Category: Beer

207 Beer Week

| Posted in Events, Beer

The 2025 edition of 207 Beer Week is taking place November 1st through the 9th. You can see the full list of 60+ events on the Brewers Guild site with all the details.

Here are a few highlights:

  • Alan Pugsley will be leading a brewery tour at Orange Bike on November 1st.
  • Novare Res will be holding a Belgian waffle and breakfast beer brunch on November 2nd.
  • There will be a baked goods and beer menu at the Beer Hub on November 2nd.
  • Sur Lie and Sacred Profane are collaborating on a beer dinner on November 3rd.
  • Brewers from Bigelow Brewing, Orange Bike, Flight Deck, Orono Brewing and Cushnoc will be at The Biergarten in Skowhegan to meet the public on November 7th.
  • There are also a brews and books event in Vassalboro, a mountain bike race in Bethel, a puppy adoption day in Kittery, and dozens of other beer infused creative programs put together by breweries from around Maine.

A New Brewery and Restaurant for Milo

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer, Maine

John Riitano and Tracy Bonney-Corson have taken over the former Bissell Brothers location in Milo where they plan to launch Rail Yard Brewing (facebook) and the Rusty Rail restaurant. Corson has extensive experience in the healthcare field and will be leading operations. Riitano is the brewer and co-owner of Two Knights Brewing in Sangerville and will head-up brewing at Rail Yard as well. They hope to launch the business by the end of year.

They shared this vision in a post on Facebook,

The railroad industry played a significant role in connecting the great state of Maine and its lumber industry to the rest of America. Rail Yard Brewing and the Rusty Rail tap room will do the same for the breweries, wineries, and distilleries of Central and Northern Maine. Highlighting some of the best beverages from the Maine Highlands and beyond. Join us in the tap room for a true taste of Maine.

The tap list is expected to include their own beer, a tap for Two Knights as well as beer and cider from other producers in rural Maine like Turning Page Farm in Monson, Stone Tree Farm in Unity, Knife Edge in Millinocket, and Gordon’s Grog in St Albans. In a nod to the space’s previous occupant there will also be a tap for Bissell Brothers beer. Riitano shared that he’s looking forward to using the larger 10-barrel system and hopes to use the Milo brewery to experiment with new techniques like coolship open fermentation. His goal is to add a canning line in the next year or two and eventually branch out to producing beverages like cider and gluten-free beer. The larger Milo system will also expand production capacity for Two Knights through a contract brewing relationship.

The food menu the Rusty Rail is still under development but expected to feature elevated pub/comfort food with seasonal specials and a focus on local sourcing. Seth Ostrosky is joining the team as the general manager for the Rusty Rail. Ostrosky was the chef/owner of the Nor’easter in Dover-Foxcroft earlier in his career had run Flatlanders in Greenville.

Changes at Foundation Brewing

| Posted in Beer

Foundation Brewing was founded by John and Tina Bonney, and Christie and Joel Mahaffey in 2013. The Bonneys have announced they’re taking on the full ownership and management of the brewery as the Mahaffeys are moving on to new opportunities.

Big News from Foundation! After almost 12 years, Christie and Joel have made the decision to move on from brewing. Tina and I will be continuing their legacy here at Foundation as full owners of the company. We want to be the first to raise a glass and wish them the best of luck on their next adventure! In the short term, nothing will change at Foundation, but we are excited for the opportunity to put into motion some new ideas and plans Tina and I have been working on in the coming weeks to months. Thanks to all of you for your support through the years and we are excited for what the future holds.

Oxbow to Acquire Rising Tide

| Posted in Beer

Oxbow Brewing has announced plans to acquire Rising Tide Brewing. The deal is expected to be wrapped up by the end of 2024. When it does, both brands will remain independent and Nathan Sanborn will continue on as the brewer at Rising Tide.

The announcement reads in part,

We are honored to be taking the torch and excited for the future of this beloved brand.” said Oxbow’s founder and President, Tim Adams. “Their team does an amazing job and their brewing values are in line with our own. They take their time and make decisions with a quality-above-all-else mentality.”

The two breweries share similar brewing philosophies, but their beer portfolios are markedly different. Rising Tide excels at making traditional American and European beer styles, while Oxbow specializes in farmhouse ales and lagers.

Tim continues, “I love the classic styles and can’t wait to help bring more of them to the people. The pendulum is swinging back to traditional beers, and between Oxbow and Rising Tide we’ve now got those bases fully covered.

Rising Tide launched in 2010 and was initially located on Industrial Way. Founders Nathan and Heather Sanborn moved the business to its current location on Fox Street in 2012. Oxbow was founded in Newcastle and they opened their tasting room and brewery on Washington Ave in November 2014.

Lone Pine and Lord Hobo Merging

| Posted in Beer

Lone Pine Brewing and Lord Hobo Brewing in Massachusetts have announced they are merging their two businesses.

We’re beyond excited to announce that Lord Hobo Brewing and Lone Pine Brewing are joining forces to create a powerful new partnership in the craft brewing industry! First and foremost, we’re not evolving into some great corporate clone. By joining forces, we’re unlocking exciting new possibilities that neither of us could have achieved on our own. Together, we’ll have the power to offer even more innovative opportunities and take things to the next level. We’re still going to operate both the Gorham and Woburn breweries, along with all our retail locations from Seaport Boston to Anderson St. Portland. Our vision is to expand the accessibility of each brand, nurture their unique identities, and stay true to our roots, never blending into one soulless corporation. At the end of the day, it’s about honoring what matters most to our loyal fans who’ve supported us at every step. Your passion fuels our commitment to delivering exceptional quality and memorable experiences first, second and third.

Lone Pine launched on Anderson Street in 2016 and expanded into larger quarters in Gorham when they took over the former 31,000 Sebago Brewing building in 2019.

Well & Good Brewing Company

| Posted in Openings, Beer

Well & Good Brewing (website, facebook, instagram) opened for business on Saturday. The new brewery is located at 173 Cumberland Road in North Yarmouth.

Owners Byron and Elise Kern have built out a very nice 2-story tasting room that has table and lounge seating, a dedicated children’s area, a wood stove for use in cooler months, and outdoor seating and games. The Kerns and their team are producing a range of beer styles (see menu below) as well as a hard ginger ale. Wine and cider are also available as are some snacks.

The Well & Good tasting room will be open Wednesday through Sunday, noon – 8 pm.

Allagash Kernza

| Posted in Beer

Allagash is releasing a new beer this weekend. Kernza Lager is being produced with a perennial grain called Kernza and is a collaboration with Patagonia Provisions. The beer is dry-hopped with Organic Chinook, Organic Aroostook Cascade, Organic Centennial, Organic Chinook hops.

Want to try some perennial grain that’s also perennially delicious? Try our Kernza® Lager collab with @patagoniaprovisions, releasing this Sat. April 20th at 11am. This can and draft release stars organic ingredients and Regenerative Organic Certified® Kernza® – a deeply-rooted regenerative grain that has numerous environmental benefits, namely drawing down and storing more carbon in the soil than annual grains and requiring minimal tilling.

Stop by Allagash at 50 Industrial Way at 11 am on Saturday to try the beer on tap and/or buy some in cans.