Yankee Brew News Archive

What's Brewing: Maine/New Hampshire

Originally Published: 06/97

By: Mark E. Hall

The beer news from the State of Maine just keeps getting better and better. Taking a look at the 1996 State Excise tax numbers (taxes paid on beer shipped in state) compared to 1995, it shows that Maine micros are making an impact on in-state beer sales.

In 1995, Maine micros comprised 4.66% of total state beers sales. However, in 1996 this number increased to 5.39%, a jump of 15.7%. As you can see, Maine's 24 breweries are giving the big boys something to think about. Overall beer sales in 1996 compared to 1995 are pretty much a wash. Therefore, someone is losing, and it isn't the small guys.

In this David vs. Goliath industry, the smaller guys may not make as much money, but they sure are making headlines with their great beer, most notably the Bar Harbor and Sea Dog Brewing companies. Over the last 15 months Bar Harbor has won a Platinum (97 points) medal for their World Champion Cadillac Mountain Stout and two consecutive Gold Medals (English Brown Ale Category) for their Thunder Hole Ale (all 3 at the World Beer Championships). This year's Gold Medal score of 91 was the highest of the group thereby designating it "World Champion". Anyone that beats Samuel Smith is good in my book.

Not to be overshadowed is Sea Dog Brewing with their World Beer Championship Gold Medals for the Old East India Pale Ale (IPA Category), Cabin Fever Winter Stock Ale (Winter Ale Category), and Riverdriver Hazeln ut Porter (Flavored Porter Category). Great beer is being brewed in the north country. I just hope the "domestic " beer drinkers start opening their eyes.

Maine

I reported last issue that Rod Tod and his Allagash Brewing beers are now available in New Hampshire. He's now added Massachusetts to the fold giving him distribution in three states. Rob's Belgian style beers (Allagash White/Allagash Double) are like nothing I've had before. I guarantee it's worth a ride (across any border) to pick up a case of each.

As I mentioned above, Bar Harbor Brewing is making quite a name for itself in both the judges' and consumers' eyes as they were awarded (for the second year in a row) a Gold Medal for their Thunder Hole Ale in the English Bro wn Ale category. This year is even better than last, as their high score of 91 earned them the designation of World Champion. In addition to beating Samuel Smith's, they outdid Pete's Wicked Ale (86).

Head man Carl Wegner of Narrow Gauge Brewing in Farmington has a slew of beers available at his brewpub for you to sample. Staples include Iron Rail Ale (American Pale Ale), Best Bitter (good hop character), Boxcar Brown (dark brown, signature hop bitterness), and Steamer Stout (strong roasted flavor ). Recent additions to his lineup include Brakeman's Light (4.0% ABV) and Maple Ale (5.0%). Brakeman's, a very drinkable light-colored beer, has a good malt flavor but is light on the hops. Rounding out the lineup, Maple Ale is very unique as Carl brews with maple sap instead of water. The beer is also primed in the keg with real maple syrup. Narrow Gauge is about a hour and a half Northwest of Portland off Interstate 95.

Oak Pond Brewing of Skowhegan welcomes new Head Brewer Pat Mulligan. Pat comes to Maine from Mountain Valley Brewing in Suffern, New York where he did his training. Mountain Valley is best known for their Gold Medal at the 1994 Great American Beer Festival for their Ruffian Porter. His first venture at Oak Pond will be a "late Spring" seasonal. Somerset Lager is slated to be a full-bodied lager with a real hop finish. Pat said he is looking for "something with a little character". Somerset Lager will only be available in 22 ounce bottles while the other two staples (Nut Brown Ale/White Fox Ale) can be purchased in both 12 and 22 ounce bottles.

If you're planning on heading to Biddeford this month to check on the opening of the new Pepperall Hall Brewery & Restaurant, you'll be disappointed to know that its opening has been pushed back to July/August. Owner Mark Diebolt is still ironing out a few quirks and hopes to have the doors of his new entry open by mid-summer.

Sea Dog Brewing of Bangor/Camden is continuing the expansion of their beer line as they have recently added a selection of seasonals to their collection of beers. In addition to the Windjammer Blonde, Old Gollywobbler Brown, Old East India Pale Ale, River Driver Hazelnut Porter, and the Motley Crew 12-pack (3 each of the previous 4), they are coming out with four seasonals.

