Welcome to the first edition of Beer This Week for 2022! We hate to start things off by being a Debbie Downer, but as you may have heard unless you live in a remote cave (in which case, how are you reading this?!) COVID-19 is taking a toll on a lot of workplaces, including our local breweries. We recommend checking the socials before you head out to avoid disappointment, as some breweries have been forced to temporarily close. OK? Now, on to the fun stuff! Despite a lot of us regulars taking time off, many Maine brewers were hard at work to bring you both old and soon-to-be new favorites.
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
Allagash is in a romantic mood with the release of My One and Only, Fogtown is feeling a little Shy, SoMe is ready to Whip it (whip it real good!) and…don’t look now, but the folks at Norway Brewing are seeing Ghosts! Here’s your slightly unseasonal rundown of new releases.
Thursday, January 6
Allagash Brewing Company
50 Industrial Way, Portland
My One and Only, Red Ale (5.5%)
My One and Only is a red ale aged and soured in a foudre—a large oak tank typically used in winemaking—before locally grown raspberries, plums, and a plum-cherry hybrid called a pluerry are added. In this dry and balanced beer you’ll find notes of fresh berry, cherry, apple, pear, and subtle caramel from its grain bill.
Liquid Riot Bottling Company
250 Commercial St., Portland
Mocha Stout, Imperial Milk Stout (9%)
Liquid Riot’s Mocha Stout is brewed with Tandem coffee and Ghana cacao nibs.
Friday, January 7
Fogtown Brewing Company
25 Pine St., Ellsworth and 33 Cottage St., Bar Harbor
Shy King, Table Beer (3.8%)
This Belgian-inspired farmhouse ale is brewed with spelt, wheat, and grains of paradise, along with sweet orange peel and locally foraged red grapes. It’s hopped with Saaz and Hallertau Blanc.
SoMe Brewing Company
1 York St., Unit 3, York
Tailwhip, American IPA (7.5%)
Tailwhip is an American IPA brewed with Citra and Galaxy hops. Look out for notes of citrus with bready undertones, and a nice bitterness to keep things balanced.
Saturday, January 8
Goodfire Brewing Co.
219 Anderson St., Suite 6, Portland
Booze-ter Clinic, 1-5 p.m.
Come on down to Goodfire Brewing and get your booster shot, courtesy of Community Pharmacies. Afterwards, reward yourself for doing your part to protect yourself and others by having a few brews and some deeeeelicious sammies from the one and only Cheese Louise. Here’s the 411 on all you need to know before you go:
- Bring a valid ID and your health insurance card (if insured). If you aren’t insured, no worries! All vaccines are still 100% free.
- Pfizer, Moderna, and J & J shots are available.
- If you’ve already been vaccinated, BRING YOUR VACCINE CARD!
- 1st and 2nd doses will be available in addition to boosters for those who haven’t gotten the jab yet, or who have only had their first shot.
- Ages 12 & up are eligible for 1st and 2nd doses. Ages 16 & up are eligible for boosters.
Norway Brewing Company
237 Main St., Norway
Ghost in the Stairs, Saison
What’s that behind the door? Who’s making that noise in the hallway? It’s the Ghost in the Stairs! This farmhouse saison brewed with Blue Ox Malthouse pale malt and Norway Brewing’s farmhouse culture is back. After a long secondary fermentation, the brewers lightly dry hop this saison with Lemondrop hops and can condition it with fresh yeast for a dry and fruity finish. Norway’s house yeast is a synthesis of European and American brewing culture that gives this beer an ever-so-slightly funky and ghostly character.
Monday, January 10
Maine Beer Company
525 US-1, Freeport
Second Dinner, Double IPA (8%)
Second Dinner is only the second DIPA brewed by Maine Beer Company. It has notes of bright citrus, pineapple, and a strong fruit aroma and utilizes Amarillo, Citra, HBC 522, and Idaho 7 hops.
Tuesday, January 11
Maine Beer Company
525 US-1, Freeport
Wolfe’s Neck, IPA (6.5%)
Throughout its history, the Freeport, Maine, area known as Wolfe’s Neck has been a diverse ecosystem including organic farmland, white pine and hemlock forests, and a salt marsh estuary. A gift to the people of Maine and its visitors from the Smith family, Wolfe’s Neck reminds us of the importance of protecting land for future generations to experience and enjoy.
Wolfe’s Neck IPA is named after this area and in honor of the Smith’s legacy. It’s brewed with Mosaic, El Dorado, and Sabro hops, and features Maine Malt House malts.
