Yankee Brew News Archive

Spring Heralds Change in Season and Beer Styles in Breweries

Originally Published: 03/95

By: Ron Lachance

Spring is in the air

and snow on the ground.

The kettles are brewing

and new beer styles abound.

I never claimed I was a poet. But this little rhyme reflects what's happening at some of the breweries in the North Country. Shipyard Brewing Company is brewing a new ale called Longfellow Winter Ale .Magic Hat Brewing Company is brewing a stout called the Heart of Darkness, Casco Bay Brewing Company has introduced a third beer style--Katahdin Stout, and Gritty McDuff's and D.L. Geary Brewing Company have mutually produced INAUGURAL Ale. For details, read on!

Maine

Maine Coast Brewing Company, Bar Harbor. After three years of planning, Bar Harbor is finally getting its third brewery. Tom St. Germain reports that this incarnation, which succeeds his previous ventures that never made it into business, including the Downeast Brewing Company and Sweet Waters of Acadia Ale Company, will operate primarily as a brewpub. The pub will open in April at 21 Cottage Street, in the heart of Bar Harbor's busy pedestrian area, and will include both a tap room and outdoor seating. An existing restaurant, Route 66, which has a 1950s theme, will adjoin the pub and serve its food. St Germain plans to start out with four beer styles: a pale ale, a red ale, a golden ale, and a stout. A Maine-made 7-barrel system will be used. "We hope to make our brews as traditional as possible," said St. Germain. "I can hardly wait for summer!"

Sheepscot Valley Brewing Company, Whitefield. Sheepscot Valley Brewing Company will be located in Whitefield, Maine with a projected start up in late spring. The brewery will be using a four-barrel system with equipment from Pierre Rajotte, McCann Fabrication and Prospero, Inc. Initial capacity of the brewery will be eight barrels per week. Owner Stephen Gorrill will be producing Belgian style beers (along with some other exotic brews) and will initially offer a Wit Beer and a Belgian Ale. The beer is planned to be available in the Augusta, Mid-Coast, and Portland area.

Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company and D.L. Geary Brewing Company, Portland. On a cold and frozen Saturday night, more than 8,000 Mainers braved the elements and turned up at the Brunswick Naval Air Station in order to attend Governor-Elect Angus King's Inaugural Ball. The event was held in two adjoining airplane hangars- barely enough room for everybody in attendance. There was live music on two different stages, a wonderful array of locally-produced hors d'oeuvres, and of course, fresh INAUGURAL ale" on tap"!

This ale was brewed "independently" by both breweries in order to commemorate the Independent Governor's recent victory at the polls. The brewers hoped that the spirit of co-operation displayed in the mutual production of this ale would help ease the memory of one of the most heated and closely watched elections in the State's history. What kind of beer does one brew for the newly elected Governor? Well, simply put, the brewers felt that the ale should somehow reflect Angus King's Scottish ancestry, and that it should taste...well...it should have the sweet taste of victory!

With those premises in mind, Ed Stebbins and David Geary formulated a recipe for a Scotch Ale. they started with a mixture of imported two-row pale ale and crystal malt, and then added a generous amount of chocolate malt to darken the original extract. Yakima Cascade and Cluster hops were added to the boil in the kettle, and whole Oregon Willamette flowers were used as "finishing" hops.

The end result was a very interesting and drinkable beer -- the brewers managed to balance a mild hop bitterness with a rich, biscuity finish -- the perfect compliment to such a regal event. Many of those who attended the Inaugural Ball were quick to agree that the brew was truly an ale "Fit for a King".

Sugarloaf Brewing Company, Carrabassett Valley. Since their first beer was brewed on June 29, 1994, Brewmaster Jeff Hinckley has produced several new beers to add to Sugarloaf's flagship--Carrabassett Pale. Sugarloaf is now brewing for sale at the brewpub, in minikegs, 1/2 barrel, or in 22 oz. bottles the following beer styles:

KOLSCH - which is a very mild cream ale with modest hop bitterness and aroma.

IPA - A beer created in August of '94 to cater to the "hopheads". This ale is a favorite.

HONEY BROWN - A very popular beer that uses 20% New England clover honey and British hops.

DEAD RIVER DARK - An excellent porter that is grabbing more and more draft accounts in New England.

SNOWMAKER STOUT - A dry stout made from only English pale malt, flaked barley, and roasted barley. The hops are authentic Kent Goldings. It is Sugarloaf's only unfiltered beer and has quite a following from visitors at the pub.

