Drink your Way up the Coast

Your friendly innkeepers are happy to give you directions to start at Atlantic Brewing Company. The Atlantic Brewing Company began as Acadia Brewing in 1990 and had a maximum capacity of just one barrel at a time. However, it didn’t take long for demand for their beers to grow so much that they moved to larger digs. Fast forward and again by 1998, demand outpaced space and they moved again to their current location on the grounds of a 19th century Maine farmstead, that features native vegetation and local stonework.  Atlantic brews about 15 or so different types of beer, about a dozen of which are marketed as Atlantic Brewing products while the rest are labeled as products of Bar Harbor Brewing Co. The store and brewery are open for limited hours in April and May, then 10:00am – 5:00pm Memorial Day through Columbus Day with tours daily.

Bar Harbor Cellars Winery is located at Sweet Pea Farm in Bar Harbor. For over a generation, Sweet Pea Farm has grown fresh cut flowers and produce for local consumption, then added the vineyard in 2003. Both the farm and the vineyard are part of their stalwart commitment to sustainable agriculture on Mount Desert Island. This craft winery produces and bottles wine from both European and local fruit. The Farm and the winery are open from mid-May through mid-October for tastings and purchasing. And just as all things are related in Maine, Bar Harbor Cellars Winemaker Doug Miccuci, also owns the Atlantic Brewing Co. You might say he’s a beverage-jack-of-all-trades. The reds and white wines are created from both grapes grown in small co-ops in the U.S. and Europe and from some of his own organic grapes, (including newly planted hybrids), and several blueberry and apple wines from Maine fruit.

And if that’s not enough, don’t miss the great Happy Hour from 3:00pm to 6:00pm at the Side Street Café in Bar Harbor, described as the “best happy hour in town”. Look for special happy hour pricing on apps and beer. And beer drinkers won’t want to miss the “Beertails” here - guess what the main ingredient in these cocktails is?  Concoctions such as the Atlantic Alexander, made of Atlantic Real Ale, Chocolate milk and Allen’s Coffee Brandy and the Downeast Fashioned with Downeast Cider, Jim Beam, muddled fruit, simple syrup and bitters brings beer-lovers running.  

Finally, for a fabulous selection of craft beers from Maine and New England, not to mention delicious nosh to go with it, head over to Blaze, in Bar Harbor to enjoy more than 50 craft beers on tap, along with many more in reserve.

The Blue Hill Peninsula takes in a region including some of the better-known villages of Blue Hill and Stonington.  The peninsula is home to a few breweries including Strong Brewing in Sedgwick, Me. The owners packed their minivan with clothing, one box of Christmas ornaments, the kid and his dog and we headed for Blue Hill in 1999 and fell in love with this little rural peninsula with its rich history of fishing, boat building, and farming. The brewery started as a local home-brew club when owners Al and Mia opened their home to community suppers and word spread about the delicious brews they were serving. In 2012 they started Maine’s first and nations third CSB “community supported brewery”, sold enough shares and ran a successful Kickstarter to fund the opening of the taproom. Bright red Adirondack chairs welcome you to sit and enjoy the laid back yard, picnic tables so you can grab lunch from your favorite spot and a pavilion for weekly live music events in the summer months, a family & dog-friendly place where children can run while parents relax with a Strong Brew!

Deep Water Brewing Co. is a three-barrel microbrewery located in Blue Hill. Presently their beers are served exclusively at Arborvine and Deep Water Brew Pub and several styles are rotated throughout the year.

There are no dedicated bars on the Blue Hill Peninsula, however you will find that restaurants serve alcohol. Acadia House Provisions located in scenic Stonington on Deer Isle offers up a huge deck over the harbor and an outdoor bar, perfect for summer dining and happy hours. The menu here is creative and farm-fresh and the cocktails are creative. While there’s no wine tasting rooms in the Blue Hill Peninsula, you’ll find a lovely wine selection here at Acadia House Provisions.

In the past, 44 North Coffee would host Bubbles and Brine once a month in the Stonington store in the summer. This popular event featured local beers and Deer Isle oysters. Ask Scott and Nicole at the Pilgrim’s Inn about the schedule for this event. As you can imagine, it’s popular!

Just a few miles from the Hawthorn Inn is Lincolnville, the home of Cellardoor Winery and Vineyard. Cellardoor wines are made in small, handcrafted batches with grapes sourced from premier vineyards across the country and from local Maine blueberries. Since first replanting in 2008, this five-and-a-half-acre vineyard has reached maturity where it is able to produce crop loads that are sustainable for wine production now.

