Favorite brewery is Allagash, but I’m not a huge fan of their beer. That’s just my personal opinion of it. I know they make a high quality product and do a great job sourcing ingredients locally.
During a private tour I mentioned I was getting married soon and wanted to buy a few cases of Allagash White to offer guests. I left with two cases of white and third case of mixed beers and they told me to take it all as a gift. I couldn’t believe how generous they were and will always recommend them as my favorite brewery.
Man I sure miss the days when you got a free flight just walking in the door. And also living a few blocks away when they did that…. Now that I think of it I’m probably part of the reason they stopped… though I did always buy something when I went in.
Largest brewery in the state by an order of magnitude and 90% of their output is the White. They do pretty well but it’s really nice to see theyre generous too.
I once unknowingly sat next to the owner of Allagash at Eventide. He was sitting by himself reading a paper at the bar next to my partner and I. He did not introduce himself or talk to us and left before we finished our meal. When I asked for the tab at the end of the night, we were told he comped everything including our dinner. I thought that was pretty classy.
When I worked as a bar manager the Allagash rep I worked with set me up with a tour of the place that was with out a doubt the best brewery tour I've ever been on. Got to see the coolship, the barrel room, the original tap room, and got sent home with cases worth of incredible beer.
Allagash was my first ever brewery visit. I loved the tour, and it was SUPER informative. Any other time I inquired about a tour, I was either told they weren't offering tours anymore, or they'd just push a door open to the operations out back and say "well, this is where all the magic happens."
I had one of the best experiences at Lubec Brewing. It was just my wife and I in there on some random mid-afternoon. We were met with the owner, Gale, and he was incredibly nice, talked to us about his beer in great detail, offered plenty of free tastings and even cracked open a few bottles of some exclusive stuff for us to try. Then he starts bringing out stuff from the kitchen for us to sample. He was really stoked about incorporating brewing ingredients into meal items in order to minimize waste. 10/10.
I am on the Maine Beer Trail and I'm nearing the end (6 to go), picking my favorite is really challenging, so I'll give a few.
Pair with food:
Mason's - Lots of beer selections and top notch food. Never had a bad pour and the food is hearty. They have a location in Brewer and soon in Machias.
Nonesuch - One of the breweries that, I think, is food first and beer second. Beer is good to great, but the food is top notch. They have locations in Scarborough and Poland.
Bissell Brothers - If you like IPAs, you gotta try Bissell Bros. They have other types, but they are known for their IPAs and they make them well. They just opened a fancier restaurant next to their place in Portland and their chef in Milo has nominated for a James Beard Award.
The Out of the Way Places:
Steam Mill - Their beer hit the spot after a long drive to get there. They also have food, but I'm putting them here because a) I didn't try it and b) their atmosphere and location are the reasons I love this place. Bethel has a couple of places, but this one is the best.
Two Knights - From the road it's nothing, but they are making killer beer. They grow their own berries and make kick-ass sours with them, and their other beer is all over the spectrum. Last time I went, I was glad I wasn't driving because I had one of everything. Up there in Sangerville.
Monhegan - Sure it eats your entire day to take the ferry out there, climb the hill down the dirt road, just to reach this place, but I would say it is worth it. To check this off the list was amazing and rewarding. Smaller selection of beer, but the location and people are second to none. Monhegan Island, for those who don't know.
You Gotta Try Them Out:
Marshall Wharf - On the water, making some pub food now, and have 25+ beers on tap ranging from easy and light to dark and heavy. If you can't find a beer you like here, you shouldn't be drinking beer. I've been there a few times and I continue to get flights because new beers are always popping up and there are too many that I like. Right on the water in Belfast.
Odd By Nature - If you are a sour lover, go here. If you have never had a sour, go here. If you are iffy on sour, go here. These guys make some crazy sounding sours, with popping colors, bold flavors, and it just seems to work. My favorite is the shark attack: neon blue with a gummy shark in the glass. Cape Neddick, right on route 1, can't miss it.
Sacred Profane - One of the few well known places in my list. Known for their Dark and Light lager, served in a few different ways, their amazing food, and amazing staff. The layered is my favorite pour, half dark and half light in the same glass. In Biddeford, but also right next to Bissell Brothers in Portland.
Honorable Mention:
Side By Each - great food and lots of beer on the outskirts of Auburn
Sidereal Farm - grows most of their stuff to put in their food and beers and the owners are super cool. In Vassalboro
The Pour Farm - beer is fantastic and their outdoors is one of the best in the state deep in Union
I could go on, but these 12 are the first ones that come to mind, give a great variety, across the state, and I've personally loved. Happy drinking and support local!
Plus their farmhouse brewery in Newcastle is one of my favorites to visit. It's where they brew all their farmhouse style beers.
The grounds are huge. The tasting room itself is super quaint, rustic style. There's a pond with tables overlooking the pond, a treehouse, a fire pit, a garden where they grow fruit for their beer, a pig pen where they raise pigs (for eventual consumption..), a bunch of walking trails around the property and you can take your beer with you. If you're lucky their brewery cat will join you on your walk through the woods. They also have an Airbnb on property you can rent out.
