The Beer of Maine; Part Three
Part One: DL Geary’s’ and Maine Beer Company
Part Two: RSVP Discount Beverage, Maine Brewing Supply and the Great Lost Bear
The last time I took a look at the beer and breweries of the state of Maine, I guided you through a leisurely drive down Forest Avenue here in Portland. This month, it’s time to move a bit deeper into the state towards the capitol. In the heart of central and midcoast Maine, Hallowell’s Liberal Cup, the Sheepscot Valley Brewing Company and the Badger Cafe and Pub on the Union Common offer great beer for the people of the Pine Tree State.
The Liberal Cup
Now celebrating a decade of life on Hallowell’s waterfront, The Liberal Cup is an institution of the central Maine beer scene. Owner and brewmaster Geoff Houghton opened the Cup in order to get his personal brews out to the masses, and added food to the menu “as a catalyst to get people to come in and drink the beer.”
In a state already heavy with ales inspired by the brewpubs of the United Kingdom, the 21 brews from the Liberal Cup still stand out as some of the best British brews in Maine. Throughout the year, Houghton and crew brew some 21 different beers, and the bar always has about a half-dozen different choices on tap. In the British tradition, one of these is always of the cask-conditioned variety. All the brews from the Liberal Cup are uniformly strong, but I’d highly recommend the cask bitter or the oatmeal stout if you’re looking for the best of the best – or get a flight of all the brews they have on tap.
The food is about what you’d expect from a Brit-inspired pub, with a good amount of Maine coasty stuff thrown in. Big portions, hearty food, and stick-to-your-ribs fare for the frequently chilly weather in Maine are all par for the course (I’d recommend the meatloaf sandwich). The atmosphere is warm and friendly, the staff is kind and attentive, and a heavy schedule of musical guests, trivia nights and other events keeps the place busier than you might expect for a bar in Hallowell.
The Liberal Cup
115 Water Street
Hallowell, ME 04347-1357
(207) 623-2739
Sheepscot Valley Brewing Company
If you head down the road from Hallowell towards Union (see what I did there?) your route will take you quite close to Whitefield, home of the Sheepscot Valley Brewing Company. Owner, brewmaster, and “Count of Whitefield” Steve Gorrill, homebrewed for a decade before opening the brewery in 1995. Currently, the brewery regularly brews four different beers; the easy-to-find Pemaquid Ale and Boothbay Special Bitter and the spottier Damariscotta Double Brown and New Harbor Lager.
Sheepscot doesn’t brew many beers, but it does brew them well. The Pemaquid Ale, a tasty Scotch ale and the flagship from the brewery, has proven so popular that Sebago contract brews the stuff to fill kegs and 22 oz bombers. The Double Brown (a strong ale) is the closest the brewery has to anything “extreme”, and at 7% ABV it does pack more of a punch than most of the fare you pick up from Maine breweries. Even though the four brews don’t leave you with too many choices, boutique breweries like Maine Beer have proven you might be better off doing one thing – and doing it well – than flooding the market with so-so beer.
Sheepscot Valley Brewing Company
74 Hollywood Boulevard
Whitefield, ME 04353
(207) 549-5530
The Badger Cafe and Pub
Tucked away in Union, about half an hour from Whitefield and a quick jump from the coast, is one of my favorite little bars in Maine. I grew up about ten minutes outside of Union, and this cafe serendipitously opened during my last summer visiting home from college. Now a fixture on the Union common after about three years in operation, The Badger is Christy and Michael Badger-Greer’s little piece of craft beer heaven in the middle of the midcoast.
Michael was employed by specialty food store The Market Basket for years before opening the Badger, and spent his years there as both a chef and the beer buyer for the store. He definitely put his love for and experience with craft beer into developing the beer and tap list for the Union cafe. A quick look at their current brew selection finds Aventinus, Bar Harbor Real Ale, Meantime Coffee Porter and a Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck Framboise among the many choices available for consumption. Michael, Christy and the rest of the staff really know their beer, and are awesome at answering questions and making suggestions if you need the help.
The quality of the food easily stands beside that of the beer. Many of the ingredients (cheese, produce, meats, and wine, among other things) are produced locally, and the menu ranges from simple nachos to Pork Chop Normandy or Polenta Lasagna. This summer Mike won the first Maine “Iron Chef” competition at the Common Ground Fair, and he puts his pairing skills to the test with a number of specialty beer dinners throughout the year. And if you’re one of Maine’s many summer guests, the place usually has freeze-pops for 50 cents during the summer.
The Badger Cafe and Pub
289 Common Rd.
Union, Maine, 04862
(207) 785-3336
3 Comments to “The Beer of Maine; Part Three”
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Nice article. I’d heard there was a place in Union serving good beer but I didn’t get its name. Now I know. I’ll add them to the RB “Places” list. Thanks!
Hey Josh, nice article. It got me thinking about the trip my wife and I took to Bar Harbor back in 2008. We really enjoyed Bar Harbor Brewing Co’s Thunder Hole Ale and have since tried to contact them but the phone number on their Web site is disconnected. Any idea if they are still in business?