Wow, that was some…cold. And sadly it looks like temps are going to dip again this weekend (Gutner!!!!). But never fear, breweries are doing their part to keep you warm and cozy. Across our fair state, you will find breweries with heat lamps, fire pits, chalets, blankets and more in their outdoor seating areas to keep you safe from winter’s chill. And if you REALLY want to feel toasty, this is the perfect time of year to enjoy the warming benefits of an imperial stout or Barleywine. And, what a coincidence, we have some recent releases of both to tell you about!
Here’s this week’s guide to upcoming brewery events, the latest beer releases, and a roundup of Maine beer news.
Sponsored by: Tigpro Stainless Fabrication
Upcoming Releases & Events
Blaze Brewing is on Fire, there is a Knightvillain at Foulmouthed, but fortunately Definitive is ready to show us The Way Forward. Not only that, but Fogtown is turning the big 4 on Friday! Breweries, they grow up so fast, sniff.
Thursday, January 13
Blaze Brewing Company
28 Pearl St., Biddeford
Scrugsy on Fire, IPA (7%) & Blazing Love, Pastry Sour (7%)
Scrugsy on Fire is a collaboration with Belleflower Brewing. Blaze took Belleflower’s Scrugsy recipe and swapped out the Enigma for Citra. Scrugsy on Fire smells and tastes like orange soda, yuzu, and succulent pineapple.
Blazing Love is a collaboration with Branch and Blade Brewing conditioned on orange, vanilla, cinnamon, and marshmallows. It smells and tastes like an Orange Julius with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Foulmouthed Brewing
15 Ocean St., South Portland
The folks at Foulmouthed Brewing have one, two, three, four, four new releases for you this week, ah ha ha haaaaa! (Yes, we’re channeling the Count. No, we don’t want to talk about it.)
Way of the Wizard, New England IPA (5.7%) has notes of stone fruit, pineapple, and just the right amount of haze.
Triforce IPA (6.3%) is a West Coast IPA with a trio of both malts and hops.
Vanilla Cream Stout (6.5%) is brewed with oats and pure lactose milk sugar for an extra creamy sweetness. It’s then aged on real Madagascar vanilla for a luxurious flavor to complement the decadent mouth feel.
Knightvillain, Black Ale (4.5%) is cold-fermented, with the flavors of a stout and the mouthfeel of a lager.
Friday, January 14
Definitive Brewing Company
35 Industrial Way, Portland and 318 US Route 1, Kittery
Contee, Kölsch-style Ale (4.6%); Maine Brewers Guild Collaboration IPA V2 (6%); and The Way Forward, Double Dry Hopped Double IPA (8.5%)
Contee is a take on the regional classic from Cologne, Germany. Brewed with heaps of German and local malts and fermented for many moons at cooler temperatures, the result is a lager-like ale that is crisp, clean, and refreshing. After a tough day at work, a day of outdoor activities, a busy day of errands, or a day filled with friends and family time, a Contee is the perfect refreshing happy hour beverage.
Back again in 2022, the second version of the Maine Brewers Guild Collaboration IPA V2 is making its appearance to carry us through the winter months. While every brewery utilizes the same base recipe, each beer has its own unique twist. Hopped with Idaho 7 Cryo and Loral Cryo, this IPA is reminiscent of lime, grapefruit and dark pitted fruits. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Maine Brewers’ Guild.
The Way Forward is a hop-heavy, double dry hopped Double IPA brewed in collaboration with Barrel Culture in North Carolina. Sitting at a heady 8.5% ABV, this beer showcases a wide array of Pacific North Western hop varieties, including Citra, Simcoe, and Cashmere. This collaborative effort tastes and smells like tangerine zest, resinous pine, and split melons.
All three beers will be available Friday in Portland and Saturday in Kittery.
Fogtown Brewing Company
25 Pine St., Ellsworth
Fogtown’s 4th B-day Celebration, 4-8 p.m.