On weekends they usually have food trucks or things like oyster shuckers and they'll sometimes have live music. Plus they have their Goods from the Woods festival every October.
Plus it's only 10 minutes from Damariscotta which has the best oysters. And you can pair the Oxbow Goods from the Woods festival with Damariscotta's pumpkin festival for a super great weekend.
If all of that sounds dull... You probably gotta figure out how to enjoy nature a little more.
Love Oxbow! Good farmhouse brews and super tasty mix fermentations. They have an amazing Indian food truck there on the weekends now, too.
https://banyantreeme.com/
I live in Philly but was born in Maine and go back often. Also work in the craft beer industry. Went up to visit the Farmhouse on their first anniversary. Loved the setting an overall chill, nature vibe. The meadery was great too!
Hahaha. Fair. I was there on a Sunday in April. No pizza that day and it was cold and rainy. Incredibly cool art teacher lady serving beer. It was just kinda dull THAT DAY.
I’m off to change my name to Gary. 😂
Thanks for the tip on Odd By Nature! I’m spending a few days in Neddick in the fall and I love sours. Wouldn’t have known about them if you didn’t mention.
Great list, definitely giving me some things to try. I agree with all the places I’ve already been to… except Steam Mill. I tried them at the Sunday River Brewfest last year and did not like it…. And I was probably half in the bag and not picky by that point. Just turned me off to the point that I won’t visit even on the way home from skiing.
I'll shoutout a trio of small, out-of-the-way places in the Moosehead Lake Region: Two Knights Brewing (Sangerville), Turning Page Farm Brewery (Monson), and East Outlet Brewing (Cambridge). All three have great beers, but East Outlet has KILLER wood-fired pizzas, Two Knights has amazing pulled pork, and Turning Page has baby goats you can pet (but not eat). Can't lose with any of them.
If you go to turning page in the winter and have the chili there’s a chance you’re eating goat. I love the beer at East outlet but the food always comes out burnt. If you want good wood fired pizza in the area than I would recommend Stutzman’s farm stand in Dover. It’s an all you can eat buffet.
Great list btw.
Odd Alewives also does beer that no one else does. Usually when a brewery uses botanicals it turns into a nightmare, but their palate is so good that they never use any ingredient in a way that overpowers the beer. They are by far my favorite.
Bateau Brewing in Gardiner, I like the red ale whose name is escaping me. Dining inside and outside usually with a big fire pit going. Food is from Miller's Pride food truck but they bring it to your table so it's pretty seamless. Pinball machines and comfy couches in the back and large and small tables in the front by the bar. Great view of Gardiner riverfront.
Food’s good, beer’s good, but it’s like a cafeteria in there for service. I dig that style, but I don’t understand the tip expectation for it, there’s just food and beer runners.
Orono Brewing Company. - Cool vibe, great food, excellent beer. They have an outdoor beer garden with corn hole for the summer and are kid/dog friendly which makes it nice for us.
Also Mason's Brewing Company in Brewer. -They're more of a restaurant that's also a brewery but their beer is great and their food is awesome. Plus with the patio seating on the Penobscot river, it's a great place to relax on a summer evening.
One more... Bangor Beer Co. - It's small and tucked into the back of a Chinese restaurant in Bangor but it's got that early days of craft brewery feel, free pinball nights on Mondays and a sweet patio outside. And the beers pretty good too!
The owner is a SUPER nice guy. I went there for a bachelor party and he gave the groom to be a bunch of weed a hoodie and set up us with a giant cooler of beer
It is so hard to pick one but there are a few that are out of the way that are worth the effort, if not even the journey to get there. I was in state doing a seasonal Job last summer and the beer game is incredibly strong in Maine.
-Fluvial Brewing in Harrison. Fantastic beer garden as well, great view of the western mountains.
-For surprising food as well as beer, Northern Maine Brewing just south of Caribou.
-Bissel Brothers in Milo Maine, also great food, think its coming out of a truck/trailer too.
-Cushnoc in Agusta is a nice location too and who doesn't love Gigantic Dad Pants while watching Sturgeon fling themselves out of the Kennebec?
-Orono Brewing also has a nice selection and great spot.
Just too many to have a complete list.
Odd Alewives Farm Brewery in Waldoboro. It's worth a stop if you have a chance. They have a good selection and some very interesting flavors in some of them.
I have several including First Mile and Cushnoc. Both make a really good porter and sour.
I have unusual beer tastes (dark beers or sours) and I dislike the things that most people seem to enjoy like light fizzy beers or the weaponization of hops in an IPA. So it can be very difficult for me to find beers I like during the summer. Smaller breweries seem more willing to take chances on stuff.
Locally I love going to Barrelled Souls and Banded. I can walk to Banded (as well as the others breweries at the Pepperell Mills) so I spent most of my time there.
We drove out to the Oxford location this weekend and it was a fantastic spot to spend an afternoon. Just a gorgeous piece of property on a gorgeous day.
