Yankee Brew News Archive

Shipyard Brewing Company Opens in Portland

Originally Published: 07/94

By: Ron Lachance

Demand For Shipyard Export Ale Cited

Anybody who has taken Economics 101 knows about the law of supply and demand. If the demand is greater than the supply, then one of two actions result; the public loses interest in your product if you don't increase supply, or you expand your business to meet the growing demands.

Fred Forsley and Alan Pugsley have chosen the latter as the path to success. They have established the Shipyard Brewing Company in Portland, Maine to satisfy the ever increasing demand for Shipyard Export Ale.

The Shipyard Export Ale, most commonly referred to as the "Shipyard", is the flagship beer of Federal Jack's Brewpub in Kennebunkport, Maine (also owned by Fred Forsley).

"We saw the need for expansion last August," Fred explains. "There was no way we could keep up with the outside sales and the brewpub operations, and we saw this building as a perfect opportunity to put in a large microbrewery...because it's almost like it was built perfectly for

a microbrewery."

Alan Pugsley further explains, "The flagship beer took off from day one and has always maintained, at the brew pub, the number one seller. It was the beer that we selected to sell outside during the off seasons. It grew from strength to strength...and that swayed the final decision to make this place happen."

The "Shipyard" is a full-bodied golden ale with a distinctive hop taste, but not overly bitter. "The beer aficionados love it," Alan explains, "and people, who are more use to Molson and Heineken, and even your domestic beers, taste it and aren't initially slammed and offended by the overwhelming, maybe hop taste of IPA or other beers. It's sort of really an interim beer which doesn't give anything up for flavor and taste. It's not overly bitter. You can taste the hops that are subtly balanced to the malt taste."

If you drove by the Shipyard Brewing Company, on the corner of Hancock and Newbury Street in Portland, you'd never know that fine quality beer was being brewed inside. The windowless, plain exterior reflects the likeness of the forging plant it once was. Fred and Alan plan to renovate the building in the future. Fred points out that the property that the brewery resides on is also the site where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born.

The brewery uses a fifty-barrel Peter Austin & Partner brewing system, and since beginning operations has been brewing 350 barrels per week. The brewery occupies 10,000 square feet for the present brewing capacity, and has the ability to expand an additional 8,000 square feet.

The Shipyard Export Ale is being distributed throughout New England, and New Jersey. Fred and Alan are also looking at increasing distribution to Michigan and Florida in the near future. "We're gonna go down the Eastern seaboard first," Fred explains, "and then also head West. The idea is to grow the brand, at least nationally, and then take it from there."

Future plans for brewing of additional beers by Shipyard Brewing will be determined based on demand and the capacity of the brewery. "The nice thing about Kennebunkport (Federal Jack's Brew Pub)," said Fred, "it will allow us to do a variety of beer and potentially some other styles there, and as the demand grows in the marketplace for the tap products, we can begin phasing in to the bottle product. We also have the ability to expand our capabilities here. As it grows (the beer demand), we have enough space here to keep expanding."

Alan and Fred heeded the law of supply and demand, and the Shipyard Brewing Company is in full operation, brewing every day. "It was really demand-driven (the establishment of Shipyard Brewing Company). We're already selling more than we can produce in Kennebunkport," Fred explains. "The big fear, with summer hitting us again, was having the public being upset because we can't supply enough beer...we had to something...to service the demand that we created by doing the outside sales."

Alan adds, "That's the beauty of this operation, that's made it somewhat easier (to succeed). When you don't have a brand on the market, you have to create a market awareness. Fred and his sales force has already created that prior to this (Shipyard Brewing company) occurring. It was just a matter of we need beer!"