Are you ready for Maine Maple Sunday, bub? If you’re going, please pick us up some maple candies, maple cotton candy, and of course, a gallon of two of the good stuff. Sitting out this year’s event? No sweat, you can still taste the sweet sap of the maple trees in several beers out this week, including new releases from Ambition Brewing, Flight Deck Brewing, and Norway Brewing Company.
Here’s this week’s guide to upcoming brewery events, the latest beer releases, and a roundup of Maine beer news.
Sponsored by: Tigpro Stainless Fabrication
Upcoming Releases & Events
In addition to several maple-flavored beers coming out over the next few days, Belleflower Brewing is turning the big one, Maine Beer Company is releasing two beers, and Definitive Brewing is dropping THREE! Good luck keeping up with all the freshies coming out this week. We’re tired (and thirsty) just writing about them!
Thursday, March 24
Allagash Brewing Company
50 Industrial Way, Portland, ME
World On a String, Amber Ale (9.5%)
World on a String is a barrel-aged ode to an Old Fashioned cocktail. It’s an amber ale brewed with orange peel and aged in bourbon barrels. A hint of citrus, a whiff of bourbon, a touch of spice, and you’ve got memories that’ll last until the day after forever.
Ambition Brewing
295 Main St., Wilton
Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Simmer Brown Ale
Just in time for Maine Maple Sunday comes Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Simmer Brown Ale, which will be available on tap.
Belleflower Brewing
66 Cove St., Portland
Scrugsy, New England IPA (7.1%)
Scrugsy loves to celebrate and he’s back just in time for Belleflower’s anniversary party on Sunday! This beer pops with pineapple and cotton candy on the nose, evoking feelings of those sweaty/sticky nights of pre-pandemic carnivals. Loaded with passionfruit, papaya, pineapple, and candied oranges, Scrugsy will quickly become your favorite adventure buddy.
Bissell Brothers Brewing
38 Resurgam Place, Portland & 157 Elm St., Milo
Industry vs. Inferiority, IPA (6.2%)
Industry vs. Inferiority is a balanced, mid-strength IPA that showcases the Idaho 7 hop varietal, with support provided by the venerable Amarillo and Mosaic.
Liquid Riot Bottling Company
250 Commercial St., Portland
Love & Happiness, Blonde Ale (6.5%)
Love & Happiness is a Foeder-aged Brett beer, dry hopped with Strata hops and can-conditioned.
Maine Beer Company
525 US Route 1, Freeport
Little Whaleboat, IPA (6.5%)
Little Whaleboat is named after the Little Whaleboat Islands, a cluster of three small islands and ledges in Casco Bay that Maine Coast Heritage Trust successfully raised funds to purchase and conserve. Little Whaleboat was brewed to further support MCHT’s fundraising and to raise awareness for their work protecting Maine’s coast.
Little Whaleboat features Citra, Mosaic, Columbus, and Talus hops, and Maine Malt House and Blue Ox Malthouse malted grains. The result is a light-bodied IPA with notes of tropical fruit (mango and pineapple), grapefruit, pine, and floral aromas of rose and chamomile.
Friday, March 25
Atlantic Brewing Company
52 Cottage St., Bar Harbor
Low Life, Lager (5.1%)
Low Life is back with a new look. This crushable, lightly hopped lager is finished with a little extra carbonation, reminiscent of champagne.
Definitive Brewing Company
35 Industrial Way, Portland; 318 US Rte. 1, Kittery; and 8 Timberline Dr., Newry (Sunday River)
Behind the Light, Double Dry-hopped IPA (7.4%); Dreaming in Space, New England Triple IPA (10.5%); & Walrus Music, Sour Ale (7.5%)
Behind The Light is an all-American double dry-hopped IPA with Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops. This beer tastes and smells like freshly sliced cantaloupe, tropical fruit juice, and FruitStripeTM bubblegum.
Brewed in collaboration with Dream State Brewing in Miami, say hello to Dreaming In Space. This big, boastful New England Triple IPA checks in at a heady 10.5% ABV, which is hidden under blanket after blanket of Nelson Sauvin, Citra, Galaxy, and Simcoe. This beer reminds us of crushed gooseberries and blended citrus spritzers.
This collaboration with Tripping Animals Brewing is back and better than ever, once again bearing the moniker referencing musically inclined large flippered marine mammals. Walrus Music is a fun and fruity sour ale brewed with mango, passionfruit, and pineapple—it’s music to your taste buds!
All three beers will be available Friday in Portland, and Saturday at Kittery and Sunday River.
Flight Deck Brewing
11 Atlantic Ave., Brunswick
M.A.D Boom, Maple Brown Ale (9.5%)
In anticipation of Maine Maple Weekend comes M.A.D Boom, a maple brown ale brewed to celebrate Maine’s maple season and the coming of spring. Maple candies, maple whoopie pies, and maple syrup from local Maine farms will also be available for purchase at the tasting room.