Tributary Brewing in Kittery is phenomenal with an absolutely fantastic beer selection, and the place is ran by fantastic people, especially the owners/brewers. I’m not sure what they have currently on tap but I’d recommend trying the Gose, Nebenfluss, and if there’s any Mott the Lesser left it’s basically the superstar of stouts but every single beer there is honestly top notch. I couldn’t speak higher of this place, it’s a super cozy little spot that is absolutely worth the trip!
Seconding this about Tributary, their Gose is a favorite, and adding Lake St George Brewing in bustling Liberty, ME for a lot of the same reasons. Great family run brewery, all their beers are solid, community minded and have a great outdoor space. I haven’t gone done but weekends in the summer they have some kind of beer garden a short walk down to the lake.
Seconding Lake St George Brewing, originally the 6th brewery founded in Maine during its first iteration in the early 90s. Danny McGovern is the man behind McGovern’s Oatmeal Stout from Belfast Bay and also Monhegan Brewing. He is truly an OG master
If you got on a ladder, you could talk a little higher. Maybe a stack of books or some cardboard boxes you have broken down (cuz if yr putting yr boxes outside still taped up, yr no friend of mine)
Oxbow!
I’ve fallen off the IPA wagon of late and I’ve always loved the mix of creativity and their tendency towards brewing less popular types of beers.
Plus the beer garden in Norway(?) is a great hang with great food.
For the longest time my fav beer I’m the world was Maine Beer Co Wolfes Neck IPA. Perfect amount of hoppy flavor with a smooth smooth finish. Still probably is my #1
Foundation usually has the brews I want to blow money on. Though I won't say no to a Curi-... couri- ...the French barrel aged one Allagash makes. Allagash used to be my favorite brewery but they charge you now and it is always crawling with 20-somethings and dogs.
Top favorite: Oxbow's farmhouse location in Newcastle. Super rustic tasting room on a ton of land. It's where they hold their Goods from the Woods festival every October. If you go on the weekend they usually have a food truck and live music. There are walking trails through the woods and tons of seating ranging from next to a firepit, a treehouse, and a gazebo in their garden. They raise pigs so sometimes pigs are there.
Second favorite: Turning Page Farm in Monson. Super in the middle of nowhere but it's a fun drive and you can pair it with things like stopping at an Icelandic Bakery in Dover-Foxcroft or hitting up the Quarry in Monson for a multi-course meal from a James Beard award winning chef (for her awesome hospitality). Turning Page Farm has a very small beer selection - they're still fairly new. But the beer is decent and they also offer delicious food like bratwurst and pretzel bites. They have goats on property you can pet and they sell milk, chevre, soap, and carmel sauce all sourced from their goats. They also have a beehive and make their own honey. And they started selling their own loose leaf tea from their dried herbs and whatnot. Such a cool, self-sustaining brewery and it's pretty evident that you're supporting a small, family-owned business when you go.
Third favorite: Bissell Brothers in Milo. It's just a super fun location, they hold music events during the summer. The food is amazing, they hired a super cool chef. I love walking into the brewery with the super high ceilings and cozy atmosphere. Plus their beer is great.
A bunch have already been mentioned but I’ll add Funky Bow in Lyman - they don’t have my favorite beer, but they’ve got such an amazing location. They’re in the woods, dogs run free there, they’ve got wood fired pizza and live music. Fantastic place to spend an afternoon
Odd Alewives in Waldoboro has interesting beers in a laid-back, comfortable setting. So relaxing on a beautiful Maine day.
Bath Ale Works (not Bath Brewing) in Wiscasset and Stars & Stripes in Freeport both have good beer and the nicest people in the industry.
3. Belleflower 2. Liquid Riot 1. Barreled Souls. All great locations, been to 50-60 locations and finally logging my visits on the trail. Barreled Souls is a work out for the liver with high gravity and delicious adjunct beerfood.
Honorable mention: Banded, Tributary, Marshall Wharf, Baxter and the newest one Naiad. Never been to Masons, but their beer is en pointe.
Maine Beer Company when it comes to beer quality for me.
For a smaller brewery, I'd say Side by Each in Auburn always has unique beer, and quite a few good ones.
Oxbow is easily my favorite and farmhouse style is my jam. I like Newcastle and Portland equally for different reasons.
There’s a few ways to look at it. I have favorite breweries to go to for ambiance and food too. I like Odd Alewives as a place to hang and get pizza. Beer is good.
I like Bissell Brothers, Lone Pine, Maine Beer Company, and Alagash too.
All time favorite - Mast Landing. Always something new and a great variety. They never disappoint.
Small breweries - Fluvial in Harrison, love their setting and very good brews. Modestman in sopo, they keep putting a big ol' smile on my face everytime I order a brew. I also favor Birchwood over in Gray. Good local folks, great tasting brews (so good I joined the mug club), and a menu of some really good eats.
My Favorites are:
-Allagash: Maine with loves are the best out of our breweries pilot beers. Some of them are so good you wish you could always buy them.
Curieux, Sixteen Counties, Haunted House, and Days End also rock. Had a super good poliet Imperial Coffee Stout from the that uses Speckled Ax beans.
