Westbrook is about to get its second brewery and tasting room.

The city’s Planning Board on Tuesday night approved an application from Yes Brewing, which is set to open next spring behind Mister Bagel at 609 Main St.

“We are full steam ahead,” Cam Ingraham, one of the principal owners, said after the meeting. “We should open by the end of March or early April.”

The operation is a dream of Ingraham and John Bigelow – both Portland residents and longtime home brewers, though Ingraham has another term for it.

“I would call myself a ‘fermentation enthusiast’ for quite some time,” he said. “Fermented foods and fermented beverages – wine to beer to kombucha, I’m into it. I started off just doing all that at home.”

Bigelow is also a principal owner of the business, and brothers Troy and Brady Frost are part owners.

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Beer tourism has been booming in Maine. The state had 34 craft breweries in 2011, according to the national Brewers Association, an industry trade group. By 2015, that figure had climbed to 59. The association defines craft brewers as those with an annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less.

Yes Brewing will start small with about 500 gallons a month. Bigelow said Yes Brewing will feature a number of sour beers, but its lineup will also include traditional ales and other brews. Ingraham noted there will be a jalapeño pale ale – more savory than spicy – and a cold brew coffee porter.

“We’re always trying to put a crazy twist on all our recipes,” Ingraham said.

Both men have a background in beer outside home brewing. Bigelow works for a wine and beer retailer; Ingraham works for Shipyard Brewing Co. in Portland. As they prepare to open their own operation, they have been working to make sure the beers are just right.

“Our IPA, we’ve gone through 119 different pilot batches,” Bigelow said.

Yes Brewing will be Westbrook’s second brewery. Mast Land Brewing Co. opened earlier this year, also on Main Street.

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Staff Writer Dennis Hoey contributed to this report.

Megan Doyle can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

mdoyle@pressherald.com

Twitter: megan_e_doyle


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