My wife and I are driving to Maine early in October. What would be your top 3 recommendations when visiting the small harbor towns not only for beer/brewery destinations but for attractions/shops and hotels. Thanks.for the advice.
Our very fluid and not detailed yet is to start in Portland and spend the night. Then hit harbor towns along the coast that are recommended for attractions & breweries and still are "Open". Our last visit years ago we the only town we were able to visit was Boothbay.
As a Massachusetts resident my whole life I have spent a lot of time in Maine. However, most of that time has been spent visiting places on the way up to Portland and in and around the Portland area. Don’t get me wrong, this part of Maine is beautiful, but most will say the true beauty of Maine is farther north, like Bar Harbor. But if you’re looking for a quick day trip from Portland I would recommend, Kennebunkport. It’s a quaint little town and can be quite touristy in the summer. But by October those crowds die down and it’s a great stop. I would suggest The Boathouse for lunch or dinner, it’s a great place. In that same area is the town of, Ogunquit. Again, a little touristy in the height of summer but great in October. North of Portland I would send you up to, Rockport and or, Rockland for a day trip. Both are great small harbor towns. What ever you choose to do I hope you enjoy your stay in Maine, it is truly a beautiful state. Cheers, Mike
If you can stay at least 2 nights also in Bar Harbor and see Acadia National Park, it’s spectacular. I took the family on a drive up from MD years ago. We stayed our 1st night in Portland (would love to do a full day there at least, seems like a nice town for food and craft beer). The next day we drove coastal highway up to Bar Harbor. About a 3 hr scenic drive and beautiful. I’ve heard great things about Kennebunkport as well but haven’t been there. Maine brewers make outstanding beers for sure and I’m sure others can give recommendations.
Although Portland is a frequent destination, I also visit friends mid-coast and downeast when I have more time than just a long weekend. Last week I was in Winthrop at beautiful Absolem Cider that had a Russian River tap takeover. Then a visit to nearby Sidereal farm brewery in Vassalboro. Out to the coast to visit a beer-friend in Blue Hill with stops at Marshall Wharf in Belfast, new nanobrewery Naiad in Orland, and Fogtown in Ellsworth. Then down the coast on Rte. 1 over Labor Day to Odd Alewives in Waldoboro and Oxbow in Newcastle. One new place I missed was Aekir in Damariscotta due to timing. All of these breweries have become faves of mine over time, with a few newbies just discovered.
Camden is between Portland and Bar Harbor and is another great little town to stay in with really good food. Hiking right outside of town as well, if that’s your thing.
@duchessedubourg since it sounds like you do the trip somewhat often, any suggestions for breweries to stop at to break up the drive from northern VT to Acadia? Last year we went to Oxbow, but it definitely added a bit of time to the drive. Going again in a month and would love to find a place to stop that doesn't add too much time. Thanks in advance!
I'm from BTV, so that's exactly the route I offered. You could add in Steam Mill Brewing in Bethel. Sidereal is a must, and Cushnoc is right before in Augusta. Beyond Ellsworth, things get sparse, so some research would be needed. Blaze in Bar Harbor Is OK (I went to the one in Blue Hill where I was staying.) Fogtown is really great!
What’s the word on Bissell these days? My inkling is that they’ve dipped into that trillium category. I guess my question is if they’re still pumping out CONSISTENT quality beers. I peeped some Swish check ins in untapped recently and noticed some dark color variation. That’s always a red flag for me. I’ve always known swish to be a very pale and very hazy (even still on par with today’s standards). I mean it’s never been super milky and as pale as a fidens jasper of today, but it’s just a step below that. I’m Seeing the darker orange color on some draft and cans photos. I don’t know if it’s batch variation or oxidization. Substance was always one of my all time favorite beers but I’ve had issues with it in the past. Looking back at my Untappd check ins I had cans via distro from March to a June of 2020 that were prime. Just so incredibly good. When I went to Maine a few months later in September of 2020 the beer seemed to have taken a hit. Looked darker and wasn’t the same. Not sure if something changed or if they expanded or something in that time frame. Or maybe just an off or oxidized batch. I’ve had varying experiences with substance since then. Just seems inconsistent. In closing I’ll say that it’s interesting that some of the big hitters of yesterday have had some quality issues in recent years. Trillium, tired hands, and bissell brothers all come to mind. Is it just a symptom of expansion/size. I’ve always thought it difficult to replicate a hazy ipa on larger scale and still have that small batch saturation. I guess treehouse would be the outlier based on my experience. I know they’re pumping out massive volume, and although they has some growing pains they seem to have dialed in at mass scale. Really a tremendous feat and a testament to the quality of their output.
I’ve been to Bissell twice in recent months. Both their stuff on tap and cans seemed fine to me. I really like their lagers/pilsners as well as their hazies. As for hazies, I’d definitely put them below Tree House and Other Half but still very good. For me, I just think so many of my local NJ places have caught up in quality of NE style that the earlier standouts don’t , ahem, stand out as much now. I still think it’s great visiting Bissell. So many different tap offerings, quality food and to go options, plus Sacred Profane right next door.
