphany’s label, they chose to keep it simple, straightforward, and oh-so-very orange. A celebration of the vivid flavors unlocked from the hop cone; Epiphany has been awakening taste buds to the beauty of the New England IPA since before the style really had a name. In giving Epiphany a makeover, the Foundation folks knew they wanted to retain its identity, while giving it room to breathe. They broke the stripe, and allowed that unmistakable orange to spill across the label. Keep your peepers peeled for the new look in the tasting room and in bottle shops soon.
New Releases
Craving something light? We recommend scooping up a Pale Ale or Strawberry Ale. Need your hops fix? There are Red IPAs, Double IPAs, and New England IPAs ready to dance across your palate. Want something hearty? What’s wrong with you, it’s HOT out?! JK, JK, in that case we recommend either a Scotch Ale or an Imperial Stout to slake your thirst. These beers and more are waiting for you to scoop them up and give them a good home.
Barreled Souls Brewing Company
743 Portland Rd., Saco
Transformer, Pale Ale (6.3%)
Part of Barreled Souls Brewing’s ongoing Transformer Pale Ale series, this version is brewed with Nelson Sauvin and El Dorado hops.
Battery Steele Brewing
1 Industrial Way, Units 12 & 14, Portland
Flume Squared, Double IPA (8%)
Dry hopped with massive amounts of Citra Cryo and Mosaic, Flume Squared is saturated with hop flavor.
Bigelow Brewing Company
473 Bigelow Hill Rd., Skowhegan
Tin Can Sailor, Scotch Ale (6%)
Brewed in collaboration with The Hight Family of Dealerships, this Scotch Ale is a celebration of their 110th anniversary of selling cars in Maine! This dark brown beer with amber hues pours with a rich, tan head. Aromas of toffee and treacle give way to notes of dates and cherry and slight hop spiciness. Tin Can Sailor is malt-forward and complex, and drinks smooth and creamy. Sweet bread and caramel notes mix with dark stone fruits before being balanced by earthy, spicy hop notes and slight alcohol warmth. This full-bodied beer is perfect for an after-dinner sipper or to keep you warm on cool evenings.
Blank Canvas Brewery
46 Betton St., Brewer
Tiny Arms, Rye Ale (5%)
Tiny Arms is a light Rye Ale brewed with juniper berries, which give it hints of gin flavors.
Lone Pine Brewing Company
219 Anderson St., Portland and 48 Sanford Dr., Gorham
Neon Balloon Dog, New England IPA (6%)
A fresh reload of Neon Balloon Dog is back in stock in the Portland and Gorham tasting rooms. Thick, frothy, and slightly sweet, Neon Balloon Dog is hazy and soft with a Citra/Ella/El Dorado dry hop that expresses as notes of candied grapefruit, citrus rind, and pineapple juice.
Mast Landing Brewing Company
920 Main St., Westbrook and 200 Lower Main St., Freeport
Hula, Sour (7%) & Slightly Raddled, Kölsch-Style Ale (4.5%)
Hula is a piña colada-inspired Sour that was brewed with pineapple, coconut, and lime to dance effortlessly on the tightrope between beer and cocktail.
Slightly Raddled is a Kölsch-style Ale with a twist—a twist of grapefruit that is.
Moderation Brewing
103 Maine St., Brunswick
Bird, Strawberry Ale (5.2%)
Hop on over to Moderation because Bird is back! Named after a feisty 22-year-old strawberry-cheeked cockatiel named Strawberry B. Bird (who thinks her name is just Bird). Strawberry and her antics were the inspiration behind a character in local author (and illustrator extraordinaire) Charlotte Agell’s book, “The Accidental Adventures of India McAllister.” Much like its namesake, this summer brew is both sweet, hoppy, delicate, and a little feisty. With an aroma of strawberries, a hop-forward bite and a sweet finish, catch this seasonal brew before it’s gone because the Bird is the word!
van der Brew
30 Summer St., Winthrop
Rambler 250, Imperial Stout (8%)
Brewed in honor of Winthrop’s Sestercentennial (250th) anniversary, this peanut butter-infused chocolate Imperial Stout is the ideal beer to celebrate a community that is the perfect combination of work hard, play hard, and stay strong. Coming in at an ABV of 8%, who needs candles on a cake to mark this milestone?
Maine Beer in the News
In this week’s news we learn that we’re doing it wrong when we refer to certain beers as a Kölsch (please, don’t sue us, Germany) and WCSH-TV is getting hip to the growing non-alcoholic beer trend. We even threw in some NH beer-related news since to get anywhere else in this country, ya gotta pass through the Granite State. Might as well pick up some beer on your way.
Tap lines: Enjoy its easy-going style, but whatever you do, don’t call it Kölsch
Many Portland-area breweries make a Kölsch-style ale, but no surprise the Germans have rules around the name.
Non-alcoholic beer trend on the rise
Brewers in Maine are working to create craft beer without the booze
Sununu signs bill easing rules for New Hampshire beer brewers
Small craft beer brewers in New Hampshire will have more flexibility to sell their products directly to consumers under a bill signed by Gov. Chris Sununu.
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 or call us to learn more at [email protected] (207) 209-2094
