The Beer of Maine; Part Five
Part One; DL Geary’s’ and Maine Beer Company
Part Two; RSVP Discount Beverage, Maine Brewing Supply and the Great Lost Bear
Part Three; The Liberal Cup, Sheepscot Valley Brewing and The Badger
Part Four; Allagash Brewing and Marshall Wharf Brewing Company
Mainers love their local beer. If there’s anything you can take from this series so far, it’s that the people of Maine – and Portland in particular – are fierce defenders and passionate imbibers of locally brewed beer. For decades (two decades for Gritty’s, one for Sebago), the two breweries I’m looking at today have been staples in local pint glasses and refrigerators. Neither has quite the distribution around the US as an Allagash or a Shipyard, but it’s almost impossible to go to a bar in Maine and not see at least one tap devoted to Sebago and another to Gritty’s. Both also operate stellar brewpubs – bars with some of the best pub fare available in Maine.
Gritty McDuff’s
While DL Geary Brewing holds the title of the original Maine microbrewery, Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Company has their own distinction as the state’s first brewpub. Founded in 1988 by Ed Stebbins and Richard Pfeffer, the Gritty’s on Fore Street in Portland was the first of many brewpubs hoping to bring a bit of the British publican culture to Maine’s Old Port. Stebbins is perhaps the more recognizable of the two – the happy bartender on every Gritty’s label is a young Ed. Since opening that original pub on Fore Street in Portland, Gritty McDuff’s has expanded, now boasting restaurants complete with brewing operations on Main Street in both Freeport and Auburn.
Like fellow local brewers Shipyard and Geary’s, Gritty McDuff’s sticks very closely to the classic British brew tradition. In Auburn and Freeport, the copper-topped, brick-faced brew kettles are based on designs from the Ringwood Brewery in Hampshire, England. Gritty’s brews and a handful of classic styles year-round (the Best Bitter, Best Brown, Black Fly Stout, Pub Style, and often a Pale and a Light), and very traditional seasonal ales – each is simply a variation on a traditional English bitter. In recent years, McDuff’s has experimented a bit more with US styles, and the newest addition to their beer family is an IPA hopped with very American Cascade, Warrior and Willamette hops.
At the Auburn, Freeport and Portland locations, Gritty McDuff’s offers a fine selection of British and Atlantic fare – a hybrid of the hearty food of the UK and the local seafood flavor. All locations the host live music and events, with a particularly busy schedule at the Portland location. And of course, in the tradition of great local watering holes everywhere, Gritty’s has a mug club that’ll net you extra beer and some pretty swank discounts, no matter which location you call home.
Gritty McDuff’s
396 Fore Street
Portland, ME 04101-4026
(207) 772-2739
Sebago Brewing Company
Sebago Brewing Company is, in my mind, one of Maine’s most underrated breweries. The quickly-growing brewery tends to get lumped in with Maine’s British-style brewers by locals and beer geeks, but Sebago is actually producing beers that fit snugly into the American brewing style. In fact, you won’t find Fuggles or Maris Otter here – Sebago brews with all American ingredients. They may not be as on the cutting edge style-wise as Allagash or Marshall Wharf , but they definitely brewing beers that are hard to find from other Maine breweries.
Sebago opened the doors to their first location, a brewpub in South Portland, in 1998. Since then, expansion has been fast and furious. Now, the Sebago crew can count Kennebunk, Portland’s Old Port and the village in Gorham as their homes as well. The South Portland location has also seen some improvement, recently moving to a brand-new facility with much more space and a great custom bar. In his book The Good Beer Guide to New England, Andy Crouch notes that (at least initially) Sebago was better known for food at their pubs than their beer. While the beer now gets a bit more attention, the menus at each restaurant are still worthy of high praise. You won’t find a better plate of potato nachos anywhere.
Sebago brews a small (compared to some of Maine’s other brewers) line of beer, with four regular offerings and a smattering of seasonals. An IPA, Brown, Red and Stout round out the regular line-up, and at different times of the year you can find a hefe, a winter warmer, a porter and a blueberry ale. Recently, brewer Kai Adams has experimented with some more unique beers, leading to the creation of the “Single Batch” series. Some of these – particularly the Bourbon Barrel Stout – are among the best beers brewed in Maine recently, regardless of brewery.
Sebago Brewing Company
164 Middle Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207)775-2337
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[...] another entry in my ongoing tour of the bars, breweries and beer of the great state of Maine. This time around, the focus is on Portland Old Port stalwarts Gritty McDuff’s and Sebago – two of my [...]