Hello All, Heading to Maine this weekend for my families annual Columbus Weekend trip. Gonna hit Portland for the first time and try to check out some of the breweries. Heard pretty good things about Gritty's Pub,plus I like their Halloween Ale, so we are gonna do lunch there. Then I'd like to go to Allagash, Sebago, Shipyard, Casco Bay, and maybe Bunker. Not sure if I can get the family to go along with all that, we'll see. Any recommendations?? I'll be wearing a green Boston Red Sox ball cap, so if ya see me, say Hi. Can't wait.
Check this thread. Should be helpful with your trip. http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/visiting-portland-me-some-ideas.30751/
Allagash and Rising Tide would be my two. The folks at the latter are especially cool. If you go and do IPAs, check out their new Calcutta Cutter.
It's really not worth going to all of those breweries in one weekend, IMO. Brewery tours get pretty repetitive, so it's really about which has the best beer. That is Allagash by leaps and bounds, and their recent brewery renovations have made for a very nice visit. If you don't mind driving a little out of Portland to Freeport, Maine Beer Co would be second. Sebago, Shipyard, etc...will be readily available on tap elsewhere and they aren't in the same league anyway. I would spend the time hitting up Novare and In'finiti instead. If you want to try lots of Maine stuff in one place, Great Lost Bear usually has many local drafts.
(1) Maine Beer Co. in Freeport, ME. It's right off the highway and WELL WORTH the extra bit of trip. (2) Novare Res Bier Cafe in Portland, ME (Old Town). Hands down great spot. (3) Duckfat in Portland, ME (Old Town). More of a foodie joint, but good beers usually. (4) Greatl Lost Bear in Portland, ME (just outside of downtown). Very good beer selection.
Agreed. For a combination of quality of the beer and the vibe of the breweries, I'd say stick with Allagash, and/or Rising Tide and Bunker. Allagash is on the edge of town, and Rising Tide and Bunker are right around the corner from each other on the backside of the downtown. I really dug the vibe at Bunker on my visit there in May, but any of those breweries is a fun visit. Personally, I'd skip Gritty's, and head to Novare Res, the Great Lost Bear or Mama's Crowbar for a bar, or Local 188, East Ender or Duckfat for local beer and a good meal.
Good info in here. I'd definitely skip Gritty's - you can get the Halloween Ale at any supermarket, and there are countless places in the Old Port with much better beer and food - many listed above. Rising Tide and Bunker are both definitely worth a trip, and there is usually some great food available right there (If you find the Small Axe truck at Bunker- order lunch from them, you won't be disappointed). Allagash is also great, but it's a little ways out of town so it's more of a destination, whereas Rising Tide/Bunker are less than 10 minutes from the Old Port. Maine Beer Co. has great beer, but the tasting room experience is only mediocre, and I don't think they offer tours- plus, you can probably get most of their bottles at The Bier Cellar right in Portland. If you want to head up to LL Bean, then by all means, stop in at MBC, but I wouldn't drive all the way up there just for their tasting room.
If you only have the time for one brewery, go to Allagash. We loved Maine Beer Co. The tasting room is beautiful and clean and they had beers on tap that they don't bottle. It's also the only place I could find bottles of Another One or fresh bottles of Mo. Rising Tide didn't impress us with their beer, but it's certainly not bad beer and the girl at the counter was really nice. Then take a short walk to Bunker to see the kind of place you wish you had in your backyard to do your homebrewing... When I was there last week, the Whole Foods seemed like the only place in Maine where you could still buy Allagash Merveilleux, in case you're looking for a few bottles...
Their beer in 12 oz. bottles sold in supermarkets is subcontracted at Shipyard. There is a difference and I don’t buy it. The 22 oz. bottles are theirs from Freeport. The Halloween Ale on tap is great. The have a special 25th anniversary retro Halloween Ale called Monster Mash this year. There was some cask conditioned on tap at Portland last night.
Why do people continually lump Sebago in with all of the crappy, Pugsley-descendant breweries in Maine? I think that Sebago makes beer that is far better than Gritty's/Shipyard/Sea Dog/Geary's. Granted, their year-round lineup has some duds (Saddleback, Red Ale, Brown Ale) but Frye's Leap is a pretty solid Pale and some of their single-batch beers have been very good, in my opinion. Fresh Hopswap 2013 was one of the best IPAs from Maine I've ever tasted. Bonfire Rye is the best fall seasonal beer in Maine for my money. The Sebago restaurants are mediocre, but their beer is solid, clean, and, occasionally, very good.
Did someone mention up there, Shipyard does a video tour, not an actual tour (skip it!) and Casco Bay went out of business years ago?
Great call on Duckfat - those fries are crazy. I'd also add Standard Baking Company to the list - I'd put their baked goods up against anything else in New England - including the awesome hipster place across from me in Boston.
I was not lumping Sebago and Shipyard together except to say that beer from those breweries as well as other locals would be available on tap throughout the city. My opinion that Allagash is better also applied to other Portland-area breweries, not just those two.
Fair enough. I agree that Allagash is a great brewery. Very focused, well-executed beer, but by no means the be-all and end-all of Maine beer. I just wanted to point out that Sebago is putting out some solid stuff recently, and, in general, makes much better beer than the other "old-guard" Maine breweries/brewpubs.
