Apple picking—it sounds great in theory, but we find our enthusiasm starts to wane as we realize we’ll soon be home with bushels of apples piled up accusingly on our kitchen counters, judging us, as we hunt through cabinets and drawers for cookies, chips, you name it. That’s why we prefer to spend our weekends picking our next beer, and this week there are so many amazing new releases to choose from across the state!
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
This week, we’re excited for a double beer release at Allagash (including one inspired by our favorite cocktail, the Old Fashioned), an IPA brewed to benefit a cancer charity, and an Oktoberfest celebration of beer, food, and music.
Thursday, October 1
Bissell Brothers Brewing Company
4 Thompsons Point, #108, Portland
Rising Hope, IPA (6.5%)
This IPA was brewed to support the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
Foundation Brewing Company
1 Industrial Way #5, Portland
Forest City Lager, American Lager (5.2%)
The Missing Piece is a wet-hopped American Pale Ale brewed with 100% Maine ingredients, including Maine-grown barley and wheat, fresh whole-cone Cascade from Aroostook County, and house ale yeast.
Outland Farm Brewery
404 Phillips Corner Road, Pittsfield
Oktoberfest, October 1-3
Outland Farm is releasing their 100% Maine-grown Oktoberfest lager to celebrate the season, and will be serving it (and any other beer on tap) in specialty branded half-liter steins that you get to keep when you leave. Mr. Shish Kebab Food Truck & Catering will have a specialty German-inspired menu all weekend to keep your belly full and there will be live music Saturday night starting at 5 p.m.
Friday, October 2
Allagash Brewing Co.
50 Industrial Way, Portland
Bijoux/World on a String Release
Bijoux is a wild ale aged in oak barrels for 18 months. Then, a blend of Mission and Golden figs is added and the beer rests for another four months. After aging, Bijoux displays an aroma of tart fruit and a flavor that conjures up peaches, figs, apricots, and a hint of pie crust. Available in 375ml bottles.
World on a String was inspired by a classic cocktail: the Old Fashioned. This amber ale is brewed with orange peel and aged in bourbon barrels. A hint of citrus, a whiff of bourbon, a touch of spice, and you’ve got memories that’ll last until the day after forever. Available in four-packs of 12 oz bottles.
Definitive Brewing Company
35 Industrial Way, Portland and 318 US Route 1, Kittery
Float, Double IPA (8%)
This full-bodied double IPA is dry-hopped with Citra and a blend of Simcoe and Loral cryo pellets. Plush on the tongue, this beer tastes and smells like lemon-citrus raindrops, tropical hibiscus petals, and a day floating down the river! This is the last batch until spring, so don’t miss out! Cans and draught pours will be available in Portland on Friday and Kittery on Saturday.
Saturday, October 3
Threshers Brewing Co.
22 Main St., Searsmont
Rockin’ Under the Stars with DJ Willie
Come have some of your favorite Threshers Brewing beer in their beautiful beer garden and listen to some great tunes while we still have some reasonably warm weather! No cover, but the event is capped at a max of 50 people in order to promote safe social distancing.
New Releases
New releases this week include a classic Grisette farmhouse ale, a New England IPA named for our state bird—the mighty chickadee—two anniversary beers, and one triple IPA that is definitely NSFW.
Featured Beer Release
Fogtown Brewing Company
25 Pine St., Ellsworth
Black Is Beautiful, Imperial Stout (10%)
Black Is Beautiful is a strong imperial stout, complex and rich, made with caramel and dark chocolate malts and Maine-grown wheat and oats. Brewed in collaboration with Atlantic Brewing Company, Black Is Beautiful was created by Weathered Souls Brewing Co. in San Antonio, Texas, to raise awareness for the injustices that people of color face and to raise funds for community organizations that are fighting for racial justice, equality, and inclusion. All proceeds will be donated to Maine Community Foundation, Black P.O.W.E.R. (formerly Black Lives Matter Portland), and Maine NAACP.
Atlantic Brewing Company
15 Knox Rd., Bar Harbor and 52 Cottage St., Bar Harbor
Harbor Hopper, IPA (7.4%)
Atlantic Brewing Company just released their newest brew, Harbor Hopper, a citrusy, fruity IPA brewed with Idaho 7, Azacca, and Ekuanot hops with balanced notes of tropical fruit and earthy pine.
Battery Steele Brewing
1 Industrial Way Units 12 and 14, Portland
Inbye, Grisette (4.6%)
This rustic farmhouse beer is back in cans! Brewed with a blend of French pilsner malts, wheat and hopped with Cardinal, Savinjski Goldings and Baba Rouge, this traditional French beer is balanced, crisp, and refreshing.
