Banded Horn Appreciation

Had Daikaiju out of a growler some time last year, and was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't blown away, but it made an impression. Wonder if they changed the recipe since?

It's also a great name.

 

I have tried 3 of their stouts (Mountain, Norweald, and Jolly Woodsman, which is a mix of those two) and thought they were very solid, although not quite rising to the level of FBS. Plus they seem to be harder to find (and more expensive) than FBS, even in southern Maine.

Daikaiju is the remarkable beer to me - it's so tropical but at the same time so clean. In my mind it stands out from the crowd of hazy dIPA hop bombs by being so crisp on the finish. I'm not sure if it's better balance or just a lack of bitterness or what but to me it seems exceptionally smooth and easy to drink. Epiphany is still my favorite dIPA but I think Daikaiju demands some attention.

 

i went there a few weeks back, very cool vibe. i picked up some daikaiju, veridian, and had a pour of the collab with barreled souls. i regret not grabbing some of the stouts.

 

If you are in the area for dinner, Custom Deluxe is an amazing new restaurant that just opened last summer and was voted runner-up for best restaurant in Maine last year.

Despite being in the middle of town, Banded Horn is still unknown to most locals - all the regular Joes go to the local brewpub Run of the Mill. This is one of those huge restaurants that brews it's own beer, which is quite unremarkable. My wife works nearby and all of her departmental meetings and lunches are held here and the general consensus is that it's an OK place where everyone can find something to eat but nothing is good. Avoid it.

And I wholeheartedly agree that Barrelled Souls is worth a visit. For St Patricks Day they had a dozen stouts going, including 5 flavors that were aged in Woodford Reserve barrels.

 

Has anyone tried their pilsner?

 

I usually have a 4-pack of Luminaire in my fridge these days.

 

I'm a huge fan of Daikaiju. It's a nice variation on the New England IPA style. Yesterday I drove up to Bissell and Foundation, and then stopped at Banded Horn on the way home for my fix even though I'm lucky enough to live in their distribution area.

 

Yep. Liked it very much - scored it 4.18.
Was up in the Acadia area this past summer and had it on draft a number of times as I liked it so much.

 

Yeah, it was my go-to local pils last summer. Really excited they're canning it now. Also, Jolly Woodsman is definitely one of the best coffee stouts around NE.

 

I wholly agree that Banded Horn is underrated and specifically, would vouch for Daikaiju. Amarillo is a great hop that seems to have fallen under the radar behind the likes of Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy, and Nelson (not saying any of these hops are similar, just that they're trendy). Perhaps, this is due to smaller production of Amarillo. When I visited BH in September, I was very impressed with their offerings. Even their spruce tip pale ale was solid (Maine Pale ale????). Their space is awesome too. I guess location plays a big part in things. If people are committing to a beer trip in Southern Maine, I'm definitely pushing Banded Horn and Barreled Souls. Two breweries with nicer tap rooms and chill Maine environments. You can go to Banded Horn and have pizza from next door brought to you. Like, c'mon.

 

actually drinking a daikaiju right now

 

Thanks! I'll pick up a few singles and give a whirl next week hopefully. I try to at least hear SOMETHING about a new brewery/beer before I try it these days, especially a more delicate style such as a Pilsner.

 

i love coffee stouts and for the price Jolly Woodsman is at the top of the hill. BA Mountain is also really damn good.

 

Yeah Pepperell Pils is very good. I also enjoy their luminaire as a nice hoppy lager I can get locally since Jacks Abby skipped over NH for distro. Last summer/fall they had an EXCELLENT rauchbier, and followed that up with an Maerzen-style Okto with a small portion of smoked grain. Wish they had those on all year round.

 

Nice, this is great to hear. Can't wait to give their Pils a whirl. I snagged some 3 month old Pilsner Urquell this past weekend that is drinking fantastic. But I'll need some more Pilsners this weekend.

 

Banded Horn and Barreled Souls are two of Maine's best breweries, but couldn't be more different. Banded Horn is pumping out some great beers at scale that are widely available in the "Downeast" area of Maine - my only problem with them is that they seem to have an identity crisis going with 12 oz. bottles vs. 16 oz. cans. They also brew so many different types of beer that I'm not sure what their specialty is - that's not a bad thing, but again, it might be a branding issue that they might want to come to grips with as they continue to grow. Their hoppy beers are generally juicy and well crafted. Their stouts and darker stuff are on par with Trillium. I'm not as fond of their lighter stuff and pilsners but that's probably more personal choice - they all appear to be well-received. Their brewery is a totally great place to hang out and get growlers.

While this thread is about Banded Horn, Barreled Souls is just a mile or two away and couldn't be more different. Most, if not all of their beers spend some time in barrels - this is a concept I'm still digesting given the multitude of offerings they have available. I've really enjoyed everything I've had of theirs, but it's only available by growler or pints at their very cool brewery on Route 1 in Scarborough / Saco. I believe their identity crisis resides in that they are not yet at the point of bottling or canning so they haven't yet gained the visibility they ultimately deserve - they seem to have many beers available and I get the sense that they're coming from small batches (or barrels). I would love to try more of their beers, but I'm more of a "buy and take home type" so that limits me to growlers. I would love it if they would crank up some bottling ability and start some limited distro so more people could give them a try, or even just have bottles available at their brewery.