I’m not home yet, but back from the wilds of Maine and have internet service. So, for this Saturday, relax, pour yourself a cold one and ponder these beer thoughts.
The Trappist brewery of Westmalle, Belgium is an amazing brewery.
Here’s how to spot independent beer from the big boys.
Guinness sets the record for the longest self-driving beer truck.
Last, but certainly not least, read about a Ramen Noodle flavored beer.
Cheers!
Warren
Based on a conversation at the Wine Bin in Ellicott City, MD, I was on a quest for Dinner (a beer from the Maine Beer Company). After hours of driving and some painful shopping in the outlets and L.L. Bean (shopping is my kryptonite), we had finally arrived at this faraway place. Continue reading Maine Beer Co.
Just 16 minutes from our lakeside cabin in Bridgeton is a terrific beer bar and restaurant — Ebenezer’s Restaurant and Pub. It was a Monday, but the day before the 4th of July, so it was a busy day. We wanted a table for 6 at 6:00 PM but settled for a picnic table at 5:15 PM. As luck would have it, when we arrived, they had setup a table inside the charming screened in porch.
Ebenezer’s has a large rotating beer selection with many beers on tap. As a Belgian beer lover, I was in heaven; most of their beers are Belgian style or sours. Going with the Belgian theme, we ordered frites. I also ordered a Lively Holy Candy, a subtle but boozy triple made from Ebenezer’s brewery. The frites arrived wrapped in a paper cone with mayonnaise and ketchup, disappearing into our mouths almost immediately. Yum.
As a Maine tourist, I could not pass up the “Best Lobster Roll in Maine”. It was quite good, with plenty of solid lobster meat covered with a mayonnaise-rich sauce.
Showing my usual restraint (hey, I’m on vacation), I ordered a slice of fruit and rhubarb pie a la mode along with an Ich Bin Erin Berliner Framboos from Brouwerij Alvinne. It is listed as a Sour – Berliner Weiss. It arrived in a tall, pilsner style glass, smelling, tasting and looking like raspberries. It was refreshing and tart.
Carolyn, Gregg, Amy & I couldn’t resist, so we came back to this terrific place. We learned from Maine that Steven King owns a home in Lovell and is often seen in the area. Gregg provides a lot of Mr. King’s insurance and says he is a very nice, down-to-earth guy and gives generously to local charities.
There were no Steven King sightings that day but the many rotating taps looked great. I tried a few:
Ebenezers is a required stop for beer lovers who find themselves in the area. Warning, it’s a long way from anywhere and the beers are so tempting; bring a designated driver.
Cheers!
Warren
Our family tradition has been to camp out at the lakefront in Columbia to watch the fireworks but this year we found ourselves in Maine. To make up for it, we watched 2 fireworks displays: one in Bridgton and on in Portland. Continue reading July 4th in Maine
Trillium Brewing Co. is a rising star in the brewing world. Many of their beers are uniquely hopped giving a strong grapefruit flavor with little bitterness. I have only had a few of their beers, but I’m still trying to find one I don’t like. Continue reading Trillium Brewing
We all were slow-moving after a day-long celebration where 40 or so of Aunt Dayle’s relatives observed her 80th birthday. BTW, Dayle is. My wife’s aunt. We met at Gritty’s for an early lunch before a Portland, Maine Duck Tour. Continue reading Gritty McDuff’s Brewing
I’m in the Lake Region of Maine about an hour out of Portland, so I missed Hysteria’s grand opening. However, Dbear was lucky enough to attend the festivities. He has kindly shared a few of his pictures and impressions. Sorry this is so late; apparently Maine has limited internet service. Continue reading Hysteria Grand Opening
Cousin Gregg was eager to share the local breweries in Portland, ME with us. He is a lucky guy who starts his Friday happy hours at Allagash Brewing, so we did the same. Continue reading Portland Pub Crawl
Google told us it would only take 2 hours to reach Portland from Concord, Mass but the holiday traffic added another hour. We were hungry so we stopped in the quaint town of Kennebunkport, Maine. It was filled with vacationing tourist, but we managed to find parking and an inviting restaurant — Alisson’s. Continue reading Alisson’s