Category: Beer

Oxbow to Acquire Rising Tide

| Posted in Beer

Oxbow Brewing has announced plans to acquire Rising Tide Brewing. The deal is expected to be wrapped up by the end of 2024. When it does, both brands will remain independent and Nathan Sanborn will continue on as the brewer at Rising Tide.

The announcement reads in part,

We are honored to be taking the torch and excited for the future of this beloved brand.” said Oxbow’s founder and President, Tim Adams. “Their team does an amazing job and their brewing values are in line with our own. They take their time and make decisions with a quality-above-all-else mentality.”

The two breweries share similar brewing philosophies, but their beer portfolios are markedly different. Rising Tide excels at making traditional American and European beer styles, while Oxbow specializes in farmhouse ales and lagers.

Tim continues, “I love the classic styles and can’t wait to help bring more of them to the people. The pendulum is swinging back to traditional beers, and between Oxbow and Rising Tide we’ve now got those bases fully covered.

Rising Tide launched in 2010 and was initially located on Industrial Way. Founders Nathan and Heather Sanborn moved the business to its current location on Fox Street in 2012. Oxbow was founded in Newcastle and they opened their tasting room and brewery on Washington Ave in November 2014.

Lone Pine and Lord Hobo Merging

| Posted in Beer

Lone Pine Brewing and Lord Hobo Brewing in Massachusetts have announced they are merging their two businesses.

We’re beyond excited to announce that Lord Hobo Brewing and Lone Pine Brewing are joining forces to create a powerful new partnership in the craft brewing industry! First and foremost, we’re not evolving into some great corporate clone. By joining forces, we’re unlocking exciting new possibilities that neither of us could have achieved on our own. Together, we’ll have the power to offer even more innovative opportunities and take things to the next level. We’re still going to operate both the Gorham and Woburn breweries, along with all our retail locations from Seaport Boston to Anderson St. Portland. Our vision is to expand the accessibility of each brand, nurture their unique identities, and stay true to our roots, never blending into one soulless corporation. At the end of the day, it’s about honoring what matters most to our loyal fans who’ve supported us at every step. Your passion fuels our commitment to delivering exceptional quality and memorable experiences first, second and third.

Lone Pine launched on Anderson Street in 2016 and expanded into larger quarters in Gorham when they took over the former 31,000 Sebago Brewing building in 2019.

Well & Good Brewing Company

| Posted in Beer, Openings

Well & Good Brewing (website, facebook, instagram) opened for business on Saturday. The new brewery is located at 173 Cumberland Road in North Yarmouth.

Owners Byron and Elise Kern have built out a very nice 2-story tasting room that has table and lounge seating, a dedicated children’s area, a wood stove for use in cooler months, and outdoor seating and games. The Kerns and their team are producing a range of beer styles (see menu below) as well as a hard ginger ale. Wine and cider are also available as are some snacks.

The Well & Good tasting room will be open Wednesday through Sunday, noon – 8 pm.

Allagash Kernza

| Posted in Beer

Allagash is releasing a new beer this weekend. Kernza Lager is being produced with a perennial grain called Kernza and is a collaboration with Patagonia Provisions. The beer is dry-hopped with Organic Chinook, Organic Aroostook Cascade, Organic Centennial, Organic Chinook hops.

Want to try some perennial grain that’s also perennially delicious? Try our Kernza® Lager collab with @patagoniaprovisions, releasing this Sat. April 20th at 11am. This can and draft release stars organic ingredients and Regenerative Organic Certified® Kernza® – a deeply-rooted regenerative grain that has numerous environmental benefits, namely drawing down and storing more carbon in the soil than annual grains and requiring minimal tilling.

Stop by Allagash at 50 Industrial Way at 11 am on Saturday to try the beer on tap and/or buy some in cans.

Bandaloop, Hop Water, Veggie Burgers, Scallop Aquaculture

| Posted in Fisheries, Beer, Reviews

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes articles about scallop aquaculture and hop water products by produced by Maine breweries, an overview of Maine-made veggie burger options, and a 3½ star review of Bandaloop in Arundel.

