Yankee Brew News Archive

What's Brewing: Maine/New Hampshire

Originally Published: 10/96

By: Mark E. Hall

It's been another summer of non-stop activity in both Maine and New Hampshire. Most of it good, and some of it bad. First, I'll start with the bad news.

We recently had our first Maine casualty as Lake State George Brewing of Liberty closed their doors. Owners Dan McGovern and Kellon Thames found it tough to keep up with demand as their other full time jobs put too much of a strain on their time. I will definitely miss their Oatmeal Stout as it was one of the best I've ever tasted.

As every dark cloud seems to have a silver lining, McGovern will continue to brew as he was recently hired as Head Brewer at the new Belfast Bay Brewing Company in Belfast, Maine. More on that later.

In other news, the Bier Haus Restaurant and Brewery in Merrimack, New Hampshire has also closed its doors. Here's hoping former head brewer Phil Markowski will be able to apply his excellent skills at another brewery. At press time, the brewery/restaurant is still up for sale.

With the closing of Lake St. George Brewing in Liberty, Maine and the Bier Haus Restaurant and Brewery in Merrimack, New Hampshire, New England has lost two of its better beer producing establishments.

Now the good news. Since my last column, there are now six new breweries producing beer in the two state region; four in Maine, and two in New Hampshire. Increasing Maine's roster of breweries are Berwick Brewing (Berwick), Belfast Bay Brewing Company (Belfast), Oak Pond Brewing (Skowhegan), and Narrow Gauge Brewing (Farmington). Not to be upstaged is New Hampshire as the Flying Goose Brewpub at Four Corners Restaurant (Sunapee) and Castle Springs Brewing Company (Moultonborough) are now open for business. The six new entities bring the total number of operating breweries in the two state region to a staggering 36.

Everyone I've talked to has had a record summer with sales far ahead of last year and are finding it hard to keep up with demand. Sounds like a good problem to me!

Maine

The big news in Maine is the opening of four new breweries who by now should have some of their products on tap at various bars in their local areas.

Pat Mullen, owner of the Belfast Bay Brewing Company, has recently installed his own brewery on the site of his restaurant-The Barn in Belfast, located on U.S. Route 1. Mullen who has owned the restaurant for 27 years, recently re-acquired the property after selling it six years ago. As he wanted to "add some flair" to the restaurant, he put in a brewery at the gift shop site and recently converted the lounge to a brew pub. Belfast Bay will be utilizing a seven-barrel system with four seven-barrel fermenters and one 14 barrel fermenter. He also hired Dan McGovern, formerly of Lake St. George Brewing as Head Brewer and plans on producing 250 kegs a month to start.

Originally a fourteen tap pub (all Maine micros), Mullen will add 4-6 taps of his own brews, bringing the total selection of available Maine micros to approximately 20. In a move atypical of most brewpubs, he will continue to showcase Maine micros and will make available information and directions to other Maine breweries for those who wish to visit those individually.

According to Pat, "the larger number of available beers will allow the beer drinker the opportunity to try more styles. If they are interested in a beer from a particular brewery, we will point them in the right direction". Look for the brewpub to open sometime this month.

The long awaited Hedgehog Brewing Company has finally come to fruition although under a different name. Instead of an on-site brewery at the Hedgehog Pub in Portland, Oak Pond Brewing Company (OPB) has set up shop in a converted chicken barn atop a hill overlooking Oak Pond, which lies in the rolling valleys of the Kennebec River in Skowhegan.

Oak Pond Brewing is owned by Patricia and Robert Lawton. Pat is the president of the company and also the first woman to own and operate a brewery in Maine. Her husband Robert (or Trebor as he is often called) is an immunologist.

Head Brewer Christopher Morton, originally from Portland, comes to OPB from the "lesser" Portland (Oregon) where he brewed for the Full Sail Brewing Company. Chris is using a 15 Barrel DME system to brew the companies first two offerings: OPB Somerset Lager- "a smooth and flavorful representation of the classic Pilsner style, with a malty fullness, a balanced hop bitterness and an assertive hoppy flavor" and OPB Nut Brown Ale- "a creamy dark ale with a very approachable and slightly toasty flavor and floral hop aroma".

Chris is working with four 20 barrel fermenters and a 30 barrel lagering tank. The facility uses spring-fed well water to assure the unique quality of its beers. You can sample these yourself at the Hedgehog Brewpub and The Great Lost Bear, both in Portland.

