Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

July 28, 2011

What Ales You: Beer makers unite

Most of Maine's brewers will be in Boothbay on Saturday, with lots of samples of what they've been crafting.

By Tom Atwell tatwell@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

It's a Maine beer geek's dream come true: every member of the Maine Brewers' Guild in one place, offering their beers, in some cases specialty beers that will only be brewed once.

There's even a celebrity guest: Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewing Co. in Delaware and host of the Discovery Channel's "Brew Masters," will be attending with some of his signature beers.

Craft Beer Comes to Boothbay will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Boothbay Resort, where Win and Lori Mitchell are building the Boothbay Craft Brewery.

Win Mitchell and Calagione have known each other for a while.

"His parents owned a place on Dogfish Head on Southport Island, and he came up here summers," Mitchell said. "I was a Boothbay summer kid, so we just got to know each other."

Yes, the Delaware brewery was named after the Maine location.

Calagione still spends summers in Boothbay, and Mitchell has showcased Dogfish Head brews at his family's craft beer and wine store and helped Calagione with the "Brew Masters" Maine episode.

"He called me about a month ago and said, 'Hey Win, (Allagash Brewing owner) Rob Tod and I are on the national brewers association committee to help boost state brewers' guilds,'" Mitchell said. "'We want to do an event, and we want to do it at your place.'"

Mitchell contacted Dan Kleban at Maine Beer Co. and Nathan Sanborn at Rising Tide Brewing to see if there was an interest.

To put it mildly, there was. All 22 members of the Maine Brewers' Guild signed up to participate, in addition to Calagione, and maybe some surprises.

Fred Forsley of Shipyard, president of the Maine Brewers' Guild, said proceeds from the event will help pay for the guild's mission of promoting Maine breweries.

"The guild has never done anything like this, and it's complicated, what with getting all the licenses and the permitting process," Forsley said. "But it will help the guild with fundraising and visibility."

Tickets to the event cost $50 and include all drinks, a traditional Southern barbecue and free parking. The first 400 ticket buyers will also receive a commemorative glass. Designated-driver tickets are $25, and include the dinner and the chance to meet the brewers, but no beer.

Mitchell said the Boothbay Resort is full for the weekend, but he has made arrangements for other lodgings in the region for people attending. Spruce Point Inn and Wiscasset Ford are running shuttles to the event.

Tickets may be purchased until 8 a.m. Friday at brownpapertickets.com/event/182471, or via links at boothbayresort.com and mainebrewersguild.org. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Some special and new beers will be on tap. The three brewers on Industrial Way in Portland -- Allagash, Rising Tide and Maine Beer Co. -- are collaborating on Backseat Lovin', a Belgian rye pale ale.

Sebago Brewing will be serving its 2011 Grand Crue, a blend of bourbon barrel-aged Full Throttle Double IPA, barley wine and fresh Frye's Leap IPA. The Grand Crue will be available only in 22-ounce bottles and at Sebago's brew pubs.

Rising Tide will be introducing a new smoked black ale called Atlantis.

Mitchell's Boothbay Craft Brewery is a member of the Maine Brewers' Guild, although the brewery is still under construction. He bought the resort in 2006, and a brew pub just seemed liked a good fit.

The brewery is being built post-and-beam style, with logs from whole trees -- including one pine that came from behind Allagash Brewing in Portland -- that have special meaning.

Mitchell plans to make a variety of beers, some of them uncommon, with the slogan "Imperial Attitude Ales."

I personally am excited, looking forward to combining my trips to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens as a gardening columnist with trips to Boothbay Craft Brewery as a beer columnist.

Tom Atwell can be contacted at 791-6362 or at

tatwell@pressherald.com

 

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