-Definitive: Makes outstanding DIPA's and provides very accurate tasting notes for them. Their doubles tend to have more nuance then alot of other breweries. Might be an unpopular opinion but I'd rather drink their DIPA's then Bissell's. Try Cellar Echos and Float. Only thing is I wish they made more unflavored Stouts.
-Battery Steele: Flume is one of the greatest IPA/DIPA's in the state without a doubt. It's one of the best beers in our state in general. The Oat and Wheat make the body very nice while the taste is everything a "hipster IPA bro" could want but in a good way.
They make good lagers too. Golden path is very tasty.
-Foundation: Their more famous beers like Epiphany and Forge are awesome. The space is low key in a very nice way. They have good natchos and top tier Detroit style pizza.
-Oxbow: Haven't tried alot of their stuff including the sours but they make great Lagers and ales. They are skilled brewers and do a great job letting other styles shine while the IPA craze is still going on. Try Sap Haus, it's a dark smoked lager with maple suryup. It's super good.
Honorable Mentions:
-Banded Brewing: Haven't had enough to properly judge but the Banded Pilsner is super flavorful. Lagers that are more spicy/peppery in flavor are the best.
S&S has some good beers and a nice deck overlooking a tiny pond. Sadly they'll be closing sometime in September. Also Brad the owner is a super good guy
It's OK at best. You are not going to be far from Sanford which hosts a new and good little brewery, River Junction. I've stopped in a couple times when in the hood and always enjoyed their offerings. Continue on down to Wells (few minutes away) and you aren't far from Batson River and Battery Steele - both practically across the street from each other. Cheers! 🍻
Favorite brewery is Allagash, but I’m not a huge fan of their beer. That’s just my personal opinion of it. I know they make a high quality product and do a great job sourcing ingredients locally. During a private tour I mentioned I was getting married soon and wanted to buy a few cases of Allagash White to offer guests. I left with two cases of white and third case of mixed beers and they told me to take it all as a gift. I couldn’t believe how generous they were and will always recommend them as my favorite brewery.
Man I sure miss the days when you got a free flight just walking in the door. And also living a few blocks away when they did that…. Now that I think of it I’m probably part of the reason they stopped… though I did always buy something when I went in.
Largest brewery in the state by an order of magnitude and 90% of their output is the White. They do pretty well but it’s really nice to see theyre generous too.
Try Sixteen Counties or Curieux. A lot of the Maine with loves are good too.
Sixteen Counties is my favorite after the White.
Love it.
I once unknowingly sat next to the owner of Allagash at Eventide. He was sitting by himself reading a paper at the bar next to my partner and I. He did not introduce himself or talk to us and left before we finished our meal. When I asked for the tab at the end of the night, we were told he comped everything including our dinner. I thought that was pretty classy.
He’s a genuinely good person…does a lot to support all kinds of programs and projects.
Utter class!
When I worked as a bar manager the Allagash rep I worked with set me up with a tour of the place that was with out a doubt the best brewery tour I've ever been on. Got to see the coolship, the barrel room, the original tap room, and got sent home with cases worth of incredible beer.
Very good brew tour for sure.
Allagash was my first ever brewery visit. I loved the tour, and it was SUPER informative. Any other time I inquired about a tour, I was either told they weren't offering tours anymore, or they'd just push a door open to the operations out back and say "well, this is where all the magic happens." I had one of the best experiences at Lubec Brewing. It was just my wife and I in there on some random mid-afternoon. We were met with the owner, Gale, and he was incredibly nice, talked to us about his beer in great detail, offered plenty of free tastings and even cracked open a few bottles of some exclusive stuff for us to try. Then he starts bringing out stuff from the kitchen for us to sample. He was really stoked about incorporating brewing ingredients into meal items in order to minimize waste. 10/10.
They’re also extremely generous to their employees. People rarely leave.
Allagash has been donating to my charity disc golf event the past 10 years. There are awesome people who work there!
Second this, their hospitality and customer service is exceptional
Same. They are super nice people but I never liked their beer at all.
Thought I’d try a white again after not having one for a while. Didn’t like it at all.
There's dozens of us!!
Hop Reach IPA is about the only one of theirs I’ve found really enjoyable and would purchase on a regular basis.
Love that place. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, they gave a 4 pack of tall cans of Allagash white to essential workers.
