Marshall Wharf closes?

This is not good. I also would love to hear any updates.

 

Google is pretty easy friends:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/bangor...-maine-craft-beer-craze-goes-up-for-sale/?amp

 

That old google article doesn't really help.

On March 27 they posted the following:
"Surprised to hear folks think we have shuttered Three Tides & Marshall Wharf Brewing Company and are sailing off into the sunset. Couldn't be further from the truth. We are for sale, and have interested parties, BUT both businesses are OPEN regular hours and preparing for our best Summer yet. Oh yeah, our awesome staff is looking for help and we are currently accepting applications for Summer employment. Thanks!"

Then on April 18 they posted they are close and to "stay tuned." I'm assuming the OP is wondering if anyone has heard any news since then. I would also be interested in hearing any new info.

 

There hasn't been an update on their social media feeds since April. I'm guessing they are closed.

 

This is a real shame! I knew they were trying to sell, but...

Anyway, probably my favorite place to sit by the water, eat oysters and drink beer. A real one-of-a-kind place. I always thought the beer quality was a mixed bag, but I loved hanging there when I had the chance. (That roaring fire was the best)

Too bad an established Maine brewery didn’t have interest in it. (Too far up the coast?) It would have been neat to sit there and drink lines of Oxbow or something else great.

There is now a huge hole in Belfast in my opinion. I had hopes of making it up there one last time before they closed. Was the place not making a profit? Too bad.

 

Agree with what you posted. Went there a LONG time ago & enjoyed the whole experience, being outside & eating oysters, tho the beer was a bit overrated IMO.

Frankly I’d forgotten about the place but this thread brought back a nice memory of my one night there.

 

Are you sure they didn't? I haven't seen any details about who they might have sold to, assuming a sale occurred. From the earlier article, it sounded like the owners were open to several options, including selling the restaurant and brewery separately or just selling the brand.

 

I know nothing about the situation other than what is available in that article—maybe it IS being sold to another brewery. Time will tell, but right now it appears to be closed and no new information has been forthcoming. One would think an announcement of some sort would have been made by now if a sale was underway. But who knows, I’m just speculating.

 

That puts you ahead of about 80% of the BA population.

 

I’ll be staying in Lincolville Beach at the end of June, so I plan to hit Young’s Lobster Pond in Belfast one night. I’ll walk through downtown for sure—I’ll ask around. No doubt the locals will know something. I mean I’m not Sherlock Holmes or anything...

 

This is a shame to hear - I've been a fan of theirs for years - and have always felts I discovered them way too late - about six years ago! Their beers have very distinctive yeast / hop profiles and a generally pretty thick mouthfeel but they don't get the ratings. I've always tried to include them as extras in trades to help spread the word, but they really don't distribute further south than the Portland area - the problem now is that with the influx of all of the recent new entrants into the Maine can scene, they've been both pushed off the shelves and / or allocated less or no cooler space. They don't vary in style too much and definitely have a loser or two in their portfolio - Little Mayhem Stout is one to avoid...but I'm in Maine during much of June and July and am going to see what I see of their stuff is hanging around the shelves as Ace Hole, Can't Dog, Sexy Chaos and a few others are hidden gems and would be great to grab if they end up shuttering. And if they are still open in Belfast and you happen to be up there, it's a beautiful spot to stop in for a meal and a few pints.

 

They were looking to sell for $5 mil. Tough price for an established local brewery to pay to take it over. Probably not easy to find help in Belfast for the summer or anywhere in Maine so closing prior to saves on the unnecessary stress since they are looking to move on in life. Since they've been closed for a while now cans have not been seen anywhere. Fun spot back in the day.

 

One of my first trades was with Hopley for a can of Sexy Chaos. I always thought it was a mistake that they didn’t brew that a few times a year. I believe it was always a Valentine’s Day release which made it especially difficult to get since most people head up that way in the summer. I recall their Hefe being very good as well.

 

$5 mil!? I guess that explains why it didn’t sell.

 

They were a repeat buy early on when Bissell first started and Lunch was hard to come by, but they were very inconsistent. I remember getting multiple batches of Ace Hole and Can't Dog full of diacetyl. However, when they were on, they were some of the best NE hoppy beers at the time. Bummer to hear them closing.

 

I basically came here to say this. We used to own a condo in Stockton Springs and we spent many awesome nights at Marshall Wharf drinking beers by the harbor. sad to see them go.

 

Damn. I love Youngs.

 

From today's paper... https://bangordailynews.com/2019/06...lped-force-a-beloved-maine-brew-pub-to-close/

Sorry for the softpaywall.

 

Interesting:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/bangor...deal-that-could-reopen-three-tides-by-spring/

 

Potentially great news -- love that spot. Sounds like a shitload of work to be done though...