Foundation Brewing Company
1 Industrial Way #5, Portland
I’ll Be Bock, Pale Bock
Spring is here, and that means some lighter lagers are in order at Foundation Brewing! I’ll Be Bock is a pale Bock beer. A grist of 2-Row, Pilsner, and Munich lays the foundation for traditional Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops. Rich and satisfying, clean and easy drinking, it’ll be all too easy to terminate pint after pint of this 6.5% delight. I’ll Be Bock will drop in the tasting room starting Friday and heads to distro early next week.
Maine Beer Company
525 US Route 1, Freeport
Dinner, Double India Pale Ale (8.2%)
Dinner is Maine Beer Company’s original Double India Pale Ale. It has notes of intense mango, passion fruit, and pineapple, undertones of garlic, onion, and pine, and sweet aromatics of malt and caramel. It features Citra, Falconer’s Flight, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops.
Saturday, March 26
Barreled Souls Brewing
743 Portland Rd., Saco
Gnome’s Soul, Imperial Stout (10.8%)
Gnome’s Soul is an imperial stout made with vanilla and pistachios. The Barreled Souls team originally brewed this four years ago with the gang at Dancing Gnome.
Norway Brewing Company
237 Main St., Norway
Maple Bam’s Brown, Brown Ale
Just in time for Maine Maple Sunday weekend, Norway Brewing is dropping Maine Bam’s Brown—conditioned on maple syrup—in cans and on draft.
SoMe Brewing Company
1 York St., #3, York
Sugar What?, Imperial Amber Ale
Brewed to celebrate Maine Maple Weekend, Sugar What? is an imperial version of SoMe’s Agamenticus Amber Ale aged in bourbon barrels with local maple syrup. Cans and draft will be available.
Sunday, March 27
Belleflower Brewing
66 Cove St., Portland
One Year Anniversary Party
Belleflower is turning one, and the team wants you to join them for a day full of celebrations, including a couple of their favorite local food trucks and music from the Silver Heels Band.
Nonesuch River Brewing Company
201 Gorham Rd., Scarborough
Maple Cream Ale
In the mid 1800’s American ale brewers started losing business to German-inspired lager breweries, so, as any innovative business will do, they figured out a way to adapt. They created an ale that drank like a lager, which later became “cream ale.”
Nonesuch’s cream ale is a collaboration with Sap Hound Maple Company out of Brownfield. They used their organic amber maple syrup to give the Maple Cream Ale just a hint of maple sweetness on the finish.
New Releases
Baxter is in a good Cadence, Banded Brewing is at a Turning Point, Bissell Brothers are full of Spirit, and the folks at Fore River are feeling Brave.
Banded Brewing Co.
32 Main St., Ste. 102, Biddeford and 82 Hanover St., Ste. 6, Portland
Turning Point, California Common (5.4%)
Brewed for the Vernal Equinox, Turning Point celebrates the onset of longer days and new beginnings. This beer follows Lightbringer in a series that Banded designed to celebrate the changing of the seasons.
The California common (aka “steam beer”) is a distinct American beer style that emerged during the California Gold rush. A staple beer of the working class, this beer was brewed with lager yeast and then fermented at warmer, ambient temperatures.
True to the style (established by Anchor Steam), Turning Point was brewed with Northern Brewer hops, which add woody and cooling notes to the flavor profile. The beer overall is quite malty with plenty of toasty, caramel flavors on the palate followed by a cool, dry finish. At 5.4% this brew is pretty darn sessionable and just as refreshing as a bright, spring morning.
Bangor Beer Co.
330 Bangor Mall Blvd., Bangor
Fruitplex, Double Fruited Sour (7.8%)
Tangerine and pink guava tag team your taste buds for a concussion of flavor!
Baxter Brewing Co.
130 Mill St., Lewiston
Cadence, Session IPA (4.1%)
Baxter continues to push beer drinkers in the direction of lower ABVs. This new session IPA showcases one of their favorite hop varietals, Strata. A tropical beer with a crisp clean finish, this backpack accessory is perfect for a hike, a BBQ, or the shower. Find your pace with Cadence.
Belleflower Brewing
66 Cove St., Portland
Magpie, Pale Ale (5.5%)
Magpie was brewed with 100% Maine-grown and malted barley, wheat, and oats and Maine-grown hops for the dry hop addition. It’s pillowy soft on the palate, featuring flavors of lemon/lime zest and light white pepper, and finishes with lingering fresh grapefruit zest.
