Have you caught the fever? No, not that one, we mean Olympic fever! We can’t stop binging on the Olympics. And while we’re probably (definitely) never going to win a medal in water polo. Or shot put. Or gymnastics. Or skateboarding. Or fancy horse prancing. Or…OK, we’re clearly not poised to win any Olympic medals. Anyway, where we going with this? Oh, yeah, we’re never going to stand on a podium with a medal around our neck, but by sitting on our couch and watching America’s best athletes achieve greatness while drinking the best in Maine beer, we feel like we too, in some small way, are also winners.
Here’s this week’s guide to the latest beer releases, rundowns of what’s on tap, upcoming brewery events, and a roundup of Maine beer news.
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Upcoming Releases & Events
Definitive Brewing is gifting us with two Sours and a DIPA, Allagash is gracing us with its latest edition of Little Grove, and speaking of (your) grace, Prince Percy is back at Maine Beer Company.
Allagash Brewing Co.
50 Industrial Way, Portland
Little Grove: Cider And Cranberry, Fruit Ale
The latest in Allagash’s Little Grove series of light, bright, fruited Ales features a blend of lightly tart cranberry with a hint of sweetness from freshly pressed apple cider.
Flight Deck Brewing
11 Atlantic Ave., Brunswick
Krosswind, Kölsch (5.9%)
Due to the popularity of this draft-only beer a few months back, Flight Deck decided to brew it again, and this time—can it! This German-style Kölsch is an easy-drinking brew with notes of apple and pear and a subtle floral character.
Friday, August 6
Definitive Brewing Company
35 Industrial Way, Portland and 318 US Route 1, Kittery
Twilight Schmoojee, Sour (8.5%); Late Nite, Triple Berry Pie, Imperial Sour (8.1%); Rad Wagon, Double IPA (8.5%)
Twilight Schmoojee is an indulgent Double Fruited Cherry Cheesecake Sour beer created in collaboration with Imprint Beer Company. It’s dripping with flavors of maraschino cherry, vanilla pastry, and dreamy drizzled cheesecake slices.
Triple Berry Pie was conditioned on heaps of blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries, with additions of Korintje cinnamon and Mexican vanilla. At 8.1% ABV, it has us dreaming of thickly sliced berry pie á la mode and diner-car conversations late into the night.
Rad Wagon, is back and it’s radder than ever! This collaboration with Calusa Brewing is a juicy Double IPA brewed with a radical blend of Galaxy, Mosaic, and Citra cryo hops. Made for days bombing around sandy beaches, it tastes and smells like citrus peels, jumbo Southern peaches, and orange Starburst. All three beers are available Friday in Portland, Saturday in Kittery.
York Beach Beer Company
33 Railroad Ave., York
Short Board IPA
Idaho 7 and Idaho Gem hops, this session IPA finds itself somewhere between a West Coast and New England IPA, making for an all-day-long drinkable IPA.
Monday, August 9
Maine Beer Company
525 US-1, Freeport
Prince Percy, Pilsner (5.1%)
Hopped with Grüngeist hops, and featuring local Maine malted grains, Prince Percy represents a shift from Maine Beer’s classic Ale lineup, with a nod to their hop-forward focus. The beer is named in honor of Percy, the spotted turtle, who serves as an animal ambassador for the Center for Wildlife, one of Maine Beer’s 1% for the Planet nonprofit partners.
New Releases
We’re digging the variety in this week’s latest releases, including IPAs ranging from Sessions to Triples, to Sours, Belgian Tripels, a German Helles, and an Imperial Brown.
Barreled Souls Brewing Company
743 Portland Rd., Saco
You’re My Boy Blue, Sour (6%)
You’re My Boy Blue is a 6% Sour Ale brewed with blueberries and fluff.
Belleflower Brewing
66 Cove St., Portland
Folk Magic, IPA (7.6%)
Folk Magic is an IPA with aromas of grape candies, papaya, and stone fruit, with floral and woodsy undercurrents. The flavor starts with loads of melon and tropical fruit, and ends with a resinous hop character and a touch of nuttiness from the addition of spelt.
Black Pug Brewing
30 Bath Rd., Brunswick
THAI.P.A (Yuzu), IPA
Tasting like a mix between lemon and grapefruit with deep citrus flavor, Yuzu pairs perfectly with the lemongrass and ginger of THAI.P.A.
First Mile Brewing Co.
28 Market St., Ste. 103, Fort Kent
Brother Ezra, Belgian Tripel (9.3%)
This Belgian Tripel is a result of tons of research done by brewer Ezra. Typical to the style, this beer boasts high alcohol at 9.3%, notes of spice from the hops, a subtle fruitiness and a pale golden pour. This is a beer that’s best shared with your brothers (pun intended).
Fogtown Brewing Company
25 Pine St., Ellsworth and 33 Cottage St., Bar Harbor
Moonjuice, Session IPA (4.8%)
First launched in 2018 as the third in Fogtown’s limited bottle releases, Moonjuice is a Maine Coast Session IPA aged six months in gin barrels with juniper and cardamom.