Fogtown is turning 4 and you’re invited to the party! The celebration will coincide with the launch of their winter wonderland scene and pizza program at the taproom and beer garden in Ellsworth. The crew at Fogtown has been working hard to transform their beer garden into a cozy and safe place to gather. Keep toasty around multiple fire pits or tuck inside the cozy, heated A-frame chalets or greenhouse. Plus, they’ve got furry fleece Fogtown blankets for sale. So much hygge!
Island Dog Brewing
125 John Roberts Road Unit 15, South Portland
Black Forest Chocolate Cherry, Chocolate/Cherry Porter (5.2%)
Brewed with cocoa and fermented on cherries, taproom favorite Black Forest Chocolate Cherry is back!
Maine Beer Company
525 US-1, Freeport
Black Barn Program Baltic Porter
Back in June, Maine Beer Company bottled a beer to age for a later release— a first for their Black Barn Program. The result: Black Barn Program Baltic Porter. Stronger beers, like Baltic porters, are more focused on malts than hops, so they tend to be beers that age well. They aged this beer over many months to soften the intensity, and to allow the malt aromatics and flavors to shine through.
SoMe Brewing Company
1 York St., Unit 3, York
Nubble Weiss, Sour (4%)
Lightly tart, refreshingly fruity, and infinitely crushable, Nubble Weiss is a Berliner-weiss-style sour with raspberries.
Saturday, January 15
Barreled Souls Brewing
743 Portland Rd., Saco
Big Munro, Imperial Scotch Ale (14.8%)
This year’s version of Big Munro comes in at 14.8% ABV and was aged for just over a year in 13-year Barton Bourbon barrels.
New Releases
Belleflower is back with a reimagining of their flagship pale ale, Magpie, it’s getting a bit prickly over at Bissell Brothers with Cactus in the tasting room, Nonesuch has a Reprieve for tired Snow Shovelers, and if inflation has you down, time to head over to Lone Pine—we hear they have a Money Gun!
Belleflower Brewing
66 Cove St., Portland
Magpie, Pale Ale (5.5%)
The Belleflower brewers took a little break with their favorite birdy and signature pale ale, Magpie, to tweak the recipe ever so slightly. Brewed with 100% Maine-grown and malted barley, wheat, and oats, the subtle tweaks make Magpie pillowy soft on the pallet. It features flavors of lemon/lime zest, light white pepper, and finishes with lingering fresh grapefruit zest.
Bissell Brothers Brewing
38 Resurgam Place, Portland & 157 Elm St., Milo
Cactus, Double IPA (7.8%)
This is the Bissell Brothers take on their pals at Tilted Barn Brewery’s Cactus Double IPA. Brewed in collaboration and faithfully inspired by their original recipe, this beer bursts with tropical flavors and aroma and boasts an extremely soft mouthfeel. Cactus is a surprisingly sneaky 7.8% ABV with *just* the right amount of prickle.
Black Pug Brewing
30 Bath Rd., Ste. 1, Brunswick
Maine Brewers Guild Collaboration IPA V2 (6%)
Black Pug’s version of Maine Brewers Guild Collaboration IPA V2 is now available in bottles! It’s smooth, fresh, and fruity with notes of citrus and pine. Also, heads up, they are closed this Saturday and Sunday, so plan your visit accordingly.
Corner Point Brewing Company
1 Rochester St., Berwick
Compromise, New England IPA (6%)
The name of this double dry hopped New England IPA says it all. Flaked oats were used abundantly in this beer. A heavy dose of Citra, Centennial, and Ahtanum hops were added to the whirlpool and it was then double dry hopped with Citra and Ahtanum. Compromise is back on tap for a limited time (we were going to insert a political joke here, but thought better of it).
Foundation Brewing Company
1 Industrial Way #5, Portland
Raspberry’s My Jam, Sour (5%)
This kettle-soured ale is brewed with milk and sugar, and fermented with raspberries. Packed with all the juicy goodness of our favorite red berry, Raspberry’s My Jam delivers a thirst-quenching balance of sweet and tart, and is mighty crushable at 5% ABV.
