MaineBiz has published an article about Baxter Brewing and its founder Luke Livingston.
Two years in, Luke Livingston is doubling down on Baxter Brewing Co.
By 2014, he plans to nearly triple staff, quadruple production and brew around the clock to reach new markets across New England. A $2.5-million expansion to start this year will max out the company’s Bates Mill brewery in Lewiston, allowing the can-only facility to produce over 1 million gallons of beer.
Today’s Press Herald includes a feature story about the new batch of beer brewers (Maine Beer Co, Oxbow, Rising Tide, Bull Jagger, etc) and related ventures (Novare Res, Bier Cellar, etc.).
The late 1980s and early 1990s brought Geary’s, Gritty McDuff’s and Shipyard, now the granddaddies of the industry in Maine even though they’re still much smaller than “big beer.”
The growth of the industry has paved the way for more competitors and more specialization. A second wave of “beer geeks” is brewing small batches at home or in tiny rented spaces, using unconventional ingredients to develop a diversity of flavors that could only be dreamed of two decades ago.
The Bangor Daily News has a report on the growth in the Maine beer industry.
From 2009 to 2010, the total output of Maine breweries went up from 4.1 million gallons to 4.9 million gallons, or roughly 20 percent. The following year, from 2010 to 2011, it jumped by another 1.5 million gallons to 6.4 million total, representing an annual increase of 30 percent.
Speckled Ax and Allagash Brewing are collaborating on the production of a bear to be called James Bean. The coffee infused beer combines Allagash Tripel with a blend of Ethiopia Amaro Gayo Natual coffee. According to the Speckled Ax Facebook page,
This batch is headed for bourbon barrels later today, and will be ready for drinking in a few weeks. Subtle, clean coffee and fruit nose, with sweet, yeasty tropical fruit and mild, clean coffee flavor.
Rising Tide Brewing has released the results of a collaboration with Bard Coffee called Tempest. It’s a brown porter enriched with Nicaragua Don Rodolfo Dark coffee. It’s available only on draft and can be found at Novare Res, The Thirsty Pig, The Great Lost Bear, Mama’s Crowbar, LFK and Farmer’s Table.
The Great Lost Bear is a final nominee in CraftBeer.com’s Great American Beer Bar readership poll. You can see the full list of competitors and cast your vote for The Great Lost Bear online.
Today’s Press Herald includes a review of the Downtown Lounge,
The stew satisfied me. It came with thick hunks of potatoes, celery and carrots, corn kernels and sliced onions, with a slide of garlic bread for dipping. The chicken chunks were massive. It was somewhat zesty, creamy, hot and wholesome, and was something I would strongly recommend and order again.
a review of LFK,
All in all, though, I thought LFK was a funky little addition to Portland’s bar scene, and one I’ll add to my roster of drinking places.
and a report on Senator Collins’ recent visit to three Portland breweries.
While the U.S. senator from Maine did enjoy some beer at Allagash, Maine Beer Co. and Geary’s — nowhere near a full bottle at any one of them — her primary purpose seemed to be to pick up some information about what is becoming a major business in Maine.
Today’s Press Herald includes a front page article that examines why people buy organic in light of a recent study that found no difference in nutritional value,
“I tend to buy organic because of the impact conventional farming has on the environment and the pesticides that are in a lot of conventionally grown food,” said Anna Korsen of Portland, who shopped Wednesday at the farmers market in Monument Square with her 2-year-old son, Arlo Korsen-Cayer. “I don’t want that in my body or my family’s bodies.”
Today’s paper also contains a report on last week’s Portland Brew Festival, and a review of Joe’s NY Pizza.
For additional reporting on the organic foods study listen to this report from MPBN.
LiveWork Portland has published a profile of Bunker Brewing.
Essentially a one-man operation, Bunker Brewing takes a very hands-on craft approach to each of its batches. When I visited a few days ago, Chresten was working on an Oktoberfest ale and a wet hop pale ale to debut at the Portland Brew Fest…
Today’s Press Herald has published a review of the Middle Street Cafe,
I had a similar sandwich at Mom’s Cafe for about a buck more, but with its dark green lettuce and thick-cut bacon cooked fresh on the premises, it was worth that extra dollar. The Middle Street Cafe version of a turkey club was fine as sandwiches go; it just didn’t wow me. And there’s certainly no law that says every sandwich should be a religious experience. Sometimes, a sandwich is just a sandwich.
as well as a bar review of The Dogfish Bar & Grille, and an article about Bunker Brewing.