Fore River Brewing
45 Huntress Ave., South Portland
Estuary, Double IPA (8.4%)
Estuary showcases Azacca and Mosaic hops which are heavily used in whirlpool and dry hopping. This Double IPA has a low bitterness with a sweet fruit and citrus aroma.
Foundation Brewing Company
1 Industrial Way #5, Portland
Bunny Hop, Session IPA (4.5%)
Bunny Hop is a Session IPA, made for those times when you want big hop flavor with a not-so-big ABV. Hopped with Idaho 7 in the whirlpool and the dry hop, this beer has a layered, tropical and citrusy profile, wrapped up with the all-day crushability we crave.
Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Company
396 Fore St., Portland; 187 Lower Main St., Freeport; and 68 Main St., Auburn
Galactically Stoopid IPA (8%)
This hazy orange beauty features a whole lot of galaxy hops from Australia, used both in the kettle and in the conditioning tank for a proper dry-hopping. At 8%, Galactically Stoopid IPA is a sipper, which means all the more time to taste the notes of pineapple, cantaloupe, and of course, fresh bread.
Liquid Riot Bottling Company
250 Commercial St., Portland
Lagerbier, German Helles (5%) & NSFW, Triple IPA (10%)
A classic German Helles, Lagerbier is blond in color with light, bready maltiness and subtle hopping; perfect for quaffing.
A quadruple dry hopped Triple IPA, the latest batch of NSFW features Cashmere, Mosaic, Citra, Southern Cross, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops.
Maine Beer Company
525 US-1, Freeport
Wolfe’s Neck IPA (6.5%)
Throughout its history, the Freeport area known as Wolfe’s Neck has been a diverse ecosystem including organic farmland, white pine and hemlock forests, and a salt marsh estuary. Brewed with Mosaic, El Dorado, and Sabro hops, and featuring Maine Malt House malts, Wolfe’s Neck IPA, is named after this area and Maine Beer’s continued partnership with Wolfe’s Neck Center.
Mast Landing Brewing Company
920 Main St., Westbrook and 200 Lower Main St., Freeport
Johan, Double IPA (8.1%) & Sports & Leisure, IPA (6.4%)
Jonah is Mast Landing’s house DDH Double IPA. Dry hopped intensely with Citra, Mosaic, Idaho 7, and El Dorado, it’s a bold and nuanced beer that will appeal to those who like to go big.
Sports & Leisure is a balanced and soft IPA that features Simcoe, Amarillo, and Azacca hops. It’s tropical and refreshing—perfect for summer activities.
Nonesuch River Brewing Co.
201 Gorham Rd., Scarborough
Disco Caramel, Imperial Brown (7.8%)
Disco Caramel is a dance party! Nonesuch took a seldom-seen beer style, an Imperial Brown, and loaded it up with hops. Pacific Gem, Loral, and Galena hops are nestled between rich malty layers of toffee and spice cake. You’ll notice aromas of banana, blueberry pie, and nutmeg.
Sebago Brewing Co.
Multiple locations
On A Boat, Pale Ale
On A Boat is a clean dry hopped Pale Ale perfect for hot summer days—preferably on a deck or dock. Sebago brewed this highly crushable boat beer in collaboration with Crosby Hops, made with 100% of the new Triumph hop variety. Crisp and clean, with apricot, floral, and herbal notes, On A Boat is the beer you’ve been waiting all summer for.
CONTEST ALERT: Sebago is giving away two $50 gift cards! Just take a picture of On A Boat on a boat—canoe, pontoon, yacht, you name it—and post it to Sebago’s Instagram page or Facebook page and tag @sebagobrewing to enter.
SoMe Brewing
1 York St. #3, York
Apostrophe IPA (6%) & Crystal Persuasion, Double Pale Ale (8.2%)
Fresh cans of Apostrophe IPA, SoMe’s flagship ale featuring Mosaic hops, and Crystal Persuasion, their malty and hoppy balanced Double Pale Ale, are available now in the tasting room.
What’s On Tap
Geary’s Brewing Co.
38 Evergreen Dr, Portland, ME 04103
Original Pale Ale
Maine’s Summer Ale
Riverside American IPA
Day Trip IPA
Haze Trip IPA
Razzle Dazzle Raspberry Sour
Pick ME Blueberry Lager
London Porter
Maine Beer in the News
Apparently Allagash White is lobsters’…lobster. Beer is helping preserve Maine islands (is there anything it CAN’T do?), and there’s a new Bayside brewery dedicated exclusively to non-alcoholic beer.
New Portland brewery will make only non-alcoholic beer
The craft brewery in West Bayside will be the first in the state dedicated to beer without alcohol.
Maine Beer Co.’s Peeper and Oxbow’s Farmhouse Ale are among other local brews that make a good match for the state crustacean.
Beer fuels donation to preserve Casco Bay Island
Maine Coast Heritage Trust is working to buy and permanently protect the island, which it says is one of the largest uninhabited, undeveloped islands in Casco Bay.
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Maine Beer This Week! If you own a brewery or other beer business and would like to be featured in upcoming issues, please email or call us to learn more at beerthisweek@gmail.com (207) 209-2094