Portland, Maine is the Craft Beverage Capital of America. There, I said it!
September 26, 2022 is the anniversary of the famous Portland Bevvy Run with the New England Research Team of Rich Srsich, John Crabtree, and Deanna Mercuri. That day we investigated 12 adult beverage producers in greater Portland in one day!
It was an eye-opening experience for me. I had worked in Kennebunkport as Creative Director at Cider Mill Press for many years and I knew the reputation of Portland, Maine as a food town. In 2018 Bon Apetit magazine named the city "the 2018 Restaurant City of the Year"! In 2021 Forbes ran a headline saying that Portland has remained "one of the top food cities in America." That year Boston.com echoed the same sentiment. The plaudits went on and on.
But somewhere along the way, Portland had gained momentum not just as a foodie mecca, but also as a Craft Beverage destination. There are more than 25 breweries in the greater Portland region. Greater Portland has the highest rate of Breweries per capita than any other city in the country. Add to that the small wineries, the cideries, and distilleries, meaderies - and one Fermentery!!!! And you have a destination with more than 30 craft beverage spots to visit!
From breweries like Shipyard, Geary's, Ox Bow, Allagash Brewing, Rising Tide, Lone Pine, Bissel Brothers, Brick Yard, Tributary Brewing, Batson Brewing and Distillery, Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery, Maine Distilleries (Cold River Vodka), eighteentwenty wines, Liquid Riot Bottling Company, Stroudwater Distillery, and even Wild Root Kambucha, and the Urban Farm Distillery! Not to mention, in Portland you can find bottles of Bartlett Estate wines and distilled products, Wigley Bridge Distillery, SoMe Brewing, Maine Craft Distilling, Bluet sparkling, RAS Wines, and many, many more.
I discovered all this while working on my book about the craft beverage business in New England entitled, DRINK THE NORTH EAST
Rich Srsich and I first convened at Stroudwater Distilling, where we both loved the whiskies and the vodka. Amazing distilled spirts. I have long been a fan of their Rye, having featured in THE SPIRIT OF RYE, some time ago. But I liked the whole line here.
Bissell Brothers Brewing was another early stop. Loved many of the beers here, but took home more than a few of their big bottle offerings. Loved the Feels Like Home, Slow Down and others. Great stuff!
Huge fan Amanda and Alex and their eighteen twenty wines. Loved everything. The wines. The vibes. No one they are the talk of east coast winemaking! Fantastic stuff. Great list.
We then found ourselves at Great visit at Lone Pine Brewing Company. Loved the Coffee Cake Stout, Pale Ale, and Tesselation.
Then, literally, around back we went to Goodfire Brewing Company. Loved the Pilsner, Prime IPA, Iota Hoppy Bkonde, and Effie’ &Jelly! Great stuff!!!
Urban Farm Fermentory & Gruit Brewing Co. Terrific kombucha. Loved their regular kombucha, ginger, aronia, and chai. Loved super dry cider, and golden ale beer.
We then met up with John Crabtree and Deanna Mercuri at THE INDEPENDENT ICE COMPANY. An exceptional whiskey list of brown spirits from around the world, that included many local spirits as well. While there we sampled the Batson River Langsford Road Bourbon and the Wigley Bridge Bourbon. Great food. Awesome atmosphere. A whiskey lover's dream in the heart of Portland.
We then went to Shipyard Brewing Company. Big fan of Shipyard and the historic part they took on in the burgeoning craft brewing industry in the early days. They make a number of great bees, but they've become ever popular as one of the biggest brewers of pumpkin ales in the US. And of course, we were there in the fall during the highpoint of the season! So much fun!
The the four of us traveled together to Liquid Riot. Fantastic job! Loved all four beers. Cherry bock, raspberry Trouble, Pearl Stout, Irish Goodbye , rye whiskey, oat whiskey, Smokey single malt, Demi dark rum were all fantastic!
Afterwards we made it to Brickyard Hollow Brewing Company. Great pizza and beer! Loved the Kolsch, the IPA, and Wheat beers! Super fun time!
Oxbow Blending & Bottling, an extension of Oxbow Brewing Company. We stood in line for an order of Duck Fat fries and a Duck Fat Vanilla Shake. Both were absolutely incredible. Oxbow is one of the coolest brewers on the east coast. Loved the Fam Boi Vese (farmhouse ale with grape juice and raspberries), Saison Rose' (farmhouse ale with fruit), and a bunch of other wild ales and co-ferments. A great stop for beer geeks - Mecca!
In the same complex as the brewery we found Hardshore Distilling. I really love what these folks are doing. They are a new distillery. They are taking their time to make things right. And what they do put out is super high quality. Their Original Small Batch Gin and their North Oak Small Batch Gin are outstanding! They are currently releasing their Shorebird Bourbon line, three releases: Small Batch, Single Barrel, and Master Distiller's Series. Great cocktails. A must visit!
Of course there are other places to visit we just didn't make it to! Classic among them is Geary's Brewing, one of the handful of the first wave of craft breweries from the early 1990s. Still some fantastic beers!
That was the conclusion of our day. We were only there one day, and visited as many as we could. Sipping carefully between the four of us! But there is so much more that the city has to offer!
There's also Rising Tide Brewing Company
Allagash Brewing Company is among the best producers in New England. Known for their Allagash White, the company brews a series of complex beers and ales of various types. Love the Cherries and Raspberries. But they make a ton of good beers!
Definitive Brewing Company is also one of the better brewers in the region! They feature classic standards, but they love even more pushing the boundaries of what is craft brewing. A fantastic series of natural fruit sours, and innovative IPAs. Great tasting room, fun atmosphere.
Maine Craft Distilling is home to creative canned craft cocktails and Fifty Stone Single Malt Whiskey. This is a great place to lean back, and enjoy an exceptional cocktail and to sample one of the best, small batch Single Malts on the east coast!
And there are so many more!
Along with the fact that Portland has been named one of the best foods towns several times over the last decade, these outstanding craft producers provide a fun agenda to be made front and center of any great weekend getaway!
With this kind of diversity, and innovation, and quality, it's not hard to see why Portland, Maine IS The Best Craft Beverage City in America!