Their first "spring" seasonal Biscuit Malt Amber Ale was, I thought, a play on the Sea Dog name (Dog Biscuit?). Actually it's another name for the German Munich Malt, a high-kilned malt that is richer in aroma and full of body. Combined with a dry-hopping of British Fuggles hops during conditioning, the beer has a nice amber look and taste. Look for it to disappear early this month and be replaced by Blue Paw Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale, their summer seasonal. The fall seasonal is still yet undecided, but the winter seasonal will be their Gold Medal (World Beer Championships) winning Cabin Fever Winter Stock Ale. All will be available in 12 ounce bottles only.

Gritty McDuff's is adding another beer to their ever-expanding list. Complementing the Winter Wheat which came out five months ago, is Gritty's Summer Wheat Ale, a refreshing, crisp summertime brew that is dubbed "sunshine in a bottle". Look for it in 12 ounce bottles or their "Summer Wheat Fun Pack" of twelve, 12 ounce bottles.

Just up the road from Portland, Michael Bray of Bray's Brewing is anxiously awaiting the summer as he recently opened his 5,000 square foot Beer Garden. The beer garden will accommodate a horseshoe pit, stage, a fine BBQ menu, and most importantly, an outdoor bar. In addition to regulars Brandy Pond Blonde (5.0%-American Style Wheat), Old Church Pale Ale (6.2%), and Pleasant Mountain Porter (5.8%), look for Mike's Mt. Olympus Special Ale (6.5%) which is "a cross between an Alt and a Northwest Amber style". He's using roasted barley in the mix and said it will be fairly malty and hoppy, but not enough to be an I.P.A.

While we're on the subject of I.P.A.s, his next seasonal will be exactly that...an I.P.A.(6.5%). He is also considering brewing a Raspberry Wheat and/or an Apricot Wheat for the Summer.

More from the "beer doctor"--Steve Gorril of Sheepscot Valley Brewing is busy releasing a few more of his specials. Boothbay Special Bitter, a Northwest style Pale Ale, is bitter all right, as he uses 5 pounds of Chinook , Cascade, and Hallertauer hops in the boil, plus it is dry-hopped with more Cascade. It will be available in Boothbay and other select areas. His Bavarian Wheat will be available at the Great Lost Bear in Portland, and you might be able to get a pint of the Munich Dunkel if there's any left. Steve's been "roundin' up draft lines like a cowboy on a cattle drive", so if you're in Maine, make sure you look for 'em.

There's lots of activity going on in Bar Harbor at Atlantic Brewing. Owner Doug Maffucci along with brewers Shawn Duncan and Bryce Cough recently visited Belgium and some of the world famous monastery-breweries in southern Belgium that produce Trappist ales. While on their trip they visited the Abbey de Chimay, a beautiful monastery set in the rolling hills of the Fagne Forest. These large tracts of land allow the monks to be self-sufficient by including other cottage industries like beekeeping and cheese making.

In addition to touring the facilities, the group was fortunate to have access to the brewers' laboratories as well as their fine ales. Without giving away their recipes, the brewers educated them on the subtleties of Belgian yeast handling. They had such a great time, that the brewery is planning on introducing a true bottle conditioned ale within the next year.

While in the planning stages for their bottle conditioned product, the brewery has come out with two new entries, the first being Special Old Bitter (a.k.a."S.O.B."). Originally a seasonal, the product had such a great response, they are bring it out in early summer in limited quantities. This ale uses a large quantity of malts together with a "perverse" amount of hops. It also has a very high alcohol content th at is balanced by the robust hop profile. The perfect beer for a hophead. I can virtually guarantee you'll be able to find this beer at my favorite Portland watering hole, The Great Lost Bear.

In addition to the S.O.B., they are introducing a beer made with Maine wildflower honey. Brother Adam's Memorial Ale will somewhat resemble Barley Wine without the typical malt dominance. Named for a British monk who saved the European honey industry with the development of the Buckfast bee, the honey in this brew allows the alcohol level to reach the 8% range without being overly malty.

If you include Bar Harbor Real Ale, Blueberry Ale, Coal Porter, and Ginge r Wheat Ale, this brings Atlantic Brewing's total offerings to six.

In other Atlantic news, owner Doug Maffucci has been named to succeed D.L. Geary of Geary's Brewing as the new president of the Maine Brewers Guil d. The guild serves to promote locally made beers throughout the state. Maffucci, presently on the board of directors of the Maine Restaurant Association, hopes to bring some of that experience to aid in the development of Maine state breweries. Anyone with suggestions or concerns , send 'em on up to Bar Harbor.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is at it again. Just when we were getting ready for New Hampshire Custom Brewers to open, there is another brewery in the works. Franconia Notch Brewing Company of Littleton is getting ready to open its doors. At press time, I haven't been able to get any information on this new venture. Look for something in the next issue.

