Oxbow Blending & Bottling

Oxbow Blending & BottlingOxbow Blending & Bottling
Oxbow Blending & BottlingOxbow Blending & Bottling
Bar, Beer-to-go

49 Washington Ave
Portland, Maine, 04101-2617
United States

(207) 350-0025 | map
oxbowbeer.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.28
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
63
pDev:
7.94%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Texasfan549:
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Rated by Texasfan549 from Texas

4.16/5  rDev -2.8%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.75

Mar 27, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.36 by DrStiffington from New Jersey

Jan 23, 2024
 
Rated: 4.47 by cratez from Canada (ON)

Sep 12, 2023
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Reviewed by Sheppard from Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Oxbow is probably my favorite place to hang of the breweries in Portland. It's chill, the beers are terrific, there's enough space to breath. The addition of the Duckfat Frite Shack has only cemented its place at the top for me. Selection might not be everyone's cup of tea as they obviously err towards Belgian and farmhouse styles with a healthy number of lagers mixed in. It works for me though.
Feb 07, 2023
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Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4/5  rDev -6.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
A short uphill walk from the brewery cluster. Co-located with a distillery, a metering, and a fruit shack. Tap room is carved out of the production space, so you can overlook stacks and stacks of barrels that are on display. Long bar, laid back vibe, a bit dark. House flights available. Some outdoor seating options. Good service. No food ( from the brewery) but some killer salt & vinegar chips are available.
Nov 29, 2022
 
Rated: 4.25 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Oct 04, 2022
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Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

4.01/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
stopped in for a few beers on a Saturday afternoon. Like most breweries, an industrial type building, but it's got some character. Entrance is down alley, Duckfat has a stand next door where you can order fries and such to-go to eat at the brewery. Both and outdoor and indoor bar. Inside there are rows of wooden tables for seating. Nice selection of beers on tap, mostly Saisons, Farmhouse, Barrel-aged Sours, Belgian styles. The couple of beers I drank were quite good.
Sep 04, 2021
 
Rated: 4.8 by jcoleMA66 from Massachusetts

Aug 31, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by Griffith from Connecticut

Nov 01, 2020
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Reviewed by josephammon from New York

4.57/5  rDev +6.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5
Stopped by twice on a recent visit to Portland. They’ve got a fair amount of outside seating set up, which was great to see during these times. Looked to have more space than some of the other breweries and tap rooms closer to the harbor. Some benches, each with their own heat lamp, plus a few spots with fire pits. They also had some barrels to stand next to and use as table space in the front to hold the extra crowd. Host was pretty good about getting your name and info and trying to move you to a barrel space while waiting for a table to open.

They had six beers on tap plus at least twenty different bottles for drinking there or taking to go. If you know Oxbow, you know they skew heavy towards the farmhouse and saison. Had a few different drafts. The FPA, plus a blend of some smoked ales called Goods from the Woods that was excellent. Also bought a bunch of bottles to bring home plus a four pack of their pilsner, Luppolo.

A local restaurant had a few items to eat. Got a duck burger that was quite excellent.
Oct 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4.46 by REVZEB from Illinois

Oct 10, 2019
 
Rated: 4.07 by ScaryEd from New Hampshire

Sep 26, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

Sep 07, 2019
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Reviewed by rudzud from Massachusetts

3.84/5  rDev -10.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3 | selection: 4.25
Guess I never got around to reviewing this place. Place is relatively dimly lit fair amount of spacious seating, however, the bar seating tends to be rather cramped. Various trendy modern art type decoration on the walls seems a little weird and out of place. Beers are always solid and there is a rather large selection available with some guest taps as well. They also sell bottles to go though the prices are a bit steep. I believe they had someone selling Belgian style fries outside which was always delicious.

My primary issue with the place is the service. Every trip there in recent memory was rather poor ordering experience. It's one thing to be ignored/brushed off when the place is packed, however, when it's not that busy service like that is fairly inexcusable. I don't recall this being an issue when they first opened either. That in itself is reason enough to be leery about going out of my way to come back. A quick trip through when in the area is one thing but spending an extended amount of time here I think not.
Sep 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.82 by Rifugium from North Dakota

Jul 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4.37 by Beersilio from Massachusetts

May 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by Tmappin from Canada (NS)

Mar 12, 2018
 
Rated: 4.32 by orangesol from Pennsylvania

Oct 30, 2017
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Reviewed by Bhindthelens from Illinois

4.23/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Loved this place. A bit hard to find, but great rustic and chill vibe. Bottle counter was efficient and staff was nice. Great beer list and they had a few collaborations as well as guest beers.
Oct 26, 2017
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Reviewed by jhavs from New York

4.34/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5
Nice, open, big bar, great set up for take out bottles that keeps the line flowing.

Not super easy to find, located behind a meadery down a small alley. Small neon open sign near the door. Large Oxbow Blending on the wall to the side is not really visible from the street.

They had food options, mostly small appetizer style plates, I did not try any. Lots of swag for sale.

