Get Ready for Growlers

Geoff Houghton, The Liberal Cup, Rep. Nancy Smith, D-Monmouth, and Governor John E. Baldacci
Today, Maine's Governor Baldacci signed a bill making it possible for Maine brew pubs to sell 64 oz. growlers of beer to patrons. This new legislation was inspired at The Liberal Cup in Hallowell and spearheaded by Rep. Nancy Smith. LD 904 - An Act to Permit Brew Pubs to Sell Half-gallon Containers of Malt Liquor - goes into effect in mid-September. Cheers to Maine beer! Check out photos HERE.

Sea Dog Brewing Company: 2 for 1 Breakfast Special

Sea Dog Brewing Company's gift to you! Three days only: 2 for 1 breakfast special. Buy one breakfast and get the second breakfast of equal or lesser value free!

Monday, June 1
Tuesday, June 2
Wednesday, June 3

7:00am - 10:00am
Sea Dog Brewing Company
125 Western Ave.
South Portland, ME 04106
(Next to Outback Steakhouse in the former Eggspectation building.)

Pugsley's Imperial Porter Takes Home West Coast Brew Fest Award

Last week, Shipyard Brewing Company’s Pugsley’s Signature Series Imperial Porter was awarded a top honor at the prestigious 10th annual West Coast Brew Fest’s Commercial Craft Competition in Sacramento, California. This beer took home second place in the Porter category. See list of award-winners at this link.

Imperial Porter is a full bodied, very dark, malty beer with a good roasted character coming from the Crystal, Chocolate and Black Patent Malts used in the mash. Warrior, English Fuggles, and East Kent Goldings Hops balance the malts with a good hop bite. The beer has an OG of 1.070, rounding out after fermentation with just a slight residual sweetness and cutting dry at the finish. 7.1% alcohol by volume.

Pugsley’s Signature Series is named after Shipyard Brewing Company’s master brewer, Alan Pugsley. Pugsