Category: Beer

New Breweries

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

The Press Herald has published a report on Maine breweries that are launching and expanding.

When beer industry veterans John Callinan and Rick McCormick decided to open a brewery together, they jokingly asked themselves, what could go wrong?

For starters, the usual things that always go wrong with a brewery opening – federal and state licensing taking longer than expected, construction delays, trouble with equipment. But during a pandemic, all of these issues are amplified and joined by a host of others. Still, they’re among several brave beer lovers who moved forward with plans to open new breweries this year despite it all.

Maine GABF Winners

| Posted in Beer

Congratulations to Lone Pine and Allagash Brewing. Both are winners in the 2020 Great American Beer Festival competition:

  • Allagash – a gold medal in the Belgian-Style Witbier category for their signature Allagash White
  • Lone Pine – a gold medal in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer category for their Cuvee De Funk
  • Lone Pine  – a silver medal in the Experimental Beer category for their Choco Tuesday

Brewery News: Marshall Wharf, Brewery Extrava

| Posted in Openings, Beer

A pair of updates from Maine’s brewing industry:

  • Marshall Wharf Brewing in Belfast has re-opened under new ownership. According to an article in the Bangor Daily News, Dann Waldron and Kathleen Dunckel purchased the brewery in January and re-opened it on Friday.
  • Brewery Extrava in Portland is for sale. The brewery launched last July and is located in a 5,000 sq ft building in East Bayside. The asking price is $750,00 but the listing says ” will consider all reasonable offers”. The business is for sale because “Partner interests [are] diverging”.

 

Black is Beautiful Beer Collaboration

| Posted in Beer

A growing number of Maine breweries including Allagash andd Bissell Brothers are participating in the Black is Beautiful international beer collaboration project. They are joining 800+ breweries from 50 states and 13 countries in producing a beer recipe developed by Weathered Souls Brewing in Texas.

Maine breweries participating so far are Allagash, Atlantic, Austin Street, Bissell Bros, Blaze, Definitive, Fogtown, Mast Landing and Orono. Check with the individual breweries on their release schedule and the local organization to which they’ll be donating proceeds to.

Brewers Push for Changes to Re-Opening Plan

| Posted in General News, Beer

The Press Herald reports on an effort by the Brewers Guild to move up the date breweries can re-open their tasting rooms.

The Maine Brewers Guild said Tuesday that the current plan puts the breweries and brew pubs in the same category as bars, which aren’t allowed to reopen until July 1. But many of the breweries in Maine offer outdoor seating and are at least as safe as the restaurants, said Sean Sullivan, executive director of the guild.

Beer and Beards

| Posted in Beer, People

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes articles on the stickiness of new curbside beer pick-up and beer delivery services post-pandemic,

Though curbside pick-up and delivery were forced upon brewers by the pandemic, many have discovered how much customers like these services and may keep the systems in place for the foreseeable future. Sullivan surveyed more than 70 breweries about these services and found that 35 percent were interested in keeping some sort of curbside pickup available even after their tasting rooms re-open, while more than 21 percent said they’d be interested in continuing delivery.

and a look at the impact of being a Beard Award nominee during the pandemic.

Desjarlais knows this better than most. Between The Purple House and her much-missed Portland restaurant, Bresca, she has made the semifinal round seven times and the finals twice.

“Every time, it’s great for you personally,” she said. “And it also great for your staff and team, because obviously they’re doing a great job, but it gives them a kick in the pants because the nomination brings a new burst of business and things get can get really busy. But now there’s no chance for that.”

Definitive Brewing Expanding to Kittery

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

Boston magazine reports that Definitive Brewing is expanding to Kittery.

For Definitive Brewing Company, the past month has been a rollercoaster. The almost-2-year-old brewery has temporarily closed its Portland, Maine taproom, and completely changed its business model to focus on to-go sales and home delivery in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The owners have also continued to oversee buildout of a second Definitive location in Kittery, which cofounder and CEO Michael Rankin expects to open soon after the government allows businesses to reopen.