 

Good luck to the new owners. A few years ago, we spent a week in Belfast at Front Street Shipyard and visited often. My wife says they better have the hard boiled eggs on the bar like they used to.

 

That is no joke to get the building above the floodplain. I wonder the ease of jacking up the building like they plan on, rather than demolishing the first floor and reinforcing the existing columns, then expanding outward for an expanded second story. I've never been and maybe the brewing equipment needs the full 2 stories, but man that building must be delicate at its age and subjected to salt water from time to time. It could fall apart while jacking it up if they're not careful.

 

Historic structures are jacked up and moved all the time. Paying for it is the bigger issue.

 

Apparently just reopened under the new ownership
https://bangordailynews.com/2020/08...terfront-brewery-reopens-under-new-ownership/

In other ME brewery news it appears Brewery Extrava in Portland is for sale
https://www.bizbuysell.com/Business-Opportunity/Turnkey-Brewery-in-Portland-Maine/1780193/

 

That was quick, yeesh.

 

Yikes, the August/Sept Yankee Brew News features Extrava.

 

The place just opened like a year ago...the listing says the reason for sale is owners with “diverging” interests or something like that.

 

I was wondering exactly what that meant when I read it. Are the interests diverging between them or are their collective interests diverging away from a brewery? Did they realize that creating a non IPA based brewery is harder than they thought? I wish I had $750K and knew how to brew beer

 

Im a strong proponent of companies that want to exist outside of the norm and create (or fill) a niche, but Portland with Allagash and Oxbow already scratching this Belgian/Farmhouse niche? That’s a tough sell.

It’s too bad. I actually have wanted to check them out.

 

They make a dark Saison which might be right up your alley

 

I was able to try their Saison and Quad. Both tasty but nothing mind-blowing. I wasn't a fan of their branding or that they canned everything they made. I love that Oxbow and Allagash started canning options that would have previously been draft only, but there's still something very romantic and special about pouring a belgian/wild beer from a bottle. Cans almost cheapen the experience?

Not to derail the thread but what are your thoughts on cans vs. bottled belgians?

 

I’m indifferent on generic farmhouse/saison/grisette in a can v bottle. A beer like Grizzaca or the beautiful saison I had from Amory’s Tomb last weekend didn’t suffer at all from the packaging choice.

That said, I love the bigger bottle format (whether 500mL or 750) for barrel aged or mixed ferm stuff. Presentation is a nice part of the deal.

As far as I know, too, the style of glassware matters for refermentation as well. Having clear bottles and green bottles make tangible differences that (for obvious reasons) cans cannot make.

 

Marshal Wharf posted on Instagram. Five beers currently pouring. Good for them. One of the best places to hang out and have a pint or two (or more). It's great to see them open again.

 

In general I agree with @mrmattosgood that packaging doesn't matter. I do prefer quads in bottles but that's more because I think cans don't age as well. There is also something about having a beer from a bottle with a cage and cork. If I'm buying a big beer and its a bit more expensive its a better overall experience. Does it add anything? No but if you drop $15-20+ on a nice quad the little touches matter. It's more romantic and special as you say.

Allagash White is a great example of cans vs bottles, I had some cans of White recently that were a good 6-8 months old. They were fantastic and just as good as any bottle I've had. Comparatively when I had Mystic Table beer in bottle vs in can I felt they were different. The bottles were bottle conditioned but I'm not sure if the cans were. Regardless, like anything, the bottling vs canning really comes down to the quality of the brewery. Allagash is able to do their canning with the same level of quality as their bottling, including from a conditioning standpoint. Either Mystic did not can condition or if they did it didn't have the same quality that Allagash is able to reach, IMHO. There's also the argument of whether can/bottle conditioning is better, personally I think it does add something. I'd be interested to know if Amory's Tomb's beers are can conditioned, my guess is yes because Satellite Architect had quite the head.

The other side as mymattosgood mentions is that bottles have the ability to intentionally add light through green or clear bottles. Generally this is a bad thing except in a few styles such as Saisons where it can be beneficial or at least different in a good way. Mystic played around with that quite a bit with Saison Renaud bottle releases as well as their can release of Saison Dutronc. Dutronc was Renaud which was light struck prior to canning. Dutronc had a controlled amount of light whereas the bottles don't which in itself is pretty interesting. I'd love to see breweries play around a bit more with Saison's and light as Mystic did, Bryan Greenhagen wrote a bit about it here on Beer Advocate a few years back.

 

Love the blossoming bromance @mrmattosgood and @matthewp - who spoons who?

 

I can make myself pretty small

 

I thought @mrmattosgood was my guy! I should have paid closer attention. The warning signs were there.