Boothbay Craft Brewery
301 Adams Pond Rd., Boothbay
Awe-Spray, Fruit Beer (6.5%)
Inspired by the Osprey, Awe-Spray is brewed with native strawberries, cranberries, rhubarb, and honey to create a refreshing nectar that showcases the brewery’s love for nature, wholesome living, and shared passions for a craft that brings people together to celebrate. This beer was brewed in collaboration with Dogfish Head Brewery families in celebration of Boothbay Craft’s 10th anniversary, and Dogfish Head’s 25th anniversary.
Flight Deck Brewing
11 Atlantic Ave., Brunswick
Sea to Summit, Lager (5.5%)
The canning crew went a bit HAM at Flight Deck this week, canning not one, not two, but THREE new beers for our drinking pleasure. They include: Wings, a juicy New England IPA, Munich Layover, a Marzen Lager, and Reasonable Altitude, a Ginger-Lemongrass Sour.
Foundation Brewing Company
1 Industrial Way #5, Portland
Dee Dee Dee, New England IPA (6%) Foundation Brewing’s newest New England IPA features Galaxy, Columbus, and Chinook hops. Inspired by camping in the Maine woods, Foundation set out to brew an IPA with the dank, green flavor that harkens to the forest. Australian Galaxy hops provide that dankness you crave, and the Columbus and Chinook bring in juicier notes of pineapple and cantaloupe. This IPA is named Dee Dee Dee after the chickadee’s iconic chirp – a nod to our beloved state bird and fellow forest lover!
Flight Deck Brewing
11 Atlantic Ave., Brunswick
Light the Fires, Pale Ale (5.6%)
This Pale Ale is made with roasted poblano peppers, fresh-sliced jalapeños, and zested limes. Pepper flavors and heat up front give way to a smooth, citrusy finish. A balanced taste for spice lovers and heat aficionados alike.
Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Company
396 Fore St., Portland
Harbor Steam (6%) & County Wet Hop (5.5%)
Harbor Steam is a hybrid lager-ale that’s full-bodied, bubbly, and bodacious.
County Wet Hop is made with 60 pounds of freshly picked, organic Cascade hop cones from Aroostook Hop Farm, resulting in a tasty, unique ale.
Liquid Riot Bottling Company
250 Commercial St., Portland
NSFW (Not Safe for Work) Triple IPA (10%) & Blushing Star Special Reserve, Pilsner (7.5%)
NSFW, which is our favorite beer name of the week, is quadruple dry-hopped and features Cashmere, Mosaic, Citra, Armarillo, and Simcoe hops.
Blushing Star Special Reserve is being offered in a 1.5 L magnum bottle to celebrate five years of brewing the award-winning Blushing Star. This American Pilsner is aged in bourbon barrels with Brettanomyces and Maine-grown white peaches (Blushing Star peaches) from Kelly Orchards. Part of a small-batch limited reserve edition, it has been aged in Liquid Riot Old Port Bourbon barrel with even more delicious peaches.
Lone Pine Brewing Company
219 Anderson St., Portland and 48 Sanford Dr., Gorham
Chaos Emeralds, Double IPA (8%)
GABF Bronze Medal Winner Chaos Emeralds Double IPA is back! This juicy, hazy mango bomb has notes of grapefruit zest and subtle melon and is soft and smooth as its 8% ABV.
Marsh Island Brewing
2 Main St., Orono
5th Anniversary Beer, New England IPA
Brewed in honor of Marsh Island’s fifth anniversary, this New England IPA incorporates a blend of the South African hops African Queen and Southern Passion. This was their first time experimenting with these hops in any of their IPAs.
In addition, Marsh Island released their version of Black Is Beautiful, a Russian Imperial Stout brewed with cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and aged on oak.
Mason’s Brewing Company
15 Hardy St., Brewer
Hipster Apocalypse, IPA (5.7%)
Mason’s Brewing has released a collaboration with Hardshore Distilling Company that was three years in the making. Hipster Apocalypse is whiskey distilled from Mason’s flagship IPA with the addition of being dry-hopped with Mosaic hops to really enhance the citrus and pine notes.
Moderation Brewing
103 Maine St., Brunswick
Wicked Crispy, Lager (4.3%) & Tractor Rides, Amber Ale (7%)
Wicked Crispy is a light crisp lager that is the perfect easy-drinking beer and the label helps honor part of life at Moderation, which features various parts of the taproom hidden throughout. It’s Moderation’s “Where’s Waldo” on a can!
