Dirigo Brewing Opens in 1 Week

Maine’s newest brewery, Dirigo Brewing Co. (website, facebook, twitter, instagram) is set to open one week from today on August 19th.

Please join our brewmaster Tom Bull, his wife Molly, and their partners Mark and Meesha Paulin on Friday, August 19th to sample Dirigo Brewing Company’s first three offerings: a German Pale Ale; a Rotbier (red ale); and a Schöps Bier (chocolate wheat ale derived from a 16th century Polish recipe).

Dirigo is located in downtown Biddeford in the Riverdam Mill. The doors open at 11am.

Frosted Glasses & Gruits

The Beer Babe column in The Bollard explains why frosted beer glasses are not a craft beer’s best friend,

Across a busy table of work colleagues I tried, in vain, to gesture for the server to stop — to prevent the exquisite and complex taste and aroma of the beer from entering into an unholy communion with the frosted vessel. While I helplessly watched, she poured the beer directly into the glass, which was so cold that the edges of the beer’s head turned to spiky ice crystals. I grimaced.

and the beer column in today’s Press Herald reports on the gruits being produced by Urban Farm Fermentory.

A gruit is a beer flavored with a variety of spices and herbs instead of hops. Gruit recipes date back thousands of years and remained en vogue throughout Europe until hops became the flavoring ingredient of choice around the 1200s.

Maine Beer Co. Expanding

Maine Beer Company is in the early stages of planning to quadruple the size of their brewery in Freeport, according to a report from the Press Herald.

The expansion would add a large production and office building and expand the existing tasting room, outdoor seating area and parking lot. In a sketch plan submitted to the town, the company said the expansion is needed to meet demand for its beers, which have gained a national reputation and a legion of dedicated fans.

Beer Advocate Profile of Bissell Brothers

Beer Advocate magazine has published a profile of Bissell Brothers authored by Adam Callaghan.

In two and a half years, the Bissells have positioned themselves as pioneers pushing limits: their own, their customers’, the beer world’s. Their company’s design and mentality seem to appeal to fans as much as the actual product does. Theirs is a lifestyle brand, selling a signature triangular logo and the image of the carefree cool crowd, which happens to drink dank, hoppy beers that are hazy as hell.

Draft 100: Novare Res

Draft magazine has recognized Novare Res in their annual list of the 100 Best Beer Bars in the nation.

The 33 draft lines give diverse attention to hoppy American gems from Night Shift and Sierra Nevada, German classics like Einbecker Pils and Kultbücher Monchshof Schwarzbier, plus Belgian darlings and “best of” Maine breweries. You could also go for the 500-deep bottle list, or the seasonal proprietary beer brewed by Liquid Riot…

Beer Cocktail Interview with Vena’s

For their new episode Great Beer Adventure interviewed Vena’s co-owner Steve Corman on his personal journey to be becoming a bartender and about beer cocktails.

As we explore beer cocktails, we learn (yet again) that we should be willing to take more risks in our beer drinking. Steve Corman of Vena’s Fizz House joins us to teach us a thing or two about adding booze to our beer. (Really it’s all about the bitters.)

Under Construction: Foundation Brewing

The Press Herald has published a report on Foundation Brewing’s expansion.

The Portland brewery, located at One Industrial Way in a cluster of craft breweries, is taking over three spaces formerly occupied by Bissell Brothers Brewing. The project will bring Foundation’s total square footage to 7,500 and is paving the way for further expansion in 2017, according to a release from the company.

Reviews of Crooners and Chez Okapi

The May issue of The Bollard includes a breakfast review of Crooners and Cocktails,

I ordered the Chef’s Special Panini of the Day ($14), a warm sandwich of speck (a smoked, cured Italian ham), gruyere cheese, tomato, arugula and raw onion, the bread pressed to deliver a satisfying crunch. The flavors were excellent, though I would have liked something sweet (like a fig jam or fruit purée) as a counterpoint to the salty meat and bitter greens.

a dinner review of Chez Okapi,

Kabata’s Congolese cuisine is minimalist fare, seasoned with restraint. The bone-in, bite-sized pieces of chicken and goat were rubbed with cayenne and other spices, then grilled. Being Americans raised on BBQ, we missed having some sort of dipping sauce, but the meats didn’t really need it. Their innate flavors shone through.

and an article on the growing trend of using fruit as a beer brewing ingredient.

The obsession with hops that accompanied the IPA craze has made it possible for guys to order a pineapple-flavored beer at a crowded bar without a hint of embarrassment. And brewers of the best varieties now eschew fake flavorings in favor of fresh fruits or purées that give their beers a bright character. The improvement in taste has been dramatic.