Skip to main content

Back from Maine!

For the last week, my wife and I have been vacationing in Maine.  I've been going to Maine regularly for the past 15 years or so, and the time in Maine has greatly contributed to my love of good beer.  In Bar Harbor, which must receive millions of tourists every summer, almost every bar serves beer from Atlantic and Bar Harbor Brewing Companies, which are locally brewed right on the island.  Most also have Shipyard Brewing on draft. 

Where my wife and I are in NJ, you just don't see that kind of loyalty.  Sure, there's a bar here and a bar there that have great stuff, but for the most part, there really isn't much choice on the draft lines.  There is some good news coming from the shore towns in NJ though.  Both only a little more than a year old now, Kane Brewing and Carton Brewing are getting their beers on tap in restaurants where previously you only would have seen Bud/Miller/Coors.  It's great things to look forward to in NJ!

I took advantage of the Maine trip to pick up some beer that I can't get here in NJ!  You can get some of Atlantic Brewing Company's lineup here, but I haven't seen any of their bombers.  I also picked up their variety pack.  Here's my haul...


From left to right:  Atlantic Brewing Company Scottish Ale and Brother Adam's Bragget Ale, Maine Brewing Company Mean Old Tom, Rising Tide Brewing Company Ishmael, Penobscot Bay Brewery Red Flannel Ale, and Atlantic Brewing Company Special Old Bitter
From left to right:  Atlantic Brewing Company New Guy IPA, Real Ale, Blueberry Ale, Coal Porter
In the coming weeks, I'll post about our visit to Atlantic Brewing Company, and have reviews for some of these beers! 

Have any of you ever visited any breweries in Maine?  What are your favorite Maine beers?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dogfish Head Positive Contact

Frankenstorm is on it's way.  Bread: Check.  Candles: Check.  Ice: Check.  Beer: Check!  The big storm is supposed to strike land here in NJ late Sunday night into early Monday morning, and last until late Tuesday.  Kerry and I live in the western part of NJ, so we should be safe from most of it, except for local river flooding.  Tonight I'll be reviewing Positive Contact from Dogfish Head.  This is their collaboration with Dan the Automator (who I honestly had never heard of before this collaboration). I poured Positive Contact into my Yards Brewing tulip glass.  It poured a pale orange, golden color with a two and a half finger width head.  Apples, bananas and peppers hit my nose right away.  The smell is incredible and strong.  The Positive Contact is full of flavor, and reminds me of a smooth drinking Belgian tripel.  It tastes immediately of fruity esters, mainly banana.  The finish is peppery.  I'm ...

BJCP: Strong Scotch Ale (9E)

This is the first article in a new series of posts, where I will periodically choose a section from the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines , write about the style, and then drink and publish my tasting notes from some of the commercial examples given by the BJCP.  Now, I'm not sure if I will ever actually take the exam to become a beer judge, but I think this will be a fun exercise to learn more about beer! Fair warning, I will not be doing the sections of the BJCP style guidelines in any sort of order.  Whichever kinds of beer I am craving is what I will be writing about! Strong Scotch Ales (also known as Wee Heavy) comprise sub-category 9E in the BJCP style guidelines.  They range between 6.5% and 10.0% ABV, and have a light copper to dark brown appearance.  Obviously, strong scotch ales are all about showcasing the malt.  While studying this style, I found it quite interesting that the brewers ferment out the wort at cooler temp...

Beer Digest: Mission St., Hitachino, Weyerbacher

I've had some really great and interesting beers over the last week.  In this new post series, I'm going to highlight my favorite beers from the last week or so.  Hope you enjoy reading!  Suggestions and comments are always welcome! Mission St 2013 Anniversary Ale (Trader Joe's) Steinhaus Brewing Co. (brewed at Firestone Walker in Cali) 8.5% ABV I wasn't really sure what to expect from this beer, but it took me by surprise.  They say it is is blend of three different brews, and when it all comes together the final product is an imperial brown ale.  There was lots of malt, a little roast, and a full, creamy body.  I was surprised how fast I made it through the whole bottle.  There wasn't the slightest hint of the 8.5% ABV.  If more brown ales tasted like this, I would probably drink them more often. Mission St. 2013 Anniversary Ale from Trader Joe's Hitachino Nest XH Kiuchi Brewery 7% ABV Kiuchi Brewery's Hitachino Nes...