Their brews are all top quality and they had a nice selection of their own brews and some guest options available on tap and in bottles. Had multiple size pours from 4oz-12 oz.

The service was not super fast, they helped me right away but I noticed some guests kinda wondering what to do. They couldn't figure out if someone was going to help them at the bar or if they were supposed to go wait in the retail to-go line. Staff didn't greet them quickly and continued stacking glasses. Once they interacted the staff was friendly and helpful. They were knowledgeable.
Aug 29, 2017
 
Rated: 4.37 by BEERMILER12 from Maine

Apr 08, 2017
 
Rated: 4.14 by sbuchert from Massachusetts

Feb 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.47 by Inglewood from Illinois

Jan 09, 2017
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Reviewed by wisrarebeer from Wisconsin

4.55/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Nice place with decent selection of beer and large sitting area. Beer for take away was a plus. Stopped by during the week but still had a good vibe with killer music and good conversation from waitstaff.
Dec 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.86 by madelf66 from Pennsylvania

Nov 14, 2016
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Reviewed by Tommyboy555 from Maine

3.14/5  rDev -26.6%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4.25 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5
I am a big fan of Oxbow's beers and was looking forward to refilling my growler and enjoying some super-fresh beers in a cool location. Unfortunately, the service and vibe that day was not great. Maybe it was because a Beer Tour had just departed and the staff needed to catch their breath but seriously ... there were only three other customers in the building and there were three staffers. Yet. We. All. Waited. And waited. And waited to be greeted and served. When we were finally asked for our orders, we had to listen to the staff grouse about all the hard the work they just did with the Beer Tour group (abut 20 people I saw departing on my way in). The beer was great as expected -- Oxbow is wonderful, across the board. But then I was told they will no longer fill Oxbow growlers at this Oxbow location. No reason given, just "Sorry, we don't do that anymore." After some cajoling, the bartender grudgingly refilled my growler but snapped, "This is the last one. Go to Newcastle next time." Sorry. But there won't be a next time for me.
Oct 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.03 by Gkruszewski from New York

Sep 17, 2016
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Reviewed by Davepoolesque from Massachusetts

4.39/5  rDev +2.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Huge open area with barrels along one side. A long bar basically goes the whole length with a bunch of tables filling out the space. Rustic, lots of wood. Really good decorations behind the bar. Solid selection of in house and guest drafts. Good bottle list.
Sep 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.15 by mig100 from Texas

Jul 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.27 by Lambdon from Pennsylvania

Jun 29, 2016
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Reviewed by PHBoiler from Illinois

4.11/5  rDev -4%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
The property is difficult to find with no signage on the street as it lies behind the two neighboring buildings. It isn't much to look at from the outside. It's essentially a pole building with a bar. Very industrial look and feel with minimal lighting. The vibe doesn't match farmhouse beers. Incredibly loud house music playing. There wasn't much to see in the non-taproom area. The beer selection was impressive including Belgian beers along with a wide variety of Oxbow offerings. The to-go bottle selection was good with the inclusion of 750 mL pre-filled "growlers" and a few farmhouse ales. The pricing on the to-go bottles is in the upper end for 500 mL. The staff was prompt and courteous. Overall, the vibe just isn't what I'd expect for farmhouse ales.
Jun 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4.14 by zimm421 from Ohio

Jun 21, 2016
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Reviewed by ArkyVaughan from New Jersey

4.24/5  rDev -0.9%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
The Oxbow Portland location is a tremendous place. Huge space with a beautiful bar, plenty of picnic table seating, and a nice view of the barrel house. When we went on a Sunday afternoon, they had a DJ - the music was very good and really fit the vibe, but it was a bit loud (I know, I'm getting old). The bartenders were very nice.
May 31, 2016
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Reviewed by PatAPalmer from Maine

4.86/5  rDev +13.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75
These guys have been rocking the scene for years now. Very happy they moved a tasting room out of the woods and down to the city! They are a must try in the Portland beer market.
May 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.13 by NYR-Zuuuuc from Connecticut

Apr 11, 2016
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Reviewed by jenrhart from Minnesota

3.34/5  rDev -22%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.25
Stopped at Oxbow given all the hype on a two week long beergrimige across the U.S. I was extremely disappointed. They only had an array of sessions to offer, all of which tasted about the same, and none of which were particularly good. Wish I'd passed this one up.
Apr 09, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by schroeder1200 from New Jersey

Mar 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.78 by RePhil from Massachusetts

Mar 24, 2016
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Reviewed by benbazi from California

5/5  rDev +16.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Super unique space with friendly knowledgeable staff. Killer selection of oxbow brews and other rare beers from around the globe. Fun place to hang and even more fun when there is a live band. I also enjoyed the original art.
Feb 12, 2016
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Reviewed by ESCO138 from California

4.13/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
Awesome place, the staff are always pleasant, engaging and knowledgeable about the beer. The beer was good and selection was also pleasant plus the Hip Hop on the speakers made my experience that much better.
Jan 23, 2016
Oxbow Blending & Bottling in Portland, ME
Place rating: 4.28 out of 5 with 63 ratings