16 replies to this topic

[Fatman]

I'm headed on a New England/Canada cruise in August. We have a stop for 8 or so hours in Portland, Maine - I've heard Portland has a good beer scene, and plan on checking it out. Any recommendations/suggestions? Is it worth grabbing a cab to Allagash? (5 miles from the port)

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I'm headed on a New England/Canada cruise in August. We have a stop for 8 or so hours in Portland, Maine - I've heard Portland has a good beer scene, and plan on checking it out. Any recommendations/suggestions? Is it worth grabbing a cab to Allagash? (5 miles from the port)

I don't think I've been up to Portland since I've been of legal drinking age so I don't have much help there. I'm not sure if the city is big enough to have a lot of cabs but there is probably at least one cab company.Are you stopping anywhere else in New England?

[HVB]

I have not been on the Allagash tour but a nice beer bar is Novare Res https://www.novareresbiercafe.com/

[strangebrewer]

It's not a brew pub or anything but last time I was there I stopped at the Flatbread company on Commercial st down near the piers. It's a wood fire pizza place that had a pretty good selection of beers on tap and in bottles most of which were from the North East. Pizza was really good too. So not a beer specific place but had a decent lineup.

[lowendfrequency]

Allagash Brewing is a must! Best beer in town!Shipyard Brewery does free tastings.Sebago Brewing Co has several locations and is pretty sweet. Had a killer imperial stein beer and lobsta roll there :stabby:Gritty McDuff's is an old school brewpub. Good crowd.Novare Res (as mentioned) is a top notch beer cafe. Lot's of events there.Run of the Mill brewing is nearby in Saco.Kennebunkport Brewing and Federal Jack's Brewpub are close by as well in Kennebunkport. If you're up for a little drive, there is some action in Portsmouth NH. Smuttynose, RedHook and Portsmouth brewing.I recently spent a week out there for work and managed to hit ALL of them. A brewpub every night and spent my weekend driving from spot to spot.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Allagash Brewing is a must! Best beer in town!Shipyard Brewery does free tastings.Sebago Brewing Co has several locations and is pretty sweet. Had a killer imperial stein beer and lobsta roll there :stabby:Gritty McDuff's is an old school brewpub. Good crowd.Novare Res (as mentioned) is a top notch beer cafe. Lot's of events there.Run of the Mill brewing is nearby in Saco.Kennebunkport Brewing and Federal Jack's Brewpub are close by as well in Kennebunkport. If you're up for a little drive, there is some action in Portsmouth NH. Smuttynose, RedHook and Portsmouth brewing.I recently spent a week out there for work and managed to hit ALL of them. A brewpub every night and spent my weekend driving from spot to spot.

You for real? Didn't let any of the locals know? come on!!!

[davelew]

I just had a coworker from California ask about getting a keg of Allagash. With all the great beer in California, asking for a Maine beer really says something about the quality and distinctiveness of Allagash. I've never been there for the tour, but I would definitely go there if you have the chance.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I just had a coworker from California ask about getting a keg of Allagash. With all the great beer in California, asking for a Maine beer really says something about the quality and distinctiveness of Allagash. I've never been there for the tour, but I would definitely go there if you have the chance.

I tried a beer by them called Curieux. It was a tripel aged in jim bean barrels. It might be awesome if you like the style but that was like rocket fuel for me. I couldn't handle it. At some point I should pick up some of their regular offerings to see how I like them.

[3rd party JKor]

Not a brewery, but a good beer bar is The Great Lost Bear. You can get a pretty good taste of the New England beer scene in one stop.

[Fatman]

Allagash Brewing is a must! Best beer in town!Shipyard Brewery does free tastings.Sebago Brewing Co has several locations and is pretty sweet. Had a killer imperial stein beer and lobsta roll there :PGritty McDuff's is an old school brewpub. Good crowd.Novare Res (as mentioned) is a top notch beer cafe. Lot's of events there.Run of the Mill brewing is nearby in Saco.Kennebunkport Brewing and Federal Jack's Brewpub are close by as well in Kennebunkport. If you're up for a little drive, there is some action in Portsmouth NH. Smuttynose, RedHook and Portsmouth brewing.I recently spent a week out there for work and managed to hit ALL of them. A brewpub every night and spent my weekend driving from spot to spot.

