Sebago Brewing is releasing Bass Ackwards Berryblue Ale single batch beer today. The brewery describes it as,
…an unfiltered, all-natural mild pale ale made with Maine blueberries. A refreshing, well balanced beer that is crisp, fruity and finishes clean and dry. The name Bass Ackwards Berryblue Ale is for its unconventional use of only real Maine blueberry juice in the fermenter without the use of added flavorings. This results in a more subtle blueberry fruit aroma and taste.
MSN included The Great Lost Bear in an article on bars with “dozens and dozens” of beers on tap.
The GLB features Maine and other Northeast microbreweries and–get this–four hand-pumped, cask-conditioned drafts like Geary’s HSA and Sheepscot Boothbay Bitter. This untouristy tavern’s taps draw from kegs like the Belgian Delirium Tremens, John John Dead Guy (a Maibock), and Gritty McDuff’s Black Fly Stout, a local favorite. What’s to eat? “Hearty, spicy junk food” and related thirsty-making fare. The Bear is about serious beer people who don’t take themselves too seriously.
GLB’s bar manager Mike Dickson was interviewed for the intro.
Food & Wine magazine selected Peeper Ale as the most “stellar spirit” in the Maine as part of a countrywide survey of regional beer and spirits.
The release date for Allagash Vrienden isn’t officially scheduled until Tuesday, but you can try this new beer tonight at The Great Lost Bear starting at 5 pm. Vrienden was the result of a collaboration between Allagash and New Belgium Brewing. It’s brewed with dandelions and elderberry and described by Allagash as “tart, fruity, earthy”.
Mainebiz reports that Allagash Brewing is “investing about $1 million to expand its production facility by 50% and is planning to hire two or three new beer makers by the end of the year.”
“We’re growing significantly. We’re planning to be up 40% this over last year,” Dee Dee Germain, the company’s spokeswoman, says. “The new facility should get us a couple more years at 40% growth.”
Today’s Press Herald includes an article about what local school districts are doing to address the needs of their students who need a gluten-free diet,
Scarborough is among the Maine school districts that are adjusting their cafeteria options for a growing number of students who don’t eat gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, barley and triticale.
and a What Ales You column that explains the difference between lagers and ales.
The first dividing line is between lagers and ales. Lagers are made with yeast that ferments at the bottom of the fermenting vessel and are fermented and conditioned at cooler temperatures. Ales use top-fermenting yeast at warmer temperatures.
Today’s What Ales You column in the Press Herald reports on some newly released beers including the Pamola Xtra from Baxter Brewing,
The beer — which is 4.9 percent alcohol — has a lot of body, especially for a pale ale. It just felt substantial in the mouth, and had some malt sweetness followed by a slight hop bite at the back end. All three people who tasted this liked it a lot.
Brews and Books has published a review of Pamola Xtra Pale Ale, a new beer from Maine’s newest brewery, Baxter Brewing in Lewiston.
If you’re looking for a hop bomb or a malty mouthful of a beer to impress your beer geek friends, Pamola ain’t it. Even in Maine’s landscape of mild English-influenced ales, it’s a notably subtle brew. Coming into the beer looking for big APA, you might very well be disappointed. If you’re looking for a fridge staple, however, or the fabled “gateway beer” to get non-drinkers in the craft beer camp, you’re in luck. The Pamola Xtra is crisp, light, dangerously quaffable, and tastes wicked good.
Hometown favorites The Great Lost Bear and Novare Res made it onto the 2011 Draft magazine list of the 100 Best Beer Bars in the America. Ebeneezer’s in Lovell, Maine was also included in the list. (via the Rabelais Facebook Wall)
Josh Christie has published the next installment in his series on The Beer of Maine. In part 7 he writes about Shipyard Brewing,
Among all the breweries and brew pubs in Maine, Shipyard is the big momma. Alan Pugsley’s brewhaus isn’t just the biggest in Maine, though it easily passes that test at over 80,000 barrels of beer a year. Shipyard’s massive production scale positions them as the 21st largest craft beer company in the US, ahead of well-known brands like Rogue, Victory and Long Trail. All this from an Englishman with a love for Ringwood yeast.