New Releases
Speaking of Ghosts, over at Black Pug they’re doing the (slow) Fade, it turns out you can Get There From Here at Flight Deck Brewing, the chilly weather has the crew at Foundation slipping into their Favorite Flannel, and Mast Landing has My Exact Style. Meaning yours. We think. Either way, you’ll want to try this juicy Triple IPA. Unless you hate joy. In which case, why are you still reading this?
Banded Brewing Co.
32 Main St., Ste. 102, Biddeford and 82 Hanover St., Ste. 6, Portland
Veridian, IPA (6%)
Freshies of Veridian just came off the canning line Wednesday, so pick some up and beat those January blues. Banded’s flagship IPA is brewed with Citra, Azacca, and Chinook. It’s hoppy enough to scratch the itch, crushable enough to have a couple.
Black Pug Brewing
30 Bath Rd., Ste. 1, Brunswick
Fade (Peppermint Mocha, White Stout (6.5%)
The classic coffee/chocolate/vanilla notes of Fade get some wintry seasonality with the addition of cooling peppermint. If you like a peppermint patty, this is your beer!
Cushnoc Brewing Co.
243 Water St., Augusta
Eternal Golden Eagle, Double Dry Hopped Belgian IPA (6.3%)
A mashup of a New England IPA and Belgian IPA, Eternal Golden Eagle has a neutral hazy malt backbone and a big dry hopping with juicy Mosaic and El Dorado. It’s finished with a spicy, estery, characterful Belgian yeast strain.
Flight Deck Brewing
11 Atlantic Ave., Brunswick
Brut Camp, IPA (7%) & Get There From Here, Imperial Stout (9.1%)
Not quite ready to let go of the holiday season and need something to toast with? Brut Camp is back in the tasting room and at retailers across Maine. This annual New Year’s brew has a dry, bubbly body with notes of white grapes and hops.
Get There From Here, a tribute to the iconic Maine candy the Needham, is now available in 4-packs. This imperial stout is brewed with toasted coconut, cacao nibs, and mashed potatoes and clocks in at 9.1% so don’t drink and fly.
Foundation Brewing Company
1 Industrial Way #5, Portland
Favorite Flannel IPA (6.5%)
This 6.5% crusher packs a majorly fruit-forward punch, with sparkling notes of full pulp OJ and Orangina. Smooth, light-bodied, and easy drinking, Favorite Flannel IPA is an après-ski dream.
Maine Beer Company
525 US-1, Freeport
Another One, IPA (7%)
Brewed with Cascade, Citra, and Simcoe hops, Another One has aromas of pineapple, mango, and guava.
Mast Landing Brewing Company
920 Main St., Westbrook and 200 Lower Main St., Freeport
My Exact Style, Triple IPA (9.6%) & Fresh Powder, Double Dry Hopped IPA (6.9%)
If you love the extreme end of the juicy hazy spectrum, then My Exact Style is the triple IPA for you. The triple dry-hopping pattern crisscrosses and overlaps, featuring Citra, El Dorado, Strata, and Idaho 7 hops.
Is there anything more exciting than the first tracks after a New England snowstorm? Fresh Powder captures soft, fluffy joy and is a smooth, refreshing IPA to welcome the winter.
Nonesuch River Brewing Company
201 Gorham Rd., Scarborough
My Beer to Be, New England IPA (6.1%) & Endless Summer Version 2, Kölsch (5.2%)
A bright citrus aroma of Galaxy, golden raspberry, and lemon meringue are the primary flavors elegantly bestowed upon My Beer to Be.
Endless Summer Version 2 is a Kölsch-style ale, smooth and full-bodied, yet light and refreshing. It’s a beer that is very much an ale but also moonlights as a lager. A slightly heavy hand in the whirlpool brings out ample notes of citrus from the blend of traditional and non-traditional hops.
Maine Beer in the News
Hidden Cove is changing hands, and one brewery is entering Portland while another one exits. Sebago, we get why, but we’re not gonna lie, this hurts. Best wishes to you and all your Portland staff! We’ll miss you!
Sebago Brewing closing its Portland brewpub
The company said it plans to use the proceeds from the sale of its Fore Street building to upgrade its three other brewpubs and Gorham brewery.
Hidden Cove has been sold to Batson River Brewing & Distilling
Batson River has big plans and renovations for the brewery and tasting room.
A second Stars & Stripes location is coming to the Old Port
It will feature all of their Freeport-brewed beer, wine, Prosecco on tap, and light food options.
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
