Maine Beer Box

The Maine Beer Box, a shipping container beer tap system, is headed to Iceland, reports the Press Herald.

The project is a partnership between the Maine Brewers Guild and Eimskip, the Icelandic shipping company that has its U.S. headquarters in Portland. The guild plans to ship the container every year to a different port on Eimskip’s shipping routes. The aim is to market Maine’s craft beer industry overseas and encourage brewers to consider foreign exports as a way to grow their companies, Sean Sullivan, executive director of the brewers guild, said during a send-off event for the beer box at the International Marine Terminal in Portland on Friday.

Under Construction: Brickyard Hollow Brewing

A new brewery called Brickyard Hollow Brewing Company is under development in Yarmouth, reports the Press Herald.

Yarmouth entrepreneurs Brad Moll and Frank Grondin announced Tuesday that they plan to open a small-batch craft brewery and restaurant called Brickyard Hollow Brewing Co. at 236 Main St., now the home of Anthony’s Dry Cleaners. The 2,100-square-foot brewery will seat 60 indoors and an additional 30 on its patio.

Maine Brewing Series

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a set of articles about the Maine craft brewing industry. The primary article is entitled Who sits atop Maine’s Beer Scene?

According to data provided by the state, Allagash made 2,865,584 gallons of beer in 2016. Though that’s well behind Shipyard’s 3,658,571 gallons, the two companies are trending in different directions. Shipyard has three straight years of declining production while Allagash hasn’t reported a reduction in the last 11 years.

There are additional articles about Baxter Brewing, Sebago Brewing as well as some timelines and maps.

Current Sebago Brewery For Sale

Sebago Brewing is planning to move into a new larger “destination brewery” in January. They’ve decided to put their current brewery up for sale as a turn key facility,

We could sell our brewery to the highest bidder at the drop of a hat and have it shipped out to some location across the nation. Instead, we would like to present the opportunity to a local brewer. Our thought is to sell our brewery installed and in place to a Maine brewer who is growing and needs the capacity or a new start-up looking to find a home. We know what it takes to start up a brewery and the costs and planning it takes to install all the equipment. This would provide a huge advantage for someone.

Battery Steele Brewing

The Press Herald has published an article about Battery Steele Brewing.

The brewing world is itching to sample the goods from the latest brewery to boil wort in the now-fabled 1 Industrial Way complex. I refer to this building and surrounding neighborhood as the Fertile Crescent of Maine brewing, incubating Maine Beer Co., Rising Tide Brewing, and Bissell Brothers Brewing, along with the current tenants, the aforementioned Austin Street and Foundation Brewing. With Allagash across the street and Geary’s around the corner, Battery Steele is opening on hallowed ground.

The history of the building isn’t lost on [Shane] Noble or his partner, Jake Condon.

“It inspires us to always be looking for ways to make our beer better,” Noble said.

MBG Beer Box

The Press Herald and Bangor Daily News have reported on the Maine Brewers Guild collaboration with Eimskip to send Maine beer to Iceland.

The Maine Beer Box, a branded shipping container with more than 50 taps built into its side, is the centerpiece of a multi-year effort between the Maine Brewers’ Guild and Eimskip, the Icelandic shipping company, to expose Maine beer to new markets and bring beers from Iceland and beyond back to the state.

Competition in Craft Brewing?

The Press Herald has interviewed the keynote speaker at this week’s New England Craft Beer summit as part of an article on growing competition in the local beer market.

[Bart] Watson says every brewery in Maine will eventually feel the competition. As the Portland market matures, brewers might be forced to look to rural markets to sell their beers.

“There are challenges,” Watson said. “One of my takes is it doesn’t mean there is no growth happening. There’s a lot of growth out there. Rural areas have not been converting (to craft beer) as quickly, so local production has been slower than in metro areas. There’s still a lot of untapped markets.”

The article also reports that Portland’s newest brewery Battery Steele hopes to open next week serving an imperial stout, a saison and an india pale ale.

Interview with Rob Tod

All About Beer has interviewed Allagash Brewing founder Rob Tod for their After Two Beers series.

The two discuss how Tod moved from keg washer to brewery owner, and how he came to appreciate and brew beers in the Belgian tradition. Tod talks about some of the beers that influenced him along the way, including one in particular that inspired him to brew Allagash White, a beer that now accounts for around 75 percent of the brewery’s production.