Did you suffer from Henri ennui last week? Well never fear, this weekend’s forecast is looking like it will feature a lot more sun and a lot fewer pretentiously named storms. This is the last real weekend of summer before Labor Day, so get out there, support your local brewers, and have some dang fun!
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.
Sponsored by: Tigpro Stainless Fabrication
Tigpro specializes in 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
Allagash is encouraging everyone to always take the Scenic Way and Blaze is all about going with the Flow, even if it’s a Working Vacation. Meanwhile, things are getting Toxic over at Island Dog and Definitive thinks they have definitively spotted something lurking In the Trees.
Thursday, August 26th
Allagash Brewing Co.
50 Industrial Way, Portland
Scenic Way, Farmhouse Ale (6.5%)
Scenic Way is a crisp and classic Farmhouse-style Ale with notes of pineapple, grapefruit, and a hint of lime zest. Spend a moment (or two) taking in the view.
Bigelow Brewing Company
473 Bigelow Hill Rd., Skowhegan
Raker Ale, Blueberry Ale (5.25%)
This refreshing Blueberry Ale was made with blueberries from Québec. Magnifique!
Blaze Brewing Company
28 Pearl St., Biddeford
Jam Flow, IPA (7%) & Working Vacation, Sour (6%)
Jam Flow is brewed with a wheat-heavy grist and then dry hopped excessively with Amarillo and Mosaic. This combination yielded an incredibly juicy, bright, and soft beer. Jam Flow smells and tastes like fleshy orange, ripe mango, and pink Starburst.
Working Vacation was brewed in collaboration with Heavy Reel Brewing Company and was inspired by the classic Jersey boardwalk desert of orange sherbet twisted with vanilla ice cream. Working Vacation is a liquid creamsicle and perfect for the end of summer.
Friday, August 27
Definitive Brewing Company
35 Industrial Way, Portland and 318 US Route 1, Kittery
In the Trees, IPA (7%) & Vanilla Dome: Strawberry, Milkshake Double IPA (8%)
In the Trees is a collaboration with the fine folks at Kings Brewing Company. This IPA was hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Sabro, and Citra Cryo. Pineappley, piney, juicy, and hazy, In the Trees will have you feeling laid back and calm as a breeze in the trees.
Vanilla Dome: Strawberry is as unbelievably bright and balanced as ever with its rich strawberry and vanilla character. This tasty brew smells and tastes like strawberry gelato and freshly baked berry pies. Both beers are available Friday in Portland, Saturday in Kittery.
Island Dog Brewing
125 John Roberts Rd. Unit 15, South Portland
Toxic Dawg, Triple IPA (10%)
Citrus, dank, and hazy, Toxic Dawg is brewed with Eureka, Strata, Columbus, and Loral hops.
Saturday, August 28
Corner Point Brewing
1 Sullivan St., Berwick
For Fox Sake, Blackberry Wheat Beer (4.6%)
This wheat beer is heavily dosed with blackberry puree, which gives it a nice purple color and slightly tart finish. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research as part of the Run & Drink for Fox Sake 5K. For Fox Sake, drink as much as you can, so Corner Point can donate as much as possible to help Team Fox!
New Releases
Bissell Brothers released a new Saison that gives a nod to legendary rock band Wilco, Foundation is serving up a Jelly Roll, Liquid Riot is welcoming back a Super IPA, and Mast Landing is getting into the Halloween spirit early and is ready to Shake Up Your Bones.
Bangor Beer Co.
330 Bangor Mall Blvd., Bangor
Derailed, Stout (4.9%)
Derailed is a Blonde Iced Coffee Milk Stout brewed with lactose, cacao nibs, and locally roasted coffee.
Bissell Brothers Brewing
38 Resurgam Place, Portland
American Aquarium Drinker, Saison (6%)
The next entry in Bissell Brothers’ “You Earned It” series is a dry-hopped Saison benefitting Stepping Stone Housing. American Aquarium Drinker was brewed by team member Kevin Broydrick. The name was borrowed from the first line of the first song of one of his favorite albums by one of his all-time favorite bands, Wilco, which just happened to play at Thompson’s Point this week and whose bassist is midcoast Maine resident John Stirratt. We’re pretty sure none of this is a coincidence…
Bunker Brewing Company
17 Westfield St., Unit D, Portland
Chickadee, Nitro Bitter (4.3%)
This take on a classic English-style Pub Ale is a sessionable delight that has quickly found a special place in the hearts of both Bunker Brewing staff and local fans of classic styles. Sometimes restraint in ingredients combined with traditional brewing techniques give you a damn near perfect everyday beer.