Enjoy a wine tasting in the main winery in Lincolnville located in a beautiful renovated 200-year-old barn. You must reserve in advance. You can also browse the gift shop, or relax with glass of wine and a local cheese plate or small snacks available for sale.  During the warmer months, relax on the back deck and drink in the views.

If you missed Blaze in Bar Harbor, you can try their brews on the waterfront in Camden.

Both Rockland Inns Along the Coast, Granite Inn and LimeRock Inn, are walking distance from the Main Street restaurant and pub scene and harbor. You may wish to start your tour at Rock Harbor Brewing Company on Main Street.  Rock Harbor opened June 17, 2011 when owner/operator Dan Pease decided to blend great pub fare and craft beer in this ever-growing food-centered city.  Stop by and grab a taste, a flight, a pint or take some home with you in a growler. In addition Rock Harbor recently opened a new Taproom at 5 Payne Ave in Rockland, where you can sample beers and take tours to see how it is made via brewery tours.  Liberator Brewing Company is also located on Rockland’s Main Street.

There are several vineyards in the Midcoast region.  You can meander on your own self-guided tour using the Wine Guild map.

In Union, Maine, located between Rockland and Newcastle, Maine,  Sweetgrass Farm Winery and Distillery offers wonderful chances to shop and taste at their own store from May 1 through New Year’s Eve. Sweetgrass Farm Winery and Distillery is reportedly Maine's first farm winery and distillery using over 70,000 lbs. of Maine grown fruit and grain. The distilled spirits are hand crafted in old world tradition with a copper alembic still capturing the full flavors of their signature smooth Back River Gin, Three Crow Rum, and traditional apple brandy.  There are hiking trails, a picnic area and of course a tasting room and store to visit.  The winery and distillery also operate a year-round tasting room and retail shop in Portland, Maine’s Old Port too (324 Fore Street).  Throughout the year Sweetgrass also offers a number of events and concerts.

Not far from Sweetgrass and in Union, Maine, Savage Oakes Vineyard and Winery is found on a picturesque 95 acre Barrett Hill Farm dating back to the 1790s. Supporting production the vineyard offers ten varieties of cold hardy, hybrid grapes and 15 acres of wild blueberries along with naturally raised Belted Galloway beef cattle, pork and poultry. Today, the winery produces fifteen wines from grapes and wild blueberries, grown right there on the farm. The tasting room and store are open from Mid-May through October, then again on weekends during the holiday season Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  

After your stop in Rockland, head onward to Newcastle, an enclave for interesting breweries and distilleries. If you stay at the Newcastle Inn, your “Drink Down the Coast” tour will begin in the tiny pub hosted the innkeepers here. Venture out for an afternoon of tastings and start your journey at Oxbow Brewing, a fascinating tasting room that’s as local as it gets.  Located on a beautiful farm, Oxbow is an American farmhouse brewery specializing in traditional Belgian-style ales with contemporary American influence. Here, they brew small batches of beer in a renovated barn in rural Newcastle, Maine, and the tasting room is located here in the same rustic, casual location.  Enjoy tastings of a selection of their seasonal brews Wednesday through Sunday.  Time it right, and you just may get in on one of the special dinners or events on the farm.  

If you love the farmhouse tasting scene, another option is Split Rock Distilling in Newcastle.  Named after the actual giant split plug of granite on Split Rock Road between the two owners’ homes, Split Rock Distillery is another example of a local treasure.  When owners Matt and Topher started the distillery, they promised one another they would handcraft their spirits the long way: authentic, small batch and grain to glass. You’ll taste that commitment in their vodkas and whiskeys.  The distilling room is open noon to 5:30pm and you may have a chance to enjoy some time with the owners when you stop in for a tasting.  

To round out the farmhouse offerings here, no “Drink Your Way Down the Coast” tour is complete without a trip to the Fat Friar’s Meadery.  Fat Friar’s is a Maine farm winery that specializes in the creation of Mead. Also, called honey wine, mead is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water or fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained after fermentation. Depending on local traditions and specific recipes, it may be flavored with spices, fruit, or hops which produce a bitter, beer-like flavor. Fat Friar’s Meadery produces four varieties of meads ranging from dry to fruity.  The meadery is in Newcastle, Maine just off Route 215, approximately one mile from the head of Damariscotta Lake.