Rob Todd of Allagash Brewing says he's having a great summer as both his Allagash White and Allagash Double (both are now available in bottles) are doing very well in stores. He recently added another conditioning tank, bringing his anticipated output up 33% from 1500 to 2000 barrels a year. Additionally, Allagash will be expanding to Boston and other Massachusetts markets sometime this fall.

Andrew's Brewing finds itself in the throes of another record summer as "they"are finding it hard to keep up with the demand. Owner Andrew Hazen said he recently purchased another 75 kegs and is looking forward to securing that ever important bottling line. Not bad for a one man operation.

After some questionable weather, the tourist haven of Bar Harbor is once again packing them in, which is good news for area brewers. Maine Coast Brewing's Tom St. Germain says he is having a great summer, and after "finally getting our own pint glasses", is looking forward to a fun September. He is planning "Stout Month" and will have four stouts available for patrons at his brewpub on Cottage Street.

In addition to an Imperial Stout (7.5% ABV), Dry Stout (4.5%), Coffee Stout (4.5%), and Oatmeal Stout (5.5%), he will also pour staples that include a Hefeweizen, ESB, Pale Ale, Golden Ale, and Eden Porter. Tom is planning on brewing another Winter Warmer (Barleywine) sometime this fall. Presently, he has brewed 16 styles of beer this year, and is hoping to be on his way to 20 by the end of 1996.

Bar Harbor Brewing's Todd and Suzi Foster, still receiving kudos for the Platinum Medal they received at the World Beer Championships for their Cadillac Mountain Stout, have recently been awarded a Gold Medal for their Thunder Hole Ale in the English Brown Ale category. Scoring 90 out of a possible 100, they bested a slew of well known breweries including Samuel Smith's (Nut Brown Ale), Newcastle (Brown Ale), Sam Adams (Brown Ale), and Shipyard (Moose Brown Ale). The judges described Thunder Hole as "moderately full-bodied with medium bitterness, lots of hops and malt, and dry. Reminiscient of savory herbs, roasted nuts, and dark chocolate, pouring with a rich creamy head. Fully flavored with a pleasantly complex character". In addition to Cadillac Mountain Stout, Thunder Hole Ale is also available in 22 ounce bottles.

Bear Brewing of Orono had quite a summer. Brewpub manager Shane McCarthey is quite surprised at the number of tourists from outside New England who've ventured north to Orono, which is sort of off the beaten track. Visitors this year included those from upstate New York, Canada, and the Midwest. This bodes well for Maine brewers, as word of their great beers will venture out even further. Shane also mentioned their outdoor patio is now open for business.

Actually it was open June 1st, but it never got off the ground as a small isolated storm in late May ripped the roof off the three story brewpub while at the same time caving in the roof to the patio. It re-opened in mid-July after repairs. Currently on tap at the brewpub is their number one selling stout plus a ginger wheat, raspberry blonde and peach blonde.

Mike LaCharite of Casco Bay Brewing says his Katahdin Pale Ale is doing better than expected and is looking forward to more distribution of his recent new product this September. Currently his products are available in eight states, which include northern New England and New Jersey. Beginning November 1st, he will bring back last year's Winter seasonal, Katahdin Spiced Brew, and will kick it off at this years' Maine Brewers Festival scheduled for November 1 and 2 in Portland. Look for the green label in 22 ounce bottles and 12 ounce six-packs.

Sea Dog Brewing of Camden/Bangor will be introducing its fourth bottled product this month, as their Sea Dog Hazelnut Porter will be added to a lineup that includes Windjammer Blonde, Old Gollywobbler Brown and Old East India Pale Ale. According to the brewery, Hazelnut Porter can be described as "Four different malted barleys combine to create a distinctive nuttiness which is uniquely enhanced by the addition of hazelnuts; smooth and creamy with the nose of the Willamette hop, this porter is a style unto itself". Sea Dog Hazelnut Porter is currently on draft at Three Dollar Dewey's and the Great Lost Bear in Portland.

Steven Gorril of Sheepscot Valley Brewing in Whitefield has been busy working on his newest entries which include Pemaquid Ale (4.5% ABV) and Beal Street Porter (6.0%). The Pemaquid Ale, a cross between a Scottish ale and a pale ale, is maltier than a pale ale while being hoppier than a Scottish ale. He also said "it goes well with BBQ". His porter is a hybrid of a recipe from home brewer extraordinaire Tom O'Connor and will have more molasses flavor and be more robust. Steve is planning on brewing a Munich Dunkel Lager, and is planning on bringing back his Scottish Wee Heavy and Lucifer's Hammer (9.0%). Look for his beers on tap in the Augusta region and Portland.