In Arundel, executive chef/owner W. Scott Lee and co-owner Bridget Lee have continued their 20-year tradition of offering wide-ranging food and beverage options: from vegan and vegetarian options at every course to quirky cooking that embraces dishes like a fanciful Samoan-inspired coconut-and-ginger “palusami” stew, or German-style pork-and-red-cabbage.

Maine Food & Dining News: North Yarmouth, Swanville, Buxton, Skowhegan, Lewiston/Auburn, Kingfield

| Posted in Maine, Beer

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know on what’s going on:

Argenta Brewing to Open Friday

| Posted in Openings, Beer

Argenta Brewing (website, instagram) is scheduled to open on Friday. They’re located at 82 Hanover Street in the space formerly occupied by the Banded Brewing tasting room.

Brewer/owner Ryan Dunlap is specializing in lager style beers. The beer list at last weekends industry event included 4 lagers (see below) as well as a radler (beer + lemonade), popcorn and mixed nuts.

Near Argenta in Bayside are Bayside Bowl, Batson River, Wilson County, Leavitt & Sons and Two Fat Cats. They’ve recently been joined by When Pigs Fly. Bar Publica is under construction in the space next to Argenta.

Argenta will be open Tuesday through Sunday, 2 – 9 pm.

Argenta Brewing

| Posted in Beer, Under Construction

Mainebiz has published an update on Argenta Brewing, the new lager brewery under construction in Bayside.

Combining Dunlap’s Western roots with his passion and knowledge for beer, Argenta Brewing will have five rotating lagers on tap, along with nonalcoholic and gluten-free options. He also plans to work with local restaurants and food trucks in the area to offer dining options, whether via pick-up or delivery.

The interior of the space and the brewery’s branding draws inspiration from historic Western saloons.

Sacred Profane on Thompson’s Point

| Posted in Beer, Under Construction

Sacred Profane Brewing (website, instagram) has leased the former Stroudwater Distilling space on Thompson’s Point where they plan to open a second brewery, tasting room and eatery. It’s slated to open early next year.

According to the cover letter that accompanied their license application, the demand for their beer has outpaced the capacity of their brewery in Biddeford. With the launch of this new location they plan “to double our production through this space and create the country’s second tankpub on the tourist hub of Portland, Thompson’s Point.” The new location will also bring their Czech-style lager beer closer to their Portland customers and beer enthusiasts visiting the city.

In addition to their own lagers, Sacred Profane plans to also serve cider, wine, other local beers and cocktails like the Levitation Room currently on the menu in Biddeford. They plan to serve a food menu of oysters and Czech-style open-face sandwiches at their counter service Portland location.

The brewery specializes in producing light and dark Czech-style lagers. Their existing brewery and tankpub in Biddeford launched in September 2022.

Sacred Profane will be serving a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner next week on the 21st in Biddeford.

Chef Marilou Ranta, Maine Street Bistro, Brickyard Hollow

| Posted in Reviews, Profiles, People, Beer

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a feature article about Marilou Ranta who is the chef and owner of The Quarry in Monson. The Restaurant won the James Beard award for Outstanding Hospitality in 2023.

In the dining room, there are unforced smiles all around. Regulars get big bear hugs. Newcomers get hugs, too. “She’s a great hugger,” said Martha Lerman, a hug recipient who was dining at The Quarry for her first time on a Thursday evening in mid-September. Ranta was especially delighted to meet a Filipino couple who had driven from Massachusetts to check out The Quarry. Word about the 5-year-old restaurant “in the boonies,” as Ranta puts it, is getting around.

The Sunday Telegram also includes a 3½ star review of Maine Street Bistro in Brunswick,

Lean into Maine Street Bistro’s French menu and you’ll be rewarded. Co-owners and co-chefs John Holm and Brandon Franklin built their impressive skillsets of classic French techniques separately, but together in Brunswick, they’ve come up with a largely traditional menu that holds promise.

and an article about the rapid expansion of Brickyard Hollow Brewing which has added five locations in the last 12 months.

As Moll and his partner were first launching Brickyard Hollow in 2018, they realized the significance of the winter carnival photo. “We were trying to create a craft brewery that was a gathering place for this little community, and that picture really helped present that,” Moll said.