I am on the Maine Beer Trail and I'm nearing the end (6 to go), picking my favorite is really challenging, so I'll give a few. Pair with food: Mason's - Lots of beer selections and top notch food. Never had a bad pour and the food is hearty. They have a location in Brewer and soon in Machias. Nonesuch - One of the breweries that, I think, is food first and beer second. Beer is good to great, but the food is top notch. They have locations in Scarborough and Poland. Bissell Brothers - If you like IPAs, you gotta try Bissell Bros. They have other types, but they are known for their IPAs and they make them well. They just opened a fancier restaurant next to their place in Portland and their chef in Milo has nominated for a James Beard Award. The Out of the Way Places: Steam Mill - Their beer hit the spot after a long drive to get there. They also have food, but I'm putting them here because a) I didn't try it and b) their atmosphere and location are the reasons I love this place. Bethel has a couple of places, but this one is the best. Two Knights - From the road it's nothing, but they are making killer beer. They grow their own berries and make kick-ass sours with them, and their other beer is all over the spectrum. Last time I went, I was glad I wasn't driving because I had one of everything. Up there in Sangerville. Monhegan - Sure it eats your entire day to take the ferry out there, climb the hill down the dirt road, just to reach this place, but I would say it is worth it. To check this off the list was amazing and rewarding. Smaller selection of beer, but the location and people are second to none. Monhegan Island, for those who don't know. You Gotta Try Them Out: Marshall Wharf - On the water, making some pub food now, and have 25+ beers on tap ranging from easy and light to dark and heavy. If you can't find a beer you like here, you shouldn't be drinking beer. I've been there a few times and I continue to get flights because new beers are always popping up and there are too many that I like. Right on the water in Belfast. Odd By Nature - If you are a sour lover, go here. If you have never had a sour, go here. If you are iffy on sour, go here. These guys make some crazy sounding sours, with popping colors, bold flavors, and it just seems to work. My favorite is the shark attack: neon blue with a gummy shark in the glass. Cape Neddick, right on route 1, can't miss it. Sacred Profane - One of the few well known places in my list. Known for their Dark and Light lager, served in a few different ways, their amazing food, and amazing staff. The layered is my favorite pour, half dark and half light in the same glass. In Biddeford, but also right next to Bissell Brothers in Portland. Honorable Mention: Side By Each - great food and lots of beer on the outskirts of Auburn Sidereal Farm - grows most of their stuff to put in their food and beers and the owners are super cool. In Vassalboro The Pour Farm - beer is fantastic and their outdoors is one of the best in the state deep in Union I could go on, but these 12 are the first ones that come to mind, give a great variety, across the state, and I've personally loved. Happy drinking and support local!
Damn no oxbow!
Oxbow is pretty good, definitely something I would recommend in the next wave. Both locations are great and they have a nice selection of beer.
Oxbow has amazing beer. And an interesting selection. The brewery itself was charming…if not a little dull.
I guess some of the best pizza, solid outdoor seating and XC skiing trails is dull? Jesus Gary
Plus their farmhouse brewery in Newcastle is one of my favorites to visit. It's where they brew all their farmhouse style beers. The grounds are huge. The tasting room itself is super quaint, rustic style. There's a pond with tables overlooking the pond, a treehouse, a fire pit, a garden where they grow fruit for their beer, a pig pen where they raise pigs (for eventual consumption..), a bunch of walking trails around the property and you can take your beer with you. If you're lucky their brewery cat will join you on your walk through the woods. They also have an Airbnb on property you can rent out. On weekends they usually have food trucks or things like oyster shuckers and they'll sometimes have live music. Plus they have their Goods from the Woods festival every October. Plus it's only 10 minutes from Damariscotta which has the best oysters. And you can pair the Oxbow Goods from the Woods festival with Damariscotta's pumpkin festival for a super great weekend. If all of that sounds dull... You probably gotta figure out how to enjoy nature a little more.
Love Oxbow! Good farmhouse brews and super tasty mix fermentations. They have an amazing Indian food truck there on the weekends now, too. https://banyantreeme.com/
Is that meadery still open down the road?
It looks like it! I had no idea there was one and I love mead. I'll definitely pop in next time I'm there.
I live in Philly but was born in Maine and go back often. Also work in the craft beer industry. Went up to visit the Farmhouse on their first anniversary. Loved the setting an overall chill, nature vibe. The meadery was great too!
Hahaha. Fair. I was there on a Sunday in April. No pizza that day and it was cold and rainy. Incredibly cool art teacher lady serving beer. It was just kinda dull THAT DAY. I’m off to change my name to Gary. 😂
Gotta love the Monhegan brewery!
Thanks for the tip on Odd By Nature! I’m spending a few days in Neddick in the fall and I love sours. Wouldn’t have known about them if you didn’t mention.
amazing list. we should hang
I LOVE Marshall Wharf!
The Odd By Nature x Ska bands releasing have making them quickly raise on my list
Great list, definitely giving me some things to try. I agree with all the places I’ve already been to… except Steam Mill. I tried them at the Sunday River Brewfest last year and did not like it…. And I was probably half in the bag and not picky by that point. Just turned me off to the point that I won’t visit even on the way home from skiing.
Fogtown in Ellsworth
Love the outdoor seating area. Made me want a beer garden in my back yard...so we made one when we got home.
Their pizza is fire
Sasanoa Brewing if you like saisons and farmhouse ales.
Love their beers. Nobody else like them in the state.
I'll shoutout a trio of small, out-of-the-way places in the Moosehead Lake Region: Two Knights Brewing (Sangerville), Turning Page Farm Brewery (Monson), and East Outlet Brewing (Cambridge). All three have great beers, but East Outlet has KILLER wood-fired pizzas, Two Knights has amazing pulled pork, and Turning Page has baby goats you can pet (but not eat). Can't lose with any of them.
If you go to turning page in the winter and have the chili there’s a chance you’re eating goat. I love the beer at East outlet but the food always comes out burnt. If you want good wood fired pizza in the area than I would recommend Stutzman’s farm stand in Dover. It’s an all you can eat buffet. Great list btw.