Bissell Brothers Brewing
38 Resurgam Place, Portland & 157 Elm St., Milo
Unbridled Spirit, Kentucky Common Ale (4.5%)
The next entry in the Bissell Brothers “You Earned It” series is Unbridled Spirit, brewed by draft technician Nick Martel. It’s their first-ever stab at a historic style that the Bissell team describes as a maltier cousin of cream ale. This version is an easy-drinking beer with a toasty, corn-like sweetness balanced by a subtle spice note from a light hopping with Sterling.
Nick brewed Unbridled Spirit to benefit Cultivating Community Maine: a nonprofit that grows sustainable communities by expanding access to healthy, local food; empowering children, youth, and adults to play diverse roles in restoring the local, sustainable food systems; and modeling, teaching, and advocating for ecological food production.
Black Pug Brewery
30 Bath Rd., Brunswick
Neon Cherries, Sour Ale (7.4%)
A sour ale fermented with tart cherry and aged on bourbon-soaked oak chips, Neon Cherries is refreshingly sour and light with a hint of oak and vanilla on the back. You know spring is coming when more sours hit the menu!
Fore River Brewing Co.
45 Huntress Ave., South Portland
Brave Noise, Pale Ale (5.2%)
A collaborative beer supporting the Women in Beer and Brave Noise movement, Brave Noise is a beer as unique and full of flavor as the people that it stands for. It’s bold and not afraid to stand out and stand up. With undeniable juiciness and aromas reminiscent of peaches, tropical fruits, and Jolly Ranchers, Brave Noise is a soft and full-bodied, light beer that finishes with notes of graham crackers, and encourages its drinkers to continue to make Brave Noise for all of those whose voices and stories have been hidden for so long. So grab a pint, or a can, raise it up, and make some Brave Noise. A portion of all proceeds from the Brave Noise collab will be donated to the Maine Women’s Lobby to support women of the future.
Gneiss Brewing Company
94 Patterson Rd., Limerick
On Garde, Belgian Biere de Garde (7%)
On Garde is a malt-forward Belgian-style ale lagered for 13 weeks. This allows is to develop a smooth and clean malt profile with subdued Belgian yeast character, toffee-like notes, and that crisp Gneiss finish.
Lone Pine Brewing Company
219 Anderson St., Portland and 48 Sanford Dr., Gorham
If I Had a Million Lagers, Canadian-Style Lager (5.2%)
What would you do with a million lagers? If I Had a Million Lagers celebrates our neighbors to the North and features Canadian-sourced malt and yeast. It pours a brilliant gold with aromas of cereal grains, water crackers, and a soft malt sweetness. Subtle but pleasant white pepper spiciness compliments a medium-bodied mouthfeel and a low bitterness, allowing this show-stopping lager to finish crisp and clean. Lone Pine wasn’t able to actually can a million of these, but we’re hoping that after a few sips we’ll all feel just a little bit richer.
Mast Landing Brewing Company
920 Main St., Westbrook and 200 Lower Main St., Freeport
Big City Nights, DDH Pale Ale (5.5%); Arizona Sun, Citra Double IPA (8.1%); & Certain Things, Pilsner (4.8%)
Big City Nights is a distanced love note to the wonderful people in New York’s beer scene and to the good times the folks at Mast Landing shared over a few eventful NYC beer weeks.
What better way to capture the power of big, warm Western skies than with a 100% Citra-hopped double IPA? Arizona Sun captures the shimmering joy of a beautiful day through two rounds of dry hopping. It’s a solar burst of citrus notes with a balanced, hazy body to refresh your restless palate.
Few things are certain, and we find comfort in those that are. The joyful refreshment of a classic pilsner will always inject warmth between the shadow and the soul. Certain Things is hopped with German Tettnaang and Czech Saaz for snappy floral notes and citrusy effervescence, with a soft drinkability that will certainly have you returning to the glass.
Rising Tide Brewing Company
103 Fox St., Portland
Nature’s Gold, Maple Golden Ale (6%)
Nature’s Gold has a rich maple aroma and flavor up front that is balanced by a touch of floral and caramel characteristics. It’s brewed with Maine maple syrup from Balsam Ridge Farm.
SoMe Brewing Company
1 York St., #3, York
Peanut Butter Jelly Pie, Whoopie Pie Stout (6.3%)
Peanut Butter Jelly Pie is a PB&J-inspired twist on SoMe’s classic Whoopie Pie Stout.
Maine Beer in the News
A beer festival celebrating women in the industry is coming to Thompson’s Point and learn how to host the perfect beer dinner for your friends. I mean, I guess you could also host your foes, but like, why? Don’t waste good beer on bad people!
Thompson’s Point’s Brick South to welcome the 5th annual Beers With(out) Beards
This celebration of women in beer has since grown to attract thousands of attendees and showcase over sixty women-led breweries.
Tap Lines: Hold your own beer dinner with these tips from the pros
Building intensity, cutting through flavors and adding a little whimsy are some guiding principles for pairing beers with food.
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