Lone Pine Brewing Company
219 Anderson St., Portland and 48 Sanford Dr., Gorham
Money Gun, New England Double IPA (8.1%)
Raining down a torrent of tropical flavor, Money Gun is rich in body and dripping with excess. Brewed with a Golden Promise base, Torrified Wheat, Talis, and Bru-1, Money Gun spares no expense and delivers the excessive dose of new world hops worthy of high society. Money Gun pours with a structured/moderate haze, a robust golden color and a tight white head. Delicate aromas of tropical fruit, pineapple, and creme of coconut compliment a spicy floral finish. As the beer warms, stone and orchard fruits come to the forefront. A small amount of earthiness accompanies the tropical notes before finishing with flavors of peach, pine resin, and white grapes. Hints of sticky pine linger with the soft mouthfeel and finish with just a touch of bitterness. Whether your currency of choice is digital or cold, hard U.S. dollars, Money Gun is sure to become your next liquid asset.
Mast Landing Brewing Company
920 Main St., Westbrook and 200 Lower Main St., Freeport
Undercover Orange, Imperial Stout with Chocolate & Orange (10%)
For their newest collaboration with the Barrel Culture crew, Mast Landing got a little sneaky with the adjuncts in an imperial stout. Layered under the delicious decadence of cocoa and fudge, you’ll find a juicy, zesty dose of orange to bring the flavor profile to the next level. If you ever found a chocolate orange in your stocking as a kid, you can expect a similarly sweet treat in this beer.
Nonesuch River Brewing Company
201 Gorham Rd., Scarborough
Snow Shoveler’s Reprieve, Barleywine (9.5%) & Sauron, Not Sauron, Black IPA (5.9%)
January temperatures and snowfall call for Barleywine…Snow Shoveler’s Reprieve is an English-style Barleywine. It’s a high-gravity beer with tasting notes of baking spices, candied dates, and pinewood forest. This beer’s deep and complex malt flavors can be attributed to a grist of mostly floor-malted barley. It’s hopped with Simcoe and East Kent Goldings.
Sauron, Not Sauron is chock full of juicy goodness. Jam-packed with Loral and Mosaic hops, you will quickly find yourself lured into its lair. A spicy bouquet of black lime, coffee, and peppercorn give way to a sublime blackberry lacquer finish.
Sebago Brewing
Multiple locations
Braap! Braap! Gorham SnoGoers Gold
Now available ONLY at the Sebago Brewing Tasting Room and Gorham brewpub, it’s Braap! Braap! Gorham SnoGoers Gold. For every pint sold, Sebago will donate $1 to the Gorham SnoGoers Club. The Gorham SnoGoers Club is made up of local members who maintain more than 50 miles of trails, including the Cherry Hill Trails—almost 3 miles of hiking, skiing, and snowmobiling trails right next door to the Tasting Room and brewery in Gorham.
Braap! Braap! is a golden ale made with one of the Sebago brewers’ favorite English yeasts. It’s a subtle ale with a mild honey sweetness and smooth medium body. Braap! Braap! is clean and refreshing, while full enough to stand up to cold weather. In other words, it’s the perfect beer for ice fishing, ice skating, and other snowy fun.
Maine Beer in the News
Geaghan Brothers Brewing is expanding, Maine may be letting us take our booze to-go even when we’re not in the grip of a global pandemic, and PPH hearts Barleywines.
Tap Lines: Barleywines sit well with sitting around
Maine brewers make versions of the bear of a beer that represent the style’s range.
Maine might permanently let restaurants sell to-go alcohol
The businesses have been able to sell alcohol through takeout and delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic if it’s accompanied by a food order.
Geaghan’s breaks ground on Bangor waterfront brewery expansion
A dream nearly eight years in the making finally became a reality last month when Geaghan Brothers Brewing Company broke ground on a brand new production facility.
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
