Are Shipyard and Magic Hat struggling?

Dude! Are you having trouble keeping track of which brewery is which in this thread?!

Hard pressed to find Magic hat on tap in Burlington?

 

Nothing to do with their own sales, though, which had seen a big boost in recent years from integration with the Deathwish Coffee brand. They're gone because Mendecino owned them -- and subsequently their building and equipment -- and THEY went under.

 

Huh? Shipyard on tap is pretty common at bars and restaurants in Portland...

 

I wasn't looking for it in either place, but I don't recall seeing it either.

All local beers, but by local I mean Bissell, Mast Landing, Hill Farmstead, River Roost...etc.

 

Just picked a favorite place in both places, I see the usual suspects, but not Shipyard or Magic Hat...are you talking about dive bars?

https://www.littletaphouse.com/beer

http://www.farmhousetg.com/beer-bar/craft-beer/

 

Cherry picking to fit your argument, no? One place in each city doesn’t exactly fit the bill of “hard pressed.”

 

Shipyard is in every bar/restaurant in Portland (other than the few that BA's tend to choose). And Shipyard summer bottles seem to always fill the recycling bin at the rental house my brother owns. I haven't bought any other than a Finder on tap this past summer.

 

They were massively underutilizing their brewing capacity. They had lost a lot of contract work in the years prior to the bankruptcy. But the point is, capital structure and ownership matter.

 

[QUOTE="SunDevilBeer, post: 6180408, member: 2050"
The thing with Ringwood is that it gets crashed too early (to speed up the brewing process) which results in the dreaded D-word (diacetyl). But, if you treat it right, Ringwood should work just fine to produce clean, mild British style ales - which I know aren't exactly the most popular beers in the beergeek world right now.[/QUOTE]

Very true, I have made a couple of clean beers with Ringwood... but I did a diacetyl rest at 72F before crash cooling (a step I suspect MH skips). I was once tasked to make a clone of Old Thumper for a wedding. We did a side by side with the commercial product after kegging and it was unanimous that my clone was better.. no magical skills there, just not being in a hurry.

 

http://novareresbiercafe.com/draught/

https://www.slabportland.com/

Mash Tun's tap list below




And if you're going to say "These are all beer bars" (Slab isn't), these places don't just have trendy craft beers. Most of those lists have the ubiquitous and simple, Allagash White for example.

Here's the beer bar in Somerville where I live that has arguably the best tap list in town, with the likes of Trillium on tap routinely. You know what you'll also find? Harpoon IPA.

http://www.fivehorsestavern.com/somerville/

I still stand by the fact that Shipyard is not on tap at many bars in Portland. It's a great beer city, with lots of local beers on tap, and keeps up with the times from my multiple experiences there. That being said, they'll still have beers like Allagash White, so it's not like they DON'T have larger brands there like Shipyard. They just don't have Shipyard.

You might find Shipyard on tap at Mathew's. Maybe.


I'm not as well versed on Burlington, and while I wasn't looking for Magic Hat, I recall seeing more Heady Topper and Hill Farmstead at each bar than anything.

 

Most/many restaurants and bars have Shipyard on tap in Portland.

I've lived in Portland for over 30 years and, let me guess, you've made some trips and now are an expert on all things Portland.

If you want to keep cherry picking add Novare Res to your list...

 

Name 4 that have Shipyard on tap, I've named 4 that don't.

I've lived in Somerville for almost 10 years, and my home town is Wakefield, I lived there for 27 years, and I return there every couple of weeks. There's places constantly popping up that are new, and the culture is always evolving, especially in Somerville. There are plenty of things I don't know about either one.

I won't claim to be an expert on Portland, but I have been there several times in the last decade, including about six trips in the last couple of years, in which I typically hit up ~40 restaurants/bars during each trip.

Again, I LIVE in Somerville and can't make that claim, because I'm not vacationing there.

I did. How is Novare Res, one of the more popular bars in Portland, cherry picking? It's a beer town...not to mention there's craft beer EVERYWHERE in the US. That's like saying I'd be cherry picking bars if I mentioned Redbones in Somerville.