Don't get me wrong, I love Allagash - the Total Wines in Wilmington, Delaware stocks a surprising amount of their stuff. I was just concerned if the was enough onsite to make the cab ride worthwhile.Off to the beer mapping project to plan a route!!!

[davelew]

I tried a beer by them called Curieux. It was a tripel aged in jim bean barrels. It might be awesome if you like the style but that was like rocket fuel for me. I couldn't handle it. At some point I should pick up some of their regular offerings to see how I like them.

Curieux is actually one of my favorite beers. It's definitely a slow-sipping beer meant for small pours and goblets instead of chugging from pint glasses, but that's what I expect from a tripel.Their white is an excellent example of a Belgian Wit, and is more readily available than any of their other offerings, if you want to try something more standard.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Curieux is actually one of my favorite beers. It's definitely a slow-sipping beer meant for small pours and goblets instead of chugging from pint glasses, but that's what I expect from a tripel.Their white is an excellent example of a Belgian Wit, and is more readily available than any of their other offerings, if you want to try something more standard.

I think it may have been the barrel aging I didn't like mostly. I'm just not a huge fan of that generally.I have a couple of bottle shops around here that carry allagash so at some point I'll try some other stuff out.

[bossbrew]

Well, we go up there at least once a year, and always enjoy Gritty's, Sebago Brewing, The Great Lost Bear and Allagash. I hear that Ebeneezer's Pub is the place to go for unusual beers, but it's a ways north from Portland - https://www.ebenezerspub.net/ - Most beers in the area are good, but a lot are East Coast / British style. We'll be in Maine for a couple of weeks in August.

[Malzig]

Well, we go up there at least once a year, and always enjoy Gritty's, Sebago Brewing, The Great Lost Bear and Allagash. I hear that Ebeneezer's Pub is the place to go for unusual beers, but it's a ways north from Portland - https://www.ebenezerspub.net/ - Most beers in the area are good, but a lot are East Coast / British style. We'll be in Maine for a couple of weeks in August.

Their other pub, The Lion's Pride, is a lot closer in Brunswick (about 20 minutes north), but still pretty far for an 8 hour layover without a car.I'd suggest Gritty's (one of the oldest brewpubs in the country), Novare Res (hope for a good beer list that day), and Duck Fat (for lunch, try the french fries fried in duck fat and a Marshall Wharf Tug Pale Ale), but I've never been to Allagash, which is probably cool.

[lowendfrequency]

You for real? Didn't let any of the locals know? come on!!!

Sorry, it was a last minute trip and during one of my hiatuses from beerforum posting, didn't even think to put the word out. I might be back that way in the next coming months though. Here at work, the North East is technically my "territory", so any clients out there are mine automatically. I might get to go to CO soon too, as Coors is one of my clients as well. Airhorn!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Sorry, it was a last minute trip and during one of my hiatuses from beerforum posting, didn't even think to put the word out. I might be back that way in the next coming months though. Here at work, the North East is technically my "territory", so any clients out there are mine automatically. I might get to go to CO soon too, as Coors is one of my clients as well. Airhorn!

What do you do?

[lowendfrequency]

What do you do?

I work for a small software company that specializes in the safety sector. When I'm in the office I head up the marketing team and do a lot of graphic design. I travel almost 50% of the time though and when I'm on the road I do safety assesments and inventories of our client's facilities. The goal is to bring them up to compliance so OSHA and the EPA don't sh*t down their necks. I use it as an excuse to visit as many breweries, brewpubs, taprooms, vineyards, barrel cellars, meaderies and distilleries as possible. I've hit over 100 this year alone.