Freeport’s Maine Beer Company is a brand that has a special place in my heart, or my beer fridge. The eco-conscious brewery was founded in 2009, and shortly after, I began my personal relationship with their beer. Let the beer journey begin!
Print shop label
I remember clearly in early 2010 picking out beer to bring to my annual fantasy baseball draft. On the shelf at a liquor store in Watertown, Massachusetts, was a red ale called Zoe. The bottle was larger than a twelve-ounce but smaller than a bomber and had this super simple label that looked like someone had stuck it on the bottle using Print Shop. This was only thirteen years ago, but in terms of craft beer, it seems like a different millennium. From then, I’d often pick up a bottled beer such as Peeper or Zoe if I saw it on the shelves.
Baby-Moon
My wife and I took a baby moon to the Portland area in January 2015. As she was pregnant with our first son, it was a lot of beer drinking for me and a lot of chauffeuring for her. One brewery I needed to finally try was Maine Beer Company. This was way before the expansion when the taproom was small, but still, a sampler arrived on a slate board identified by chalk. I tried all eight on tap and let’s say was feeling pretty good afterward.
Here come the kids
Since 2015, the Portland area has become a yearly or bi-yearly excursion, always stopping at Maine Beer Company. I remember the long-ticketed waits to try to score the highly coveted Dinner double IPA during the few-times-a-year release. Though I never fought the elements for a bottle, I was able to score Dinner in November of 2016 on draft while Danny ran up and down the ramp of the taproom.
Since the expansion, a visit to Maine Beer Company is a location actually requested by my kids. They love the pizza, the fountain, and the whole vibe. It is super kid-friendly, and with picnic tables, the little guys are easily contained.
What to eat and drink
Even though I always gravitate toward Dinner or a Second Dinner when available, I like to try a flight. I lean toward these beers not solely because they are delicious, but because I am not able to find them locally, whereas most of the others in the Maine Beer Company portfolio I can.
I like to start with a salad: Caesar or garden. The wood-fired pizza is top-notch. Try the special. During my latest visit, it was a prosciutto and arugula white pizza, just exquisite. Everything from basic cheese to the Margherita to a fancy special of the day is all superb. The kids often choose a pretzel too, and as Danny likes, it has plenty of salt.
Make sure to stop by the wall of beer bottles to take a few home.
Maine Beer Company
If you want to experience Maine Beer Company for yourself, visit the brewery at 525 US 1 in Freeport. Couple it with other Freeport breweries including Mast Landing, Goodfire, Stars and Stripes, and Gritty’s. Or as my kids always request, a trip to see the big boot at nearby L.L. Bean.