Two new beers will appear this spring and summer; an Irish red ale in March and a wheat beer in June.

Casco Bay Brewing Company, Portland. Casco Bay Brewing Company, brewer of Katahdin Golden Beer and Katahdin Red Ale announces the introduction of its third beer, style, Katahdin Stout. It will be available in 22 ounce bottles and on draft in March. Katahdin Stout is an oatmeal stout that uses specialty malts, roasted barley, and flaked oats that give the stout its distinctive flavor and creamy texture.

In February, Casco Bay installed its fourth 40-barrel unitank fermenter. The brewery will also be installing a third 3,000 gallon lagering tank in the near future. "The increased capacity will allow us to meet the current demand for our products and produce more beer for our growing market," say Michael LaCharite, Casco Bay's brewer. Katahdin beer will soon be available in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Casco Bay Brewing welcomes visitors. Brewery tours are on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Call (207) 797-2020 for reservations.

Shipyard Brewing Company, Portland. Created in honor of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who was born in Portland on February 27, 1807, Longfellow Winter Ale was premiered by both Shipyard and Kennebunkport Brewing Companies at a party on the 188th anniversary of his birth. Shipyard Brewing Company, which opened last May in an abandoned foundry located on the site of Longfellow's birthplace, was celebrating its first year of operation in the now renovated building on Newbury Street, as well as the poet's birthday and the new ale.

"Longfellow Winter is a full-bodied strong ale," describes Alan Pugsley of his creation, "almost a hybrid between a porter and a Scottish ale with a distinct roasted barley character. A well-balanced hoppiness comes through initially, and it finishes long and dry."

"We felt that this ale would be a fitting tribute to the man, who, in a way, gave us the site for our Portland brewery," says Fred Forsley, President of Shipyard Brewing Company, who presented the idea for the ale four months ago to his brewmaster-partner.

"The original house, with many of its neighbors, was torn down in the 1950s in the wave of urban renewal that so many of us now regret. Since we've been here, though, we've fixed up what was an eyesore in a primarily residential neighborhood, and we've received many positive comments at our presence from the people who live nearby," Forsley observed.

The 22 ounce bottle of Longfellow Winter Ale is adorned with the poet's visage, taken from an original oil painting by Civil War artist Ken Hendrikson of Kennebunkport. Hendrikson is responsible for most of Shipyard's labels, including the charming rendition of the lighted Christmas tree in Dock Square, Kennebunkport, which graces the bottles of Prelude, the company's Christmas Ale.

Also being introduced for the first time this month, is Moose Brown Ale, a malty English-style brown ale with a smooth texture, a sweet finish and a hint of chocolate and maple syrup. Moose Brown has been available previously only on draft, but will now be on the market in 12 and 22 ounce bottles, with a newly designed logo/label done by award-winning Chris Hadden Design of Portland.

Two long-standing favorites in the Shipyard/Kennebunkport lineup will be available this month in 12 ounce bottles. Ask for Blue Fin Stout, which won a gold medal in 1994 from the Beverage Testing Institute, and Goat Island Light, their light alcohol, reduced calorie ale, in their new 12 oz. size.

Vermont

Magic Hat Brewing Company, Burlington. Banjos, fiddles, drums, and dancers filled the brewery with good vibrations on January 22 when Magic Hat hosted an Open House party for the local community. Between 400 and 500 people showed up for the event which was held to thank those who supported Magic Hat from the beginning. Party-goers had the chance to sample Heart of Darkness, Magic Hat's first batch of stout. The stout is now available in Burlington in addition to Magic Hat's flagship beer, the Irish-style Red Ale.

Magic Hat has added two distributors and a new 30-barrel fermentation tank to double fermentation capacity. The new distributors are Bacchus Imports, Ltd. in Baltimore, Maryland and Dewitt Beverages Co, in Brattleboro, Vermont..

New Hampshire

Manchester Bier Haus, Manchester. The Queen City's second brewpub is on its way. The pub is being planned by Karyn Baker, owner of Beer & Wine Hobby, a Woburn, Massachusetts homebrew supply store. Slated for a May opening in the Old Langdon Mills building, the pub and its restaurant will seat over 300 people. A 15-barrel system by Liquid Asset of New Mexico will begin producing six different beer styles, under the direction of brewmaster Phil Markowski (who was profiled in the last issue of YBN), formerly of Connecticut's New England Brewing Company. Both the food and the beer at the Bier Haus, according to Baker, will have an "international flavor."