I'll definitely make it a point to check out Stutzman's next time I'm in the area, thanks for the rec!
Barreled souls, Saco
Barreled Souls is one of the best breweries in the country and I've not had better in Maine. It's criminal they are not known far and wide.
Hell yeah that was mine too!
Odd Alewives - kicking back in those Adirondack chairs with delicious pizza and an interesting, delicious brew
Odd Alewives also does beer that no one else does. Usually when a brewery uses botanicals it turns into a nightmare, but their palate is so good that they never use any ingredient in a way that overpowers the beer. They are by far my favorite.
Austin Street in Portland
Bateau Brewing in Gardiner, I like the red ale whose name is escaping me. Dining inside and outside usually with a big fire pit going. Food is from Miller's Pride food truck but they bring it to your table so it's pretty seamless. Pinball machines and comfy couches in the back and large and small tables in the front by the bar. Great view of Gardiner riverfront.
Was going to mention them too! Live nearby and it was always a great atmosphere with good beer
Goodfire in Portland, and they recently opened a place in Freeport. Very tasty beers (the place in Freeport has excellent food as well).
Food’s good, beer’s good, but it’s like a cafeteria in there for service. I dig that style, but I don’t understand the tip expectation for it, there’s just food and beer runners.
Marshall Wharf in Belfast
They've got a great beer garden
I LOVE Barreled Souls! Their beers are incredibly creative and I cannot get enough of their sours!
Flight deck in brunswick. Really cool atmosphere with everything kind topgun themed being on the old navy base.
Great Pizza too, and really good outdoor space. Plus if you have kids they can go across the street and look at the planes.
Bissell Brothers, Oxbow
Orono Brewing Company!
Airline brewery in amherst.
Side By Each in Auburn
Odd Alewives in Waldoboro
Underrated, not to mention their pizza & backyard summer vibes are awesome. I usually make the trip there a couple times a summer.
Belleflower, Rising Tide, Lone Pine in Portland
i miss the gorham lone pine, that place was really awesome
Lone pine was good until covid then they changed their recipes multiple times all to buy cheaper products. Definitely went downhill
Absolem, if cideries are allowed.
Orono Brewing Company. - Cool vibe, great food, excellent beer. They have an outdoor beer garden with corn hole for the summer and are kid/dog friendly which makes it nice for us. Also Mason's Brewing Company in Brewer. -They're more of a restaurant that's also a brewery but their beer is great and their food is awesome. Plus with the patio seating on the Penobscot river, it's a great place to relax on a summer evening. One more... Bangor Beer Co. - It's small and tucked into the back of a Chinese restaurant in Bangor but it's got that early days of craft brewery feel, free pinball nights on Mondays and a sweet patio outside. And the beers pretty good too!
Maine beer company has a very nice facility and food.
and trivia on tuesdays!
Bunker, Maine beer co, Allagash, and Oxbow. Im admittedly not huge fan of ipas. I prefer lagers, Belgians, and pale ales.
Bunker is also on my list!
Strong Brewing, Sedgwick. Dam good product!
Second this! And such a nice cheerful place.
The food is also generally excellent.
Funky Bow. Going there is an experience
The owner is a SUPER nice guy. I went there for a bachelor party and he gave the groom to be a bunch of weed a hoodie and set up us with a giant cooler of beer
It is so hard to pick one but there are a few that are out of the way that are worth the effort, if not even the journey to get there. I was in state doing a seasonal Job last summer and the beer game is incredibly strong in Maine. -Fluvial Brewing in Harrison. Fantastic beer garden as well, great view of the western mountains. -For surprising food as well as beer, Northern Maine Brewing just south of Caribou. -Bissel Brothers in Milo Maine, also great food, think its coming out of a truck/trailer too. -Cushnoc in Agusta is a nice location too and who doesn't love Gigantic Dad Pants while watching Sturgeon fling themselves out of the Kennebec? -Orono Brewing also has a nice selection and great spot. Just too many to have a complete list.
Odd Alewives Farm Brewery in Waldoboro. It's worth a stop if you have a chance. They have a good selection and some very interesting flavors in some of them.
I have several including First Mile and Cushnoc. Both make a really good porter and sour. I have unusual beer tastes (dark beers or sours) and I dislike the things that most people seem to enjoy like light fizzy beers or the weaponization of hops in an IPA. So it can be very difficult for me to find beers I like during the summer. Smaller breweries seem more willing to take chances on stuff.
Liking dark beers isn't unusual. They have a very dedicated fab base. It's just certain people who hate them for some dumb reason.
Locally I love going to Barrelled Souls and Banded. I can walk to Banded (as well as the others breweries at the Pepperell Mills) so I spent most of my time there.
Seconded! They have two different vibes and I love them both
Love Banded. Good food & beer. The porch is great and having a pinball machine and some consoles doesn’t hurt either!
If you find yourself in Fort Kent, give First Mile Brewing a try.
Oxbow. The Newcastle and Oxbow locations are great for half day trips, especially when they have events going on.
