Beercation Portland, ME

Not to mention a $1.50 bus

 

So it looks like I will be heading up to Portland Saturday with my wife for a quick night away. I am not totally sure when we will get to town, but I would really like to bring back some Bissell Bros. I see that there is a Swish release at the brewery on Saturday, which is great, but my wife is not going to be up for spending 2 (or more) of our precious kid-free hours waiting for beer she won't be drinking, so what should I expect? If we got to Industrial Way at 2 or 3 are we likely to see a large line, and is there likely to be any beer left?

Much though I would love to get some Swish, I would be pretty happy walking away with some Substance and maybe finding Swish on tap somewhere, so if there is a way to do that without even going to the brewery I would consider it and aim for a return trip that would be more beer-focused. I have not been to Portland in probably 10 years, so I am excited for some great beer and food.

As for food, how tough will it be/how early do we need to go to get walk-in table for 2 for dinner at Eventide, Central Provisions, or Fore Street? What would be your first choice of that group, with minimal consideration for beer taken into account?

 

I agree! A couple of other Boston places in addition to Shojo:

StripT's in Watertown has excellent ramen everyday now and they usually have some Asian dishes available at dinner. Comparable to Shojo. No draft beer. Their bottle list is tiny but decent - Lagunitas, Hitachino, Oskar Blues, Brooklyn Brewery, etc.

Backbar in Somerville has ramen on weeknights but limited hours, I think. (And they did a one-off vegetarian miso ramen last week.) No draft beer but they have a small nicely curated bottle list, and, of course, excellent cocktails. Last time I went they had about 20 bottles available and a couple of large-format Belgian bottles (Fantome & Brouwerij de Glazen Toren).

I've done BYOB at Wang's Fast Food in Somerville in the past but I'm not completely sure that's kosher...

 

@ommegoodness — if you haven't done so already, sign up for emails from http://bier-cellar.myshopify.com/. They get Substance drops pretty regularly and you can usually place a hold for a couple four-packs through the email newsletter link.

Fore Street is one of my favorite restaurants ever; while reservations are surely a no-go at this point, the restaurant is pretty big so you may have a shot walking in; I'd give them a call and ask what the best time to go is.

 

At Central Provisions you give them your cell # and they will text you when a table is ready. It works out well since there are so many other bars in a very close proximity to have a drink at while you wait.

 

I don't know how desirable Swish is vs. Baby Genius and Substance, but we were at the brewery around 9:30 - 10 a.m. on a Saturday this summer and they were sold out of both (a BG release day, apparently). There was still a substantial line for tastings (Baby Genius was still available for tasting) but it was well-managed and fun enough for a line, but kinda slow due to the layout and having only one person serving. People were still loading up their hauls when we got there (parked at Allagash) and it seemed akin to a swarm of locusts - a mass invasion that moved on quickly once the goal was achieved. By noon time, it was pretty quiet. Obviously I don't know how much that varies.

 

Been there on vacation in November. Maine Beer Company was just the best I've tried. Dunno if you can find it in Portland though, I went straight to their brewery near Freeport. I also went to Acadia, loved that Cadillac Mountain Stout (and actually drove to Cadillac Mountain a couple of times).

 

Last 2 Swish sales have lasted all day, given one was mid week. Check their twitter feed as they update regularly as to how much they have left, but you have a shot.

 

Yup. Last release showed up earlyish to a silly long line. Laughed and went to oxbow instead. Came back later to no line and still a full allocation of swish and epiphany.

 

Couldn't find any Epiphany when I was there

 

Got to make it up there soon.

 

Bier Cellar just got Gose Gone Wild in according to their newsletter; can place a hold online. Get after it!

 

I just wanted to pop in and say thanks to everyone, especially @dantonbrown. My fiance and I are road-tripping from Chicago up to Boston, Vermont, and Portland in July and all of this was very helpful in the planning we've done so far.

 

Silly question, but I am not seeing it on their website - will Foundation fill any (clean, standard-size) growler? Do I need to bring my own caps for screw-tops? Any other breweries that are worth bringing my growlers along? Thanks to MA "laws" I have quite the collection, although I don't typically keep the caps.

 

ME is just like MA -- breweries can only fill their own branded growlers.

 

Gratitude is best shown in Loons, but I'd settle for Transient brews if you're nearby... so damn tasty. If there are local brews that you'd want me to set aside to do an IP when you're in town give me a holler. Keep an eye on BeerThisWeek and PortlandFoodMap the week before you get into town to get the low-down on any brewery releases, tap-takeovers, etc.

 

Being able to find Lunch on tap on almost every corner is one of the best parts of any trip to Portland.

 

Nice. I hope they really expand in the next few years, they certainely deserve too. But they seem pretty stubborn.

 

5 best breweries in the area (all within a 20 minute drive from downtown Portland):

1.) Maine Beer Company (Freeport, ME)
2.) Allagash (Riverside Industrial Park, Portland, ME)
3.) Foundation (Riverside Industrial Park, Portland, ME)
3.) Austin Street (Riverside Industrial Park, Portland, ME)
4.) Rising Tide (East Bayside, Portland, ME)
5.) Oxbow Blending & Bottling (East End, Portland, ME)

* I'm fully aware I am not including one of the Industrial Park breweries on my list and that is intentional.

5 best bars for a beer in the area:

1.) Novare Res Bier Cafe (Old Port, Portland, ME)
2.) King's Head (Old Port, Portland, ME)
3.) Liquid Riot Bottling Company (Old Port, Portland, ME)
4.) Thirsty Pig (Old Port, Portland, ME)
5.) Great Lost Bear (Portland, ME)

5 best bottle shops in the area:

1.) Bier Cellar (Portland, ME)
2.) RSVP (Portland, ME)
3.) Friendly's Discount (Portland, ME)
4.) Craft Beer Cellar (Old Port, Portland, ME)
5.) Whole Foods (East Bayside, Portland, ME)

There are also so many killer restaurants that also have good beers on draught.