POUR-LAND, MAINE
Savor the city’s overflowing craft brew scene, festivals
The import/export business helped fuel the growth of Portland, Maine, centuries ago. Its accessible waterfront and compact, walkable city front made it an idea spot for ships to load and unload their treasures.
Today, this delightful city is still fueled by a flow — but instead of ocean trade, it's beer. Out of this classic New England port, in pubs and breweries tucked into interesting buildings and neighborhoods, flows some of the finest beer in the Northeast, if not the nation. Portland is a craft beer lovers' mecca. It all started in the early 1980s, when the city became an early base for craft brewing in the East. Quickly, there was a boom, and today, visitors can find more than enough brewery experiences to fill a weekend, a week and more.
A quick jaunt from Boston by car (two hours), train or bus, Portland is a perfect New England port to escape to. Made up of neighborhoods, it's beautiful in every season, with the ocean shifting moods with each of them.
And the beer, oh, the beer.
Start with Geary's, aka the D.L. Geary Brewing Co. (38 Evergreen Drive), Portland's first brewery. Geary's opened its doors in 1983, at a time when there
were only 13 “microbreweries” in the entire nation. David and Karen Geary first based their line on their still-beloved Geary’s Pale Ale, a recipe born from David’s brew studies in Scotland and England.
Today, visitors learn about (and sample) its award-winning heritagestyle beers, as well as its brand-new American-style beers, giving guests a perfect blend of the history of brewing and the future of the craft.
The wooden mash tuns, still shoveled out by hand, and the brick-lined kettles are the brewery’s originals and are rarely seen elsewhere.
Geary’s tasting room is warm, welcoming and staffed by knowledgeable and craft beer passionate people. Geary’s is under new ownership this fall, as a group of investors led by Alan Lapoint of Freeport, Maine, takes over, with the blessing of the Geary family. As with the Gearys, visitors often get a chance to meet the owners and chat firsthand about the business. There is also a lovely outdoor space available for relaxing with friends and family.
Learn more at geary brewing.com.
Over in the up-andcoming East Bayside neighborhood of Portland, craft brew lovers must spend time at Rising Tide Brewing Co. (103 Fox St.), a family owned and operated spot that embraces the love of creating — and drinking — excellent beer. (Check out its fun staff bios online ahead of time to get a feel for who they are and how much they care about their craft). Rising Tide specializes in artisanal, hand-crafted ales brewed in small batches, meaning you’ll find some classic choices as well as some creative limited releases any time you visit.
Rising Tide has a goal of creating well-balanced beers inspired by Old World traditions but with modern twists. It never filters and never pasteurizes. It offers daily tours at set times, and has a tasting room that sells samples, growlers and bottles of beer (as well as souvenirs).
A cool twist: Rising Tide partners with food trucks that park out front on a rotating basis, offering creative and interesting food choices.
Learn more at risingtide brewing.com.
Just up the road in Brewer, Maine (perfect name!), just outside of Bangor, you’ll find Mason’s Brewing (15 Hardy St.), famed for its beloved Hipster Apocalypse brew. But there’s more to Mason’s than just that famed brew.
Memorable beer isn’t just about the taste, the owners of Mason’s like to say — it’s about the experience, culture and history of the beer.
For that reason, the folks at Mason’s went on an epic journey, visiting brewhouses and beerfests around the world and bringing back the best of what they saw, felt and tasted to create Mason’s.
Their brewery and Bier Garden not only offer a great array of brews, but a setting that embraces the love of brewing.
The pours vary from pale ales to dunkels, with classic tastes and creative twists. Mason’s also hosts events. Tucked into the bank of a wide and sparkling river, it
is a perfect spot for indoor or outdoor fun. Its menu offers a great mix of unique items that pair perfectly with brews (Bacon Three Ways or Dirty Fries, anyone?).
Learn more at masons brewingcompany.com.
And what if you want to sample it all and not have to worry about driving? Check out the Maine Brew Bus. Known as New England's original brew bus, the Maine Brew Bus takes individuals or group tours to all the great brew stops in Greater Portland, offering not just a safe ride, but guides that share history, lore, fun stories and more.
All tours feature a local snack or meal, trivia, special behind-the-scenes experiences at breweries, a designated driver and, of course, lots of brew sampling.
There are classic as well as themed tours (curling and breweries, brunch and breweries, and more).
You can try it out before your visit: It also operates the popular Boston Brew Bus. Learn more at themainebrewbus.com.
Though Portland is an easy day trip from Boston, with all the great breweries, food choices, scenery and more, you'll want to stay longer. For that, check into the Residence Inn by Marriott Portland Downtown/Waterfront, Portland's only all-suites waterfront hotel. Located in the center of all the action, you'll be within walking distance of many breweries and restaurants, and in a spot with a lovely view of the city and the water that outlines it.
It's also close to major attractions, including the birthplace of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the Casco Bay Lines Ferry Terminal, Merrill Auditorium, Ocean Gateway Terminal, Cross Insurance Arena and Portland Museum of Art.
It's comfortable, spacious and convenient, giving you a luxe home away from home while you explore. Learn more at marriott.com/hotels/ travel/pwmdt-residenceinn-portland-downtownwaterfront/.
What's a good time to visit? Fall, winter, all year round, there's a reason ships were attracted to Portland long ago. Today, there's all that and the beer as well. That said, festivals are always a good thing to plan a visit around. The city knows how to celebrate and its festivals are proof.
Upcoming are two, Harvest on the Harbor and Portland Beer Week.
Harvest on the Harbor, taking place through Sunday, celebrates the food, agriculture, brewing and culture of Greater Portland, all in one big city festival. In its 10th year, and benefiting Full Plates, Full Potential, the week offers a special Harbor Crawl, themed dinners, a celebration of the Lobster Chef of the Year and more, all combining food, drink and fun. Learn more at harvestonthe harbor.com.
Portland Beer Week, Nov. 5-11, fills an entire week with celebrating all that is craft beer in Portland and the surrounding communities. You'll find special events such as live concerts, “tap takeovers,” beer pairings and more in just about every venue you can imagine that week. Learn more at portlandbeerweek. org.
Year round, the great craft beer flows in Portland. Learn more at visitportland.com.