This year's Maine Brewers Festival, scheduled for November 1st and 2nd, will be held again at the Expo in Portland. A third session has been added for the 1996 Fest, up one from last year. Sessions run from 7-11 p.m. on November 1, and 1:00-5:30 p.m. and 7-11 p.m. on November 2nd. The organizers tell me that at least 23 breweries will be represented, which is four more than last year. Tickets are $19 which include a glass, program, and 15 sampling tickets. A smattering of Portland restaurants will be there, as well as three bands per session.

New Hampshire

The Flying Goose Brewpub at Four Corners Restaurant in Sunapee has recently opened and beginning early July, head brewer Scott Brown started serving his Split Rock Cream Ale (4.2%)- named after a local geological wonder, and Pearly Town I.P.A.(5.0%) named after an old community down the road which is now extinct. By the time you read this, Scott should have his Weetamoo Wheat (4.7%) on tap. This brew was named after one of the original steam ships on Lake Sunapee. If you want to check out the ship, get your diving gear on. He is also planning on brewing a nut brown ale, raspberry wheat, and a smoked ale in the coming months. Domestic cherrywood smoked on the premises will be used for the latter product.

In addition to the beers on tap, there is a hop garden out back that comes with a great view of Mount Kearsage. According to Scott, it's "the best view in New England". If you want to stop by, the brewpub is located a mile off Exit 11 on Route 89 North.

Brewer Wayne Morello of the Italian Oasis Restaurant and Brewery in Littleton is currently serving a weizen created by Homebrew Festival winner Jared Peter of Woodsville, New Hampshire. Jared won the 2nd Annual Homebrew Festival and first prize allowed him the opportunity to brew his winning beer at the 2 barrel brewery. In addition to the Weizen, Italian Oasis is currently serving a pale ale (5.0%), Cannon Amber(4.8%) and Black Bear Stout (5.0%). Wayne hoped to have his Oktoberfest ready beginning the middle of August through the end of October.

Nutfield Brewing of Derry is still recovering from their first annual brewfest held on August 17th to celebrate their first birthday. In addition to Nutfield, other state brewers Smuttynose (Portsmouth) and Stark Mill (Manchester) were there as well. The Boston Baked Blues band provided the entertainment with some of the proceeds going to a local charity.

Marketing Director Jim Killeen said their Summer Wheat sold out entirely and they are working on a new beer to be introduced this fall. New entry Harvest Ale (5.0%) will be a nice malty brew with a velvety mouth feel and light nose. Look for it in 12 ounce bottles and kegs. They are also planning on introducing Winter Frost Porter, named after writer Robert Frost who lived in Derry. More on this in the next issue.

Brewer Richard Young of Castle Springs Brewing Company in Moultonborough has recently completed brewery installation and is near completion of his grain delivery system. In addition to the restaurant and hospitality suite on site at the Castle in the Clouds complex, you should be able to sample his products on draft in local accounts by the time you read this. Separating the hospitality suite and brewery will be a full glass wall offering a view of the brewing process from start to finish. Castle Springs products, all under the Lucknow moniker, will include an American wheat (4.7%), I.P.A. and a porter (both 5.5-6.0%).

Woodstock Brewing of North Woodstock has been busy of late, as they recently knocked down one of their walls to expand the brewery. To keep with demand, the seven barrel brewery recently added a 14 barrel double fermenter. Their laundry list of beers currently includes White Mountain Wheat, White Mountain Weasel Wheat, Old Man Oatmeal Stout, Red Rack Ale, Pig's Ear Nut Brown Ale, and Pemigewasset I.P.A. In addition to the Beer School described in a recent Yankee Brew News article by Ken Spolsino, the site is also home to a restaurant and a bed and breakfast.

Although were sorry to hear of the demise of Lake St. George Brewing and the Bier House, the beer business in the Maine/New Hampshire region is thriving. If you have a chance to make it up and check on the states' many breweries, I'm sure it will be worth the trip.

With all the recent expansion and creation of new breweries, brewers are going the extra mile to insure quality of their many products. In an effort to help with quality control, Portland's Envirologix, Inc. has recently opened its doors and offers quality control services, which include among others: malt quality, percentage of alcohol, detection of undesirable flavor constituents, beer clarity, and yeast quality.

The Siebel Institute of Chicago is well known for this type of service, but with the ever increasing growth of New England breweries and the importance of quality control, it's nice to see that we have of "one of our own". If you need any information on the type of services they offer, you can contact Senior Scientist Jonathan Matt at (207) 854-3600.