Category: Beer

Brewer:Farmer Connection at Risk

| Posted in Beer, Farming

The Bangor Daily News, MPBN and Press Herald have all reported on the impact of proposed federal rules that would limit the ability of farmers to source spent grain from brewers to feed their livestock.

Commercial beer makers are seeking a reprieve from a proposed federal rule that they say will cost them a lot of money, and also hurt local farmers. For centuries, brewers have been handing over their spent grain – a byproduct of the beer-making process – to farmers to use as cattle feed. But they’re worried that mutually beneficial arrangement could soon come to an end.

Women in Maine’s Brewing Industry

| Posted in Beer, People

Today’s Press Herald includes an article on the growing role women are playing in Maine’s brewing industry.

[In addition to Shonee Strickland] There are other women working in Maine’s booming craft beer industry, either as brewery owners or brewers, but their numbers are still tiny. Among the most notable: Heather Sanborn owns Portland’s Rising Tide Brewing with her husband, Nathan; she handles the business side of things while he makes the beer. Ashley Fendler does some brewing at Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland, while her primary job is to lead tours and educate customers in the brewery’s tasting room. Stasia Brewczynski, one of the founders of Maine Beer Mavens, holds a similar position at Rising Tide.

Foundation Brewing & Maine Beer Mavens

| Posted in Beer

foundationToday’s What Ales You column writes about Foundation Brewing and their launch last week of their first two beers: Blaze and Eddy.

Earlier this week the Bangor Daily News published an article about the Maine Beer Mavens.

“The stereotype is that a woman is going to go for a glass of wine and guys go for beer,” said Christie Mahaffey, a member of Maine Beer Mavens, gathering in a new brewery for their monthly meetup.

One part girl’s night out, one part beer appreciation club, the Maine Beer Mavens, together since 2012, are putting a new swirl on the craft beer scene.

Allagash Avancé Release

| Posted in Beer

Allagash has announced that they’ll be releasing the 2014 production run of Allagash Avancé at the brewery this Friday morning. There will be a 2 bottle purchase limit.

Allagash Avance is a product of patience. Aged with strawberries for three years in bourbon barrels, this strong, sour ale has the aroma of strawberry preserves and toasted oak. The oak and berries continue their presence in flavor, and compliment the sweet, warm finish. 10.8% ABV.

Allagash Brewing & Rob Tod

| Posted in Beer

Maine magazine has published a feature article about Allagash Brewing and its founder Rob Tod.

But, while walking back through the Allagash brewery past a door that reads: “Innovation: Continually pushing the limits of beer and ourselves,” I can’t help but feel that some magic has happened here that, if not found in the chili, must be hiding in that little sugar-hut-looking koelschip building built off the back of the brewery. There, shrouded in clouds of sweaty steam and fed by locally sourced and totally free yeast that comes through church-like stained glass windows near the ceiling, the brown, syrupy wort will be fermented and aged for another two years before being sold in little batches that usually sell out in a couple of days.

Maine’s Newest Breweries: Banded, Bissell, Austin, Foundation

| Posted in Beer

I had the pleasure of joining in on the Maine Brew Bus new breweries tour this past weekend. We visited Banded Horn in Biddeford, followed by Austin Street, Bissell Brothers and Foundation Brewing on Industrial Way in Portland. It was quite interesting to see how incredibly different the personalities of the breweries were.

Bissell Brothers will soon be canning The Substance, Foundation is about a week or two away from launching their first beer and Austin Street still seems a few months out from selling their beer.

Authors Joshua Bernstein and Kate Cone were special guests on the tour. Berstein has just published The Complete Beer Course and Cone is working to update her 1997 book What’s Brewing in New England.

Local beer writers Carla Companion (aka author of the Beer Babe) and Tom Atwell also joined in. Companion has posted a pair of reports on Austin Street and Bissell Brothers. Presumably the tour will figure into Atwell’s upcoming What Ales you column in this Thursday’s Press Herald.

For some photos check the PFM Instagram page.

 

ABV Policy Reversed

| Posted in Beer

If My Coaster Could Talk reports that state authorities have reversed their policy of enforcing the 1937 law that prevents the display of a beer’s alcohol by volume.

The back pedaling started on Tuesday when the Operations Director of the Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages & Lottery announced that under an updated enforcement policy bars, pubs and tasting rooms could begin displaying ABVs (alcohol by volume) in menus and on signage at the bar or in the tasting room. The information is allowed to be displayed as long as it’s not embellished. Basically the information can be displayed as it always was as basic information about the product for sale.