Dan Pariseau, former co-brewer of Stark Mill in Manchester, has moved down the street to join forces with New Hampshire Custom Brewers. After ironing everything out, they are ready to introduce their first product. Loon Pale Ale (4.5% A.B.V.) will be crisp and dry with a medium to light body. It will be assertively hopped with a very floral aroma. This beer and those to follow will all be available in half kegs, quarter kegs, and 12 ounce bottles. Plans are in the works for a second bottled product in August.

Elm City Brewing Company, from my hometown of Keene, recently passed the one year mark and business continues to grow. After being welcomed into the community, Elm City is working to strengthen its already successful beer and food list. They recently redid their menu and have added more dinner entrees including smoked duck breast.

Head Brewer/Co-Owner Tony Poanessa has worked hard on his beer list, and in addition to the year round Lunchpail Ale, Mill Creek Wheat, No Name Pale Ale, and O'Barley's Irish Dry Stout, he recently added Munchner Helles (4.6%) a sweet, light colored, light flavored brew with "more mouth feel than a wheat". In addition to the Helles, their Wingnut Vienna Style (5.0%) is slightly sweet, with a nice maltiness and rounded flavor. For the summer, Tony is planning on producing one or two Hefeweizens and a series of British beers.

Hometown Promotion Time: If you're looking for a way to fill a nice weekend day, I would suggest visiting the Monadnock Region. You can climb local peak Mt. Monadnock then finish the day with a nice dinner and a few beers at E lm City.

Brett Marcy of Martha's Exchange in Nashua is continuing with a few changes since he took over as Head Brewer. He recently changed the "house yeast" over to an English style liquid yeast from a dried ale yeast. His plans include brewing a few wheat beers using an authentic German Weizen strain of yeast. Not stopping there, he's looking to brew a Belgian Wit using an authentic Wit strain. Actually, he's hoping to brew a "lot of authentic styles" with authentic yeast. Martha's continues to put out great beers. Make sure you try their I.P.A.

Brewer Sean Navish of the Portsmouth Brewery is enjoying the response to his Portsador Dubbel Mai Bock which he brewed with a combination of Perle, Saaz, and Mt. Hood hops. The Mai Bock is a full-bodied, malty lager brewed with 100% Munich malt for a toasty malt taste. It went on tap sometime last month, but I'm sure you can catch the end of it if you hustle to the brewpub. Sean was considering brewing a Belgian Dubbel, but instead is going straight to the Trippel. St. Danmon Trippel, named after fellow brewer Dan Montanari, is in the planning stages, and will contain Belgian malts and candy sugar to achieve a true Belgian flavor.

In addition to the Trippel, look to the Portsmouth Brewery in the future for special brews from the past including Kvass Russian Rye Ale, ESB, Imperial Stout, and Raspberry Weiss. All should appear from time to time in conjunction with regulars Wassermix Blonde Ale, Weizenheimer, Bahnyahd Pale Ale, Black Cat Stout, Old Brown Dog, and Amber Lager. During the month of June look for the 22 ounce versions of the regulars plus Murphy's Law Red Ale and 70 Schilling Scotch Ale. The others will be added sometime down t he road.

Nutfield Brewing of Derry is in the news again as they have recently opened The Nutfield Ale & Steak House in neighboring Manchester. Located at the new four-star ITT Sheraton Hotel, the agreement is a first for the micro-brewery. The ale and steak house will feature Nutfield's line of year-round and seasonal beers, including its newest seasonal: Hop Fest . Overall, Nutfield has seven brews including year-rounders Auburn Ale, Old Man Ale, and Nor'easter. Their seasonals including Hop Fest (spring), are Summer Wheat, Harvest Ale, and Winter Frost.

In other news, President Jim Killeen recently announced the introduction of a twelve pack called Mixed Nuts. It will contain three bottles each of its year-round beers, and three bottles of the appropriate seasonal. Nutfield beers were also featured in Beer Across America shipments in April. They are also continuing negotiations with the Tigris Company of Romania who have been looking to build a brewery for the past two years.

"We're looking forward to signing a joint-venture agreement to assist them in building their own brewery sometime late in 1997," said Killeen. Nutfield products are currently available throughout New England and Ohio.