Tractor Rides is brewed with 100% Maine ingredients. This wet-hopped Amber Ale features fresh Comet Hops from The Hop Yard and is malty and toasty with a slight dank guava finish.
The Pour Farm
56 Crawfordsburn Lane, Union
Old Plaid Hat Ale
Take a drive to The Pour Farm and enjoy the stunning foliage en route. While you’re there, be sure to check out their newest release, Old Plaid Hat, which just wasn’t quite red enough in color for the brewers to be content with calling it a red ale.
Rising Tide Brewing Company
103 Fox St., Portland
Mountainside, IPA (6%)
As the season changes from summer to fall and on into winter, our attention shifts from the sea to the mountains. Mountainside IPA is the perfect companion for all your mountainside adventures.
Shipyard Brewing Company
86 Newbury St., Portland
Pink Shandy (4%)
Originally brewed as a refreshing summer brew to support the Maine Cancer Society and Tri-For-A-Cure, it received such a great response that Shipyard brewed more and will keep it available through October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A portion of all sales will go directly to reducing the impact of cancer.
SoMe Brewing Company
1 York St., Unit 3, York
Pumpkin Whoopie, Stout (6.3%)
Pumpkin Whoopie is SoMe Brewing’s fall version of their classic whoopie pie stout. Yes, it’s still got lactose, cocoa, and vanilla in it, but this time they added real pumpkin to the mash and a blend of fall spices to give it a real kick.
Tributary Brewing Co.
10 Shapleigh Rd., Kittery
Märzen Festbier, Lager (5.7%) & Hop Harvest, IPA
Tributary Brewing’s Märzen Festbier is a tawny-amber, boasting exquisite malt character reminiscent of rich, toasty bread that is balanced by a soft bitterness and a delicate floral aroma from Hallertau Mittelfrüh.
Hop Harvest is Tributary Brewing’s annual wet hop release. They work with the Hop Yard in Gorham to secure 120 pounds of freshly cut whole cone hops to create a vivacious amber ale. This year’s batch features 90 pounds of Cascade and 30 pounds of Comet used entirely on the hot side of the brewing process. The beer is crystal clear and deeply aromatic with a heaping load of tangerine and honeydew melon, with supporting nuances of blossoming flowers that round out this delightful brew.
Yes Brewing Company
609 Main St. Suite 2, Westbrook
Brook Ones (Part 2), DIPA (10%)
This is Yes Brewing’s first DIPA in almost a year. It has Mosaic, Cascade, and other hops packed into it and at 10%, this hazy DIPA is way smoother than it has any right to be.
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.
Outland Farm Brewery
404 Phillips Corner Road, Pittsfield
- HoME, Pale Lager (5.2%)
- Tedder, Saison (4.5%)
- Bine, Saison
The Pour Farm
56 Crawfordsburn Lane, Union
- Teleporter, Brown Porter (5.5%)
- Windsurfing Hippie Painkiller, Amber Ale (5.9%)
- Hildegard Ale, IPA (6.3%)
- Sunk Haze, New England IPA (6.3%)
- Rock Farm Rye, Rye Ale (6.9%)
- PTO, Blonde Ale (5.2%)
Sasanoa Brewing
61 Tarbox Rd., Westport Island
- Saison Vol. 1, Saison (5.7%)
- Big Island, Saison (5.5%)
- Lime Basil, Saison (5.2%)
- Bisquitte, Farmhouse Ale (6.2%)
Maine Beer in the News
This week, we celebrate a beer collaboration and the anniversaries of two breweries, watch people from away discover the joy that is drinking in Portland, and enjoy a brewfest in Gardiner (but from the comfort of your home).
Boothbay Craft Brewery, Dogfish Head celebrate 10th, 25th anniversaries
The Boothbay Craft Brewery and Dogfish Head Brewery families celebrated their respective 10th and 25th anniversaries together Sept. 26 with the release of their “second generation collaboration,” Awe-Spray.
This Small City Makes Booze You’ve Never Even Heard Of
Portland, Maine boasts a well-respected eatery ecosystem, an up-and-coming art scene, it’s walkable and historic, and it’s perched on the stunning Casco Bay.
The Swine & Stein Brewfest bags available for purchase
As 2020 proves to be a year unlike any other, the COVID-19 pandemic will prevent Gardiner Main Street from safely holding its popular Swine and Stein Brewfest in the streets of Gardiner.
We hope you enjoyed this edition of 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.