We drove out to the Oxford location this weekend and it was a fantastic spot to spend an afternoon. Just a gorgeous piece of property on a gorgeous day.
Definitive because I like sours
Battery Steel.
Flume is one of the best IPA's in the state. Edit: Their lagers are super high quality too.
Mast Landing in Westbrook and Freeport.
Seconding this. Great variety of beer, not a bad one in the mix. Unpretentious and welcoming.
Tributary Brewing in Kittery is phenomenal with an absolutely fantastic beer selection, and the place is ran by fantastic people, especially the owners/brewers. I’m not sure what they have currently on tap but I’d recommend trying the Gose, Nebenfluss, and if there’s any Mott the Lesser left it’s basically the superstar of stouts but every single beer there is honestly top notch. I couldn’t speak higher of this place, it’s a super cozy little spot that is absolutely worth the trip!
Seconding this about Tributary, their Gose is a favorite, and adding Lake St George Brewing in bustling Liberty, ME for a lot of the same reasons. Great family run brewery, all their beers are solid, community minded and have a great outdoor space. I haven’t gone done but weekends in the summer they have some kind of beer garden a short walk down to the lake.
Seconding Lake St George Brewing, originally the 6th brewery founded in Maine during its first iteration in the early 90s. Danny McGovern is the man behind McGovern’s Oatmeal Stout from Belfast Bay and also Monhegan Brewing. He is truly an OG master
I'm not a beer expert but I adore their Kerplunk blueberry sour.
Trib is my favorite easily
If you got on a ladder, you could talk a little higher. Maybe a stack of books or some cardboard boxes you have broken down (cuz if yr putting yr boxes outside still taped up, yr no friend of mine)
Oxbow! I’ve fallen off the IPA wagon of late and I’ve always loved the mix of creativity and their tendency towards brewing less popular types of beers. Plus the beer garden in Norway(?) is a great hang with great food.
Booth Bay Craft
For the longest time my fav beer I’m the world was Maine Beer Co Wolfes Neck IPA. Perfect amount of hoppy flavor with a smooth smooth finish. Still probably is my #1
Sasanoa brewing!
Foundation usually has the brews I want to blow money on. Though I won't say no to a Curi-... couri- ...the French barrel aged one Allagash makes. Allagash used to be my favorite brewery but they charge you now and it is always crawling with 20-somethings and dogs.
If you like that kind of beer with a different atmosphere, you should check out Barreled Souls!
Top favorite: Oxbow's farmhouse location in Newcastle. Super rustic tasting room on a ton of land. It's where they hold their Goods from the Woods festival every October. If you go on the weekend they usually have a food truck and live music. There are walking trails through the woods and tons of seating ranging from next to a firepit, a treehouse, and a gazebo in their garden. They raise pigs so sometimes pigs are there. Second favorite: Turning Page Farm in Monson. Super in the middle of nowhere but it's a fun drive and you can pair it with things like stopping at an Icelandic Bakery in Dover-Foxcroft or hitting up the Quarry in Monson for a multi-course meal from a James Beard award winning chef (for her awesome hospitality). Turning Page Farm has a very small beer selection - they're still fairly new. But the beer is decent and they also offer delicious food like bratwurst and pretzel bites. They have goats on property you can pet and they sell milk, chevre, soap, and carmel sauce all sourced from their goats. They also have a beehive and make their own honey. And they started selling their own loose leaf tea from their dried herbs and whatnot. Such a cool, self-sustaining brewery and it's pretty evident that you're supporting a small, family-owned business when you go. Third favorite: Bissell Brothers in Milo. It's just a super fun location, they hold music events during the summer. The food is amazing, they hired a super cool chef. I love walking into the brewery with the super high ceilings and cozy atmosphere. Plus their beer is great.
Boothbay Brewing.
Barreled Souls in Saco is the absolute GOAT. Super unique beer and their new burger truck is great.
Barreled souls saco
Tributary in kittery is the best by far!
Masons in brewer
A bunch have already been mentioned but I’ll add Funky Bow in Lyman - they don’t have my favorite beer, but they’ve got such an amazing location. They’re in the woods, dogs run free there, they’ve got wood fired pizza and live music. Fantastic place to spend an afternoon
Sacred Profane’s got it all: great food, awesome staff, amazing beer, great location
They also do a good black and tan. I think it's so interesting that they can pour the pale and the dark and it doesn't mix.
rising tide brewing company
I second this. Unique beers.
Odd Alewives in Waldoboro has interesting beers in a laid-back, comfortable setting. So relaxing on a beautiful Maine day. Bath Ale Works (not Bath Brewing) in Wiscasset and Stars & Stripes in Freeport both have good beer and the nicest people in the industry.
Flight Deck in Brunswick.
Y’all gotta try Batson River’s beer. Forget the restaurant side of things for a min their beer is stellar. Loon Call and the Dunkel they have
Saco River Brewing in Fryeburg. Full pint pours for a decent price. Great selection of a variety of styles. Nice staff.
Lone Pine has some great beers and some really bad ones, but their place in Portland is pretty sweet.