I get everyone's point, I went too far by saying "hard pressed". But I don't think it's that far fetched to say that Shipyard is not a common tap handle in Portland. And it's not like I go to JUST beer bars when I'm up there...I'll hit up hotel bars and I even went to Mathew's the last time I was there.

 

I don't see Magic Hat on tap around here very often, fwiw

 

https://shipyard.com/beer-finder/

Quick search in Portland returns a ton of results..


Business Name Address Phone Distance Map

• SY Export Ale
• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

2. CORNER ROOM 110 EXCHANGE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)879-4747 0.1 mi Map

• SY Finder

3. GRILL ROOM 84 EXCHANGE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)774-2333 0.1 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

4. ANTHONYS ITALIAN KITCHEN 151 MIDDLE ST STE 5
PORTLAND, ME (207)774-8668 0.2 mi Map

• SY Export Ale

5. DAVIDS RESTAURANT 22 MONUMENT SQ
PORTLAND, ME (207)773-4340 0.2 mi Map

• SY Export Ale

6. THIRSTY PIG 37 EXCHANGE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)773-2469 0.2 mi Map

• SY Summer Ale

7. AURA 121 CENTER ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)772-8274 0.2 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

8. FUJI RESTAURANT 29 EXCHANGE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)773-2900 0.2 mi Map

• SY Export Ale

9. MAINE LOBSTER SHACK 425 FORE ST STE E
PORTLAND, ME (207)835-0700 0.2 mi Map

• SY Summer Ale

10. BLYTH AND BURROWS 26 EXCHANGE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)318-7815 0.2 mi Map

• SY Finder

11. PATS PIZZA 30 MARKET ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)699-4455 0.2 mi Map

• SY Export Ale
• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

12. PORTLAND REGENCY INN 20 MILK ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)774-4200 0.2 mi Map

• SY Export Ale
• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

13. BULL FEENEYS 375 FORE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)773-7210 0.3 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

14. BONFIRE 37 WHARF ST
PORTLAND, ME (877)653-7678 0.3 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

15. PEARLS 444 FORE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)210-6555 0.3 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

16. OLD PORT SLICE BAR 420 FORE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)653-3612 0.3 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

17. DRINK EXCHANGE THE 43 WHARF ST
PORTLAND, ME (877)653-7678 0.3 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

18. RIVALRIESLLC 10 COTTON ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)774-6044 0.3 mi Map

• SY Finder
• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

19. FOREPLAY SPORTS PUB 436 FORE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)780-1111 0.3 mi Map

• SY Export Ale
• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

20. BRIAN BORU 57 CENTER ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)780-1506 0.3 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale
• SY Summer Ale

21. PORTLAND HARBOR HOTEL 468 FORE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)775-9090 0.3 mi Map

• SY Export Ale

22. PIZZARINO 505 FORE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)536-1189 0.3 mi Map

• SY Export Ale

23. OLD PORT TAVERN 11 MOULTON ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)774-0444 0.3 mi Map

• SY Export Ale
• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

24. AMIGOS MEXICAN RESTAURANT 9 DANA ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)772-0772 0.3 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale
• SY Summer Ale

25. TOMASOS CANTEEN 18 HAMPSHIRE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)879-2810 0.3 mi Map

• SY Finder

26. BINGAS STADIUM SMOKEHOUSE 77 FREE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)347-6072 0.3 mi Map

• SY Finder
• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

27. SPECTRA CROSS INSURANCE ARENA 1 CIVIC CENTER SQ
PORTLAND, ME (207)775-3458 0.3 mi Map Map

• SY Old Thumper

29. EVENTIDE OYSTER CO 86 MIDDLE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)774-8538 0.3 mi Map

• SY HOPPY PRIDE

30. BILLS PIZZA 177 COMMERICAL ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)774-6166 0.3 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

31. MAYO STREET ARTS 10 MAYO ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)615-3609 0.3 mi Map

• SY Export Ale
• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

32. HI BOMBAY 1 PLEASANT ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)772-8767 0.3 mi Map

• SY Export Ale

33. ROSIES RESTAURANT & PUB 330 FORE ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)772-5656 0.3 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

