The Beer of Maine; Part Two
Part One: DL Geary’s’ and Maine Beer Company
After a month away, it’s time to return to my look at the breweries, beer stores, brewpubs and bars of the Pine Tree State. For February, we’ll be looking at three popular beer haunts that reside on a mile-long stretch of Forest Avenue in Portland. For locals and visitors looking to experience what Maine beer has to offer, RSVP Discount Beverage, Maine Brewing Supply and The Great Lost Bear should be familiar names.
RSVP Discount Beverage Center
RSVP is simply a utilitarian place to get some beer. The service sucks, the policies governing sales to out-of-staters can be asinine, and it isn’t much to look at. If you can put those aside – or if you go in knowing what you’re looking for – RSVP does offer one of the best beer selections in Maine for some of the lowest prices.
I’ll get the bad out of the way first. The store has historically had legendarily poor service, and while there are a handful of beer experts on staff the majority wouldn’t know a stout from a lager. RSVP is basically a place to redeem bottles and get cheap booze, and just happens to have an insanely good selection. This isn’t helped by the fact that the place strictly enforces a policy of not selling to anyone with an out-of-state license under the age of 25. Also, RSVP isn’t much to look at, as it’s basically a converted warehouse. Cement floors, a square floor plan and no windows don’t make for great ambiance.
Now, if you can get past this – if you don’t want much more than a huge, cheap selection of beer to browse on your own – RSVP has a lot to offer. A long bank of coolers and big beer aisle stock nearly everything that has distribution in the state of Maine, be it domestic or international. Everything bottled from every Maine brewery is represented, and limited batches from around the country are deeply stocked. I’m regularly surprised that RSVP seems to get new Maine arrivals before other local shops, and rare beers seem to last longer than at other stores.
Beer only takes up about a third of the floor space, with liquor and wine occupying the rest of the real estate. Prices on all three are as low as you’ll find in Portland, with most bombers and sixers running at least .50 and often more than a dollar cheaper than at Whole Foods, Downeast Beverage or Tully’s. If you’re lucky enough to strike up a conversation with RSVP’s beer guy, you can end up getting even better discounts or access to some rare gems.
Again, RSVP isn’t pretty. You’ll find better looking places and friendlier staff without looking too far up the road. But if you want to look at one of the state’s cheapest and largest selections, RSVP is the place to go.
RSVP Discount Beverage Center
887 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME 04103-4107
(207) 773-8808
Maine Brewing Supply
Until the arrival of Maine Brewing Supply to Forest Avenue a couple of years ago, there wasn’t a great place to go in Portland to get brewing supplies. The Hop Shop has long been a favorite of Portlanders, but the location in Gray left people who didn’t want to leave the city without a place to shop. With the arrival of Maine Brewing Supply, Portland residents are only a couple miles from hops, grain and yeast wherever they are in the Forest City.
Owners Rob and Gaylin Zimmerman supply everything you’d want in order to whip up some beer, soda, mead or wine at home. You’ll find a wide range of dry and liquid yeast, plenty of grains (which they’ll gladly crush for you), hops, recipe kits and dry and liquid extracts. The equipment selection is superb, with a great selection of full home setups along with every concievable piece of equipment on the shelf to buy a la carte. The brewing supplies are rounded out by a selection of adjuncts and flavorings, plenty of cleaners and sanitizers, brewing books and DVDs, and the biggest selection of different bottle types I’ve ever seen. If you’re just looking for a beer to drink while you brew, Zimmerman stocks a smart selection of higher-end brews by the bottle or six-pack.
Rob is also an incredibly knowledgeable brewer, and is as comfortable brainstorming and problem-solving with an expert brewer as with showing a beginner the ropes. Prices are fair, although a bit higher than at the Hop Shop or Oak Hill Beverage. The slight (10% at most) premium is worth the conveniece and service you’ll find at Maine Brewing Supply.
Maine Brewing Supply
542 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 791-2739
The Great Lost Bear
It is terribly hard to think of something to say about the Great Lost Bear (GLB) that hasn’t already been said.
Now in their 31st year, the GLB is an institution on the Maine beer scene. Since opening in 1979, the beer selection has steadily expanded… from eight beer taps to twenty four, then thirty six, and now sixty-five taps. Five of these taps make up “Allagash Alley”, a dedicated section of the lineup for brews on tap from Maine’s Allagash Brewing. The other sixty host a rotating selection of beers from around the world, although at least a third are always devoted to Maine brewed beer. They also have four different casks, usually featuring local brews.
Every Monday and Tuesday at the Bear is “short beer” night, with 23 oz pours for the price of a pint. Thursdays are “showcase” nights, and every Thursday the GLB hosts an event with cheap pours from a brewery or of a style of beer. Thursday nights are always a blast, and beer celebs like Garrett Oliver, Sam Calagione and Rob Todd have been known to work the taps when their brewery is featured.
As for the non-beer part of the experience, the Bear satisfies. Food is American bar fare, with some of the best burgers in Portland along with plenty of salads, sandwiches, specials and vegetarian options. The newest regular menu option is a beast worthy of Man vs. Food; the Cheesus Burger (a burger sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches) is as extreme as any of the beers on the menu. Prices are about what you’d expect for a Portland restaurant (8-12 bucks for most of the entrees) and portions are massive.
There are a lot of comments deriding the service at the Great Lost Bear, and I’ll go right ahead and say the service isn’t fast. Still, I wouldn’t say it’s bad. I’ve been going almost weekly for the last three years (a benefit of living two blocks away) and the staff has always been attentive, friendly, and quick to attend to our needs. It’s just kind of slow. If you don’t come expecting to speed in and out, your expectations won’t be dashed.
Pro tip; go on a Thursday with a date, and you can get a 2+ person serving of nachos and each get a beer for under twenty bucks.
The Great Lost Bear
540 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 772-0300
6 Comments to “The Beer of Maine; Part Two”
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[...] out my full profiles of RSVP, Maine Brewing Supply and the Great Lost Bear in my weekly column. Posted by Josh Beer, View All Posts Subscribe to RSS [...]
Great reviews. I would add, personally, that the GLB has some of the best wings I’ve ever tasted. Truly worth a trip just for those (and the beer, of course.)
I’m sure it won’t make any difference to you, but RSVP actually has fantastic service in the wine department. They’ve always given me stellar recommendations. Perhaps they are more interested in selling wine than beer…
@billy
Most of my issues with service come at the checkout counter, where the staff often seems outright hostile to customers. I would agree that the wine section service is good and that, like I said, the beer experts on staff do know there stuff.
Maybe it’s just the last customer service point of contact that leaves me with a bad impression.
[...] Josh Christie, wrote a two part series earlier this year called “The Beer of Maine” (Part 1 / Part 2) hat focused on a trek that he made to visit some of the beer destinations in the great state of [...]
[...] Part Two: RSVP Discount Beverage, Maine Brewing Supply and the Great Lost Bear [...]