Continue your beer tasting tour at The Maine Beer Co, right on Route One in Freeport.  Dedicated to creating a sustainable company, you’ll recognize the building by the solar panels that flank the roof for maximum sun time.  Here they’ve signed the Clean Water Pledge, they deliver their spent grains and organic liquid waste to local farmers for compost, fertilizer and feed. And they reduce their energy consumption and reliance on fossil fuels through radiant flooring, LED bulbs and the purchase of e-certified wind credits.  They also donate 1-percent of their annual sales directly to one or multiple nonprofits in the 1% for the Planet network. You can feel good about drinking Maine Beer Co. products.  And their products are varied too, with names like Mean Old Tom (a nitro stout) a tiny beautiful something (a Pale Ale). Maine Beer Co does not currently offer brewery tours but stop by the expanded tasting room and get an up-close view of the brewery operations through the huge glass windows. The tasting room features many beers on tap, including some brewery-only “Black Barn Project” releases. Snacks from local vendors are available, as well as bottles of Maine Beer Co beer, merchandise and gift certificates. The tasting room is open year-round Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm and Sunday: 11am-5pm.

Just down Route One less than a mile away is Cold River’s Distillery.  Made from Maine-grown potatoes, Cold River Vodka’s hand-crafted spirits are made in small batches and Cold River’s new gin are triple distilled and hand labeled batch by batch. 

Nearby in Portland, Maine – just 20 minutes south from Freeport and 25 minutes North from Kennebunkport - you’ll find one of the best food & drink towns in the country, known for its culinary finesse.  One great way to efficiently sample Portland’s brew scene is to take a Maine Brews Cruise.  Choose from several wonderful themed brew tours with names like Walk, Talk and Taste or Bike and Brews and make stops for food and at three breweries along the way.  See the tours on line for details.

Another brewing star in the Portland beer scene is Allagash Brewing Company, dedicated to crafting the best Belgian-inspired beers in the world. Best known for their flagship Allagash White, you’ll also find beer in oak barrels (beginning with the launch of Curieux in 2004) and spontaneously fermented beers (beginning with their traditional Coolship in 2007) here.  In fact, founder and owner, Rob Tod was recently honored as a James Beard Award nominee in the spirits category.  Free tours and tastings are available 7 days a week at multiple times.  Book your tasting online here.  Call (207) 878-5385.  This company is also committed to supporting local charities through grants and donations. 

Once settled, start your beverage expedition at Federal Jack’s in Kennebunk, home to the original Shipyard Brewing Company. This picturesque pub on the waterfront, is one Maine’s first brew pubs, the birthplace of Shipyard Brewing Company's award winning-line of handcrafted ales. The restaurant and brewery were built on the site where Kennebunk's historic 19th century shipyards built schooners known throughout the world for their grace and speed. Federal Jack's was named for one of the most famous ships built on this site in 1908 - the Federal Jack.

Born on a farm in Kennebunkport, Batson River Brewing and Distilling is Maine in a bottle. Their craft beers and spirits capture the sweet joy of New England summers, salty ocean breezes and life in one of the most beautiful places on earth.  They began growing hops and botanicals on a centuries-old farm on Maine’s southern coast where the Batson River winds from the farm to the marshlands of Goose Rocks Beach. While the flagship location is in Kennebunk, the distillery in historic Portland provides a window into the process of creating their craft spirits.

Lastly, don’t miss Alisson’s selection of over twenty beers on tap. A fourth generation, locally independent restaurant and brew pub in the heart of Kennebunkport’s Dock Square, it’s the place to experience casual excellence with one of the best on-tap beer selections in the state.

But the Kennebunks are not just about the great selection of beer, we’re home to some of the best craft cocktail bars and restaurants in New England.

Located in a 19th-century barn and with one of the best outdoor patios in Southern Maine, Old Vines Craft Cocktails and Kitchen is the ideal spot for al fresco dining and sampling their unique cocktails. Let Aidan or Charly create something unique if you can’t decide from the extensive menu of craft cocktails like the Lori 75, Night Fever or the Cosmogroni. Their tapas style menu is perfect for sharing with friends.

 Relying on local farms, fisheries and a commitment to the community, 50 Local is downtown Kennebunk's neighborhood establishment. 50 Local presents an outstanding, approachable menu containing many of the traditional dishes offered in French bistros with an American take, served in a comfortable, elegant, and friendly atmosphere. Just like the menu, the handcrafted cocktails change seasonally. Some favorites include Ghost of Mary, Holy Smokes and The Angry Cactus. Just like the menu, the bartenders stay true to their local commitment by making cocktail bitters and syrups in house.

 Finally, if it’s an extraordinary wine list you’re after Ocean at Cape Arundel Inn and Earth at Hidden Pond both offer Wine Spectator recognized wine selections along with some of the best fine dining options in Maine.