34. COMMERCIAL STREET PUB 129 COMMERCIAL ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)772-9414 0.3 mi Map

• SY Export Ale
• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

35. VERANDA NOODLE HOUSE 245 COMMERCIAL ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)838-4609 0.3 mi Map

• SY Summer Ale

36. MUSE PAINTBAR 245 COMMERCIAL ST
PORTLAND, ME (781)999-0889 0.3 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

37. COAST WATCH & GUIDING LGT 170 COMMERCIAL ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)774-6498 0.3 mi Map Map Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

40. OLD PORT SEA GRILL 93 COMMERCIAL ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)879-6100 0.3 mi Map Map

• SY Finder

42. HILTON GARDEN INN 65 COMMERCIAL ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)780-0780 0.3 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

43. GILBERTS CHOWDER HOUSE 92 COMMERICAL ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)871-5636 0.3 mi Map Map

• SY Export Ale

45. ANDYS PUB 94 COMMERCIAL ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)874-2639 0.4 mi Map

• SY Export Ale

46. JS OYSTER 5 PORTLAND PIER
PORTLAND, ME (207)772-4828 0.4 mi Map

• SY Export Ale

47. PORTHOLE REST COMEDY CONN 16 CUSTOM HOUSE WHARF
PORTLAND, ME (207)780-6533 0.4 mi Map Map Map

• SY Export Ale
• SY Summer Ale

50. RI RA IRISH PUB 72 COMMERICAL ST
PORTLAND, ME (207)761-4446 0.4 mi Map

• SY Pumpkinhead Ale

 

Don't know about shipyard, but magic hat has been going down hill quality wise for some time now. To my taste their beers seem false and lacking true flavors, almost like hop water or artificially flavored fruit drinks. Not beer.

 

Well, they are owned by North American Breweries, whose parent company is Fifco, of Costa Rico.

NAB is also the owner of Genesee (+Honey Brown/Dundee line), Pyramid, Portland (formerly "MacTarnahan's"), the Seagrams FMBs and the US importer (and sometimes brewer) of the Labatt brands - which makes them the Eighth largest brewing company in the US.

 

Well, I stand corrected.

With the caveats...

A) This assumes the beer finder is correct, which many times they aren't

B) Their most popular beer, Pumpkin Head, is in season. I can find it on tap at multiple places in Somerville too I'm sure this time of year

C) With the exception of some places like Thirsty Pig and Grill 23, many of those are hotels or dive bars.

But you'd also be "hard pressed" to find Bud Light on tap in Somerville...unless you go to Sligo's, Orleans, Mike's...

I will concede that you will not be hard pressed to find Shipyard on tap, especially at dive bars and in the fall.

But I will still stand by the fact that Shipyard is not a ubiquitous tap offering in Portland like, say, Allagash.

 

Goes to Portland for a long weekend 2-3 times a year to stuff his face at the same 6-10 eateries all the New England beer tourists go to and drink at the same few beer bars all the New England beer tourists go to. Is expert. Tells locals what's what.

 

They are all beer bars though. Is the next beer menu you cite going to be Armsby Abbey?

Quickly just did a "find it" query on Untappd around Portland for Shipyard's Pumkinhead Ale. There are plenty of results including Bull Feeney's, Portland Beer Hub, Binga's Stadium, The Great Lost Bear, and others. Can we move on now?

 

I’ve probably been to over 60 different places in Portland if not more over the years, and typically each year I go, about half of the places I frequent are new to me. But yeah 6 - 10 is about right.

I also make it a point to ask locals where to go.

And again, I also don’t think locals are necessarily always the best to ask either. Because they tend to go to their favorite places continuously.

For example, I live in Somerville and still haven’t been to some of the best restaurants like Sarma, because either it’s not the kind of food I like, or I’m frequently returning to favorite spots. A well researched tourist may likely hit up more places than I’ve been to in the last ten years. Especially newer ones.

Again, not claiming I’m an expert, or know more than a local necessarily, but it is possible for a well seasoned tourist to have some knowledge of an area.