Heading to the top Beer Town in the morning - Portland Maine

Shadowfax

Shadowfax

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To celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, we are driving up to Portland ME for a week of Lobster and Beer. Portland has almost 30 Breweries / Brew Pubs as well as several other Beer Bars and a few Distilleries. They are also home to the only Fermentation Farm in the US producing Mead, Ciders, and Kombucha. Also, the only other Cabbott Cheese Annex outside of Vermont is 5 blocks away.

Our Hotel is right at the old Port and next door to Shipyard Brewing. We will try and hit as many tastings as we can during the week. We will go to Kennybunkport for dinner on the Anniversary day, May 3rd. Also traveling up to the big LL Bean store for shopping.

Right now the weather looks iffy for the week and it will only be highs in low 50s, but thats better than too hot trying to enjoy strong beers.

Cheers, I will report back about the beers as best as I will remember :)
 
Brian...enjoy it. My girlfriend's sister and her family live in Portland, ME and we visit her often (a little under 2hrs from Boston) and I must say Portland has a great foodie scene. Kennebunkport is very cool. Are you guys going to do the Anniversary dinner at the White Barn Inn restaurant there?
 
Thanks Cyril. We have reservations at Stripers Waterside and plan to get the Lobster specials they have.
There are so many good places like Duckfat, Eventide and so on that we are overwhelmed and overweight just thinking about it.
 
So many good places to eat there. Last time there, my wife & I rented a condo for a week and still had to skip many restaurants we wanted to try.
 
My wife and I did a Backroads bike trip in Maine a few years ago. We flew to Portland but we couldn't seem to find the shuttle to our hotel. It turned out that my wife booked us a room in Portland Oregon.
 
This place is overwhelming. What a great town. Everyone has been super friendly and nice. It pays to tell people what you are celebrating and they all give you special gifts.

There are way too many good places to eat and drink. Allagash was super, and we had a blast at Liquid Riot. They are both a Distillery and a Brewery. Also the best beer bar might be Novare Res Bier Cafe where starting yesterday the whole tap list turned Beligian.

And the Lobster Rolls.......the best is at Eventide even though it is small it is the most wonderful treat and different than the rest.
 
"Heading to the top Beer Town in the morning - Portland Maine"

In the corn flakes? :D

Enjoy,
Ken
 
Brian...glad you and your wife are enjoying Portland. Great little town [emoji106]
 
We hit Fore Street last night for our anniversary dinner. First time we had full Farm to Table meals. They have an open kitchen and everything is cooked in a wood fire.

We also did the tour at Allegash yesterday, quite a good one too with samples along the way.

In a few minutes, we are heading to the Urban Fermentation farm to sample and bring home some Kubucha, Ciders and Mead. Going back to Liquid Riot again tonight to sample the rest of the Whiskeys we missed the first round. Also for their beer, they do Crowlers, which are 32oz cans they cap right after pouring from the tap.

Cheers!
 
So the trip is over but the memories will remain along with all the pictures. We had a blast, taking a tour or tasting every afternoon, then back out for dinner and the Bar Scene each evening. My favorite Brewery was Liquid Riot which was also a Distillery. We sampled everything they made. I brought home a bottle of Old Port Rye Whiskey and a couple 32oz Crowlers. Cool machine that seals the tops on the cans after getting filled right from the tap. They also had some of the most scrumptious appetizers and small plates.

We went to Allegash twice, once for the normal Tasting where they give you over a pint of strong Belgian style brews, and on our anniversary day we went back for the tour, where they keep it flowing thru the tour and you end up drinking in the Barrel Room.

Other highlights were the Urban Farm Fermentory where they made Kombucha, Mead and Ciders. We brought back all three. The Main Mead Works was also good with several styles of Mead. We brought back a few of those also.

The best Beer Bar in the town is owned by the same people as Liquid Riot, and it was called Novare Res Bier Cafe. It was located back an old alley off of Exchange Street and is the basement of an old factory. One hell of a tap and bottle list and starting May 1st to the 20th changed all the taps to just good Belgian Ales.

We also visited Shipyard 2X as well as having them at our Hotel one night serving 4 different beers during one of the free Mixes that Marriott does at the Residence Hotels. Then on our last night, after the 3rd visit to Eventide for the best Lobster Rolls ever, we hit Three Dollar Deweys for their Smoked Seafood Chowder. We had no idea Shipyard was having a big 5th of May party with free beers of their latest release Island Time IPA. Shipyard was literally 20 feet from our Hotel.

We just could not hit every place we would have liked to, there are so many breweries, distilleries, Mead producers to do everything. We did cover a lot of ground as we booked the trip over a year ago and planned just about every day ahead of time.

For anyone that is a Beer Lover or Foodie, Portland ME is a place that needs to be on your Bucket List.
 
I like this thread. So many beers to try, so little time...

Glad you had a good trip Brian.

That was funny about the hotel reservations being made in Portland, Oregon. We're actually going there next month and will see what the beer and wine scene is on the other coast...

Cheers!
 
Lots has changed in Portland since I left Maine in 1990 after living there for 12 years. Maine has always had great food and one of their sinful pleasures is the batter they fry their fish and onion rings in. You simply don't get that batter outside of NE just as you don't get the great rolls that are used for cheese steak hoagies and Italian hoagies outside of Philadelphia and South Jersey. The Blu Cheese dressing in Maine is also off the charts good.

Maine humor-Q: What's the difference between a woman from Maine and a moose? A: About 200 lbs and a flannel shirt.
 
My next weeding anniversary held in this year in September. I think I must go to the top beer town in the morning - Portland Maine.
Thanks
 
I just celebrated 33 years on the 3rd. That was our 30th trip and was awesome.

I was surprised to see this thread near the top again.

So many beers, not enough time
 
Ha!

You are indeed a lucky man. Time flies when you are having fun.

Shadowfax said:
I just celebrated 33 years on the 3rd. That was our 30th trip and was awesome.

I was surprised to see this thread near the top again.

So many beers, not enough time
Click to expand...
 
Brian,

Glad to hear that you had a nice anniversary trip to Portland.

I always enjoy taking the short ferry ride out to Peaks Island when I’m there. Casco Bay is really beautiful.

Ken
 
My wife always asks for going to a morning beer town. I don't know before that where it is? Just give a surprise to my wife, and it will be memorable for me.
Thanks
 
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