Josh Christie

The Beer of Maine; Part One

I would guess that when most people think of “craft beer” and “Portland”, the city on their mind isn’t in Maine.

After all, Oregon has done a great job fostering their image as a beer paradise, with Portland as the sudsy capitol.  Oregon is one of the two largest hop-producing states in the country, and five of the biggest breweries in the country are in Oregon.  In Portland itself, there are 30 craft breweries within the city limits.  No matter where you are, you’re never more than 15 minutes from a craft brewery.

But I’m not here to talk about beer on the left coast – Hop Press columnist Jon Abernathy is doing a fine job of that himself.  No, I’m endeavoring to have Maine grab a little bit of that beer nirvana mental market share.

Maine doesn’t have the sheer number of breweries that a state like Oregon does, but it’s certainly no slouch in the numbers game.  The Maine Brewer’s Guild boasts 21 members, and there are some small non-member brewers like the Bag and Kettle and Three Tide Restaurant that push the number of breweries even higher.

Most of Maine’s popular breweries, like a lot of New England craft brewers, focus on English-style ales.  Dry stouts, pub ales, bitters and robust porters are all wicked easy to find in the Easternmost state.  Still, there’s plenty of hope in Maine if you aren’t a fan of British beers.  Allagash steps up as one of the premier Belgian-style breweries in the US, Marshall Wharf represents the world of “extreme” brewing, and there are a handful of brewers making what I can only call American beer.

Today, I’ll introduce you to two craft breweries here in my hometown of Portland.  There’s a lot of history and potential in these two breweries – DL Geary Brewing is the oldest craft brewery in the state at about 24 years old, and Maine Beer Company is the newest.  I’ll start filling in the rest of the chronology next month.

DL Geary Brewing

D.L. Geary Brewing Company is probably one of the main reasons we have so many great craft breweries here in Maine.  The brewery opened in 1986, back when there were only about a dozen microbreweries in the US.  Both D.L. and the brewery have been pioneering forces in the American brewing world, and paved the way (and prepared the tastebuds of Mainers) for the score of craft brewers in the state today.  For a great look at all Geary has done for the world of beer, I suggest reading the interview with D.L. in Brian Yaeger’s excellent Red, White and Brew.

The brewery’s flagship beer, Geary’s Pale Ale, is a classic British pale ale with some tangy fruitiness from an imported Hampshire yeast strain.  The year-round brews from D.L. are rounded out by the popular HSA Strong Ale and London Porter, the winner of a NYT blind taste test a few years back.  Noticably absent from the year-round schedule is the omnipresent  style of IPA – instead, the brewery’s seasonal Winter Ale fits into that style.

Geary’s has also jumped into the world of “big” beer in recent years, releasing two different 4-packed imperial brews.  The Imperial IPA and Wee Heavy Scottish Ale are both big and traditional beers, and the brewery has been smart about slowly introducing these great beers to the market.  Too many breweries seem to throw ever beer they can at the wall to see what sticks, but D.L. Geary has seen steady growth by brewing just a few great beers.

After a few years of brewing in the UK and over two decades here in Maine, Geary has earned his reputation as a craft brewing pioneer.  Now, I know that a lot of American beer geeks aren’t in love with British-style beers – and I know there’s more than enough to go around in Maine.  If you can get past that and get your hands on a Geary’s Pale Ale, you’ll have a chance to drink not only a tasty brew, but one of the harbringers of the craft beer revolution in New England.

DL Geary Brewing Company
38 Evergreen Drive
Portland, ME 04103
(207) 878-2337

Maine Beer Company

In contrast to the old statesman of Geary’s, the Maine Beer Company is the newest brewery in the Pine Tree State.

Maine Beer Company is an incredibly small brewery (Nanobrewery?  Picobrewery?) located on Industrial Way here in Portland.  Started in 2009 by two homebrewing brothers, MBC brews on a small 2-barrel brewing system, focusing on brewing one recipe at a time.  Rather than being artificially prepared for the shelves, MBC bottle conditions all their ales.  The brewing brothers certainly have their hearts in the right place – their electricity is 100% wind power, they donate all their used grain, yeast and grain bags to local farmers, and 1% of their sales are donated to environmental non-profits.

So far, the Maine Beer Company has only bottled and released one brew – the Spring Peeper Ale.  An APA in the style of west coast brews like the Stone Pale Ale, the Spring Peeper is definitely a breath of fresh air for Maine locovores.  Although it isn’t the only citrusy, biscuity pale ale you can buy in Maine, it is the only one brewed here – and is different that anything being put out by other Maine brewers.

As for the future of the brewery, brothers Dave and Dan are looking cautiously forward.  In the coming year, big goals include more brewing equipment, entering more markets, and signing with a distributor so Dave doesn’t need to drop off every case of beer himself.  Even with the expansion, the brothers are thinking small; always being able to bottle condition their beers, as well as producing experimental small batches are important to them.  They also plan to always offer the majority of their beer by the bottle, rather than kegging it all.

With only one beer in their quiver so far, it is hard to tell exactly what the future holds for Maine Beer Company.  If they stick true to their mission and brew more beers half as good as their first, the brewery stands to become a major player in the already-crowded Maine beer scene.

Not bad for two brothers from away.

Maine Beer Company
1 Industrial Way, #3
Portland, ME 04103
207.221.3159

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