Fogtown Brewing Company
25 Pine St., Ellsworth and 33 Cottage St., Bar Harbor
Yellow Sub, Kettle Sour IPA (5.7%)
Yellow Sub was brewed with 95% Maine grain, co-fermented with a house-blend lactobacillus, and dry hopped with unfathomable quantities of Citra. Wine Enthusiast rates this one at 90. Fresh cans available in Ellsworth, on tap in Bar Harbor.
Foundation Brewing Company
1 Industrial Way #5, Portland”
Jam Packed Raspberry Jelly Roll, Imperial Sour (8%) & Gretel, Oktoberfest-style Lager (5.5%)
Jam Packed Raspberry Jelly Roll is Foundation’s newest super-fruited Imperial Sour. Inspired by a beloved dessert as twisty as it is tasty, Jam Packed Raspberry Jelly Roll is a sweet and tart dream. Brewed with milk sugar and fermented over buckets of raspberry and vanilla beans, this Sour rolls up all the jammy juiciness of raspberries with the unmistakable silkiness of vanilla. Scrumptious raspberry simply bursts from the glass.
After a year hiatus, Foundation is welcoming back Gretel, their Oktoberfest-style Lager. German Munich and Vienna malts form the base of this beer, balanced with a touch of Tettnang hops in the kettle. Fermented cold with Foundation’s house lager yeast to 5.5% ABV, Gretel features notes of toasted bread and light spice up front with a touch of fruit and toffee at the finish. This is a beer that is all about getting back to the essentials and letting the ingredients and technique take the lead.
Liquid Riot Bottling Company
250 Commercial St., Portland
Superlumière, IPA (6%)
Made with malted oats with an aggressive amount of Galaxy hops and then a light dusting of Simcoe, Mosaic, and Idaho-7, this IPA is out of this world.
Lone Pine Brewing Company
219 Anderson St., Portland and 48 Sanford Dr., Gorham
3 Bagger, Kölsch (4.8%)
Brewed to support the Portland Firefighters Local 740 and the Children’s Burn Foundation, this zesty, thirst-quenching beer was crafted with the warm weather in mind. 3 Bagger is a crushable offering featuring a light, bready body, hints of cracker, and a gentle grain charm. Finishing with a floral but subtle hop presence, this beer is perfect for the summer months and warmer weather.
Mast Landing Brewing Company
920 Main St., Westbrook and 200 Lower Main St., Freeport
Shake Up Your Bones, Double IPA (8%)
Sometimes you gotta Shake things up. The luscious combination of Nelson, Simcoe, and Citra hops in this hazy double IPA is a rush. Shake Up Your Bones has big citrus notes and a balanced juiciness that could wake up a skeleton.
Nonesuch River Brewing Co.
201 Gorham Rd., Scarborough
ESB, Extra Special Bitter (5%)
This bright Ale is purposely brewed to be mild in every respect, with a mild ABV and bitterness. This is THE quintessential pub beer.
Orono Brewing Company
61 Margin St., Orono
61 Margin, Double IPA (8%)
61 Margin celebrates the past, present, and future of Orono Brewing’s flagship location in Orono. This place is a big part of who we are and how we interface with the community that we love. 61 Margin is triple dry hopped with Citra, Galaxy, Mosaic, and Vic Secret to create a delightfully juicy tropical flavor.
SoMe Brewing
1 York St. #3, York
Mainely IPA (5.1%)
Mainely IPA is SoMe Brewing’s session New England IPA brewed with Maine-grown malt and Galaxy and Citra hops.
Maine Beer in the News
We know that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but would a beer brewed by Belleflower Brewing taste as delicious if the brewery was less floral-ly named? We’re going to go with…yes! Learn about this flower growing in Portland’s East Bayside area, as well as which Maine brewery was named to Inc.’s 5000 list, and which one recently played host to a raft of otters.
A New Brewery Blossoms in Portland’s East Bayside
Belleflower Brewing Company has set roots in the Maine beer scene with an experimental spirit and welcoming tasting room.
Maine brewery, fitness company among businesses named fastest growing in the country
Dozen Maine businesses named to Inc.’s 5000 list
Tap Lines: Don’t miss this season at Sasanoa, there won’t be another like it
The Westport Island farm brewery makes use of what’s available, and that’s always changing.
COVID vaccine clinic on tap alongside Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival next week
The announcement of the new pop-up clinic by Skowhegan’s hospital comes as the state sees a surge in cases of COVID-19 as the more contagious delta variant of the virus continues to spread.
Watch otters stop by a coastal Maine brew pub to entertain the patrons
Prepare to read about a cuteness overload at Marshall Wharf Brewing Company.
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