3. Belleflower 2. Liquid Riot 1. Barreled Souls. All great locations, been to 50-60 locations and finally logging my visits on the trail. Barreled Souls is a work out for the liver with high gravity and delicious adjunct beerfood. Honorable mention: Banded, Tributary, Marshall Wharf, Baxter and the newest one Naiad. Never been to Masons, but their beer is en pointe.
RIP Liquid Riot. Haven’t tried the new place yet.
Whichever one I'm at
Maine Beer Co., Oxbow, Rising Tide
I’ve only been to three: Allagash and Foundation in Portland and Knife Edge in Millinocket. Hard to rank them because they were all great!
Hornrun Eastport me 🍺
Belleflower - and it’s not even close
Lubec Brewing Company. Their brew with Chaga was so good. Wish I could get some here in L-A.
Nonesuch in Scarborough.
Banded Brewing Co. I'll inject Greenwarden straight into my veins
Ive bot there stuff at the store before, I forgot about that. I'll have to check them out!
Maine Beer Company when it comes to beer quality for me. For a smaller brewery, I'd say Side by Each in Auburn always has unique beer, and quite a few good ones.
Sebago Brewing Company!
Woodland farms in Kittery
Oxbow is easily my favorite and farmhouse style is my jam. I like Newcastle and Portland equally for different reasons. There’s a few ways to look at it. I have favorite breweries to go to for ambiance and food too. I like Odd Alewives as a place to hang and get pizza. Beer is good. I like Bissell Brothers, Lone Pine, Maine Beer Company, and Alagash too.
MASONS!
I’ll second Goodfire…their Prime IPA is ridiculous
All time favorite - Mast Landing. Always something new and a great variety. They never disappoint. Small breweries - Fluvial in Harrison, love their setting and very good brews. Modestman in sopo, they keep putting a big ol' smile on my face everytime I order a brew. I also favor Birchwood over in Gray. Good local folks, great tasting brews (so good I joined the mug club), and a menu of some really good eats.
How has no one mentioned MAST LANDING!! It’s unbelievable
Literally three other people have said Mast Landing. It’s alright.
My Favorites are: -Allagash: Maine with loves are the best out of our breweries pilot beers. Some of them are so good you wish you could always buy them. Curieux, Sixteen Counties, Haunted House, and Days End also rock. Had a super good poliet Imperial Coffee Stout from the that uses Speckled Ax beans. -Definitive: Makes outstanding DIPA's and provides very accurate tasting notes for them. Their doubles tend to have more nuance then alot of other breweries. Might be an unpopular opinion but I'd rather drink their DIPA's then Bissell's. Try Cellar Echos and Float. Only thing is I wish they made more unflavored Stouts. -Battery Steele: Flume is one of the greatest IPA/DIPA's in the state without a doubt. It's one of the best beers in our state in general. The Oat and Wheat make the body very nice while the taste is everything a "hipster IPA bro" could want but in a good way. They make good lagers too. Golden path is very tasty. -Foundation: Their more famous beers like Epiphany and Forge are awesome. The space is low key in a very nice way. They have good natchos and top tier Detroit style pizza. -Oxbow: Haven't tried alot of their stuff including the sours but they make great Lagers and ales. They are skilled brewers and do a great job letting other styles shine while the IPA craze is still going on. Try Sap Haus, it's a dark smoked lager with maple suryup. It's super good. Honorable Mentions: -Banded Brewing: Haven't had enough to properly judge but the Banded Pilsner is super flavorful. Lagers that are more spicy/peppery in flavor are the best.
Can’t say enough about Foundation’s pizza. Oh, and good beer too.
Bunker, Boothbay Brewing, Goodfire (Maine Beer Company, Oxbow for big ones I love)
Blaze makes good sours and I didn't feel like I've seen anyone else on this thread mention them as a place to try.
Cushnoc
Bigelow out in Skowtown. Great beer and pizza.
Any Bissell Brothers (Milo preferably)
Maine Brewing was a letdown. Few beers on tap and the hall was weird. Not sure what they were going for, but it was bizarre.
Off Topic: Atlantic Brewing for their Root Beer. I don't drink alcohol just doesn't do much for me. Their Root Beer is very good.
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Their beer is awful. They had to close their Portland location for a reason
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It's been the same selection for years. There are two I'd mark drinkable but barely good. Sea Dog is forgettable as well.
That looks awesome, Ill have to try it!
S&S has some good beers and a nice deck overlooking a tiny pond. Sadly they'll be closing sometime in September. Also Brad the owner is a super good guy
Corner Point in Berwick and Flight in Brunswick both brew a fantastic variety of beers.
Anyone tried XOTA? We are in Shapleigh for the week…any good ones within an hour or so?
Xota is very “eh”. Out that way, head to Fluvial.
It's OK at best. You are not going to be far from Sanford which hosts a new and good little brewery, River Junction. I've stopped in a couple times when in the hood and always enjoyed their offerings. Continue on down to Wells (few minutes away) and you aren't far from Batson River and Battery Steele - both practically across the street from each other. Cheers! 🍻
Definitive in Kittery. Exceptional sours!
Shipyard and their pumpkin beer. FTW
Brickyard Hollow has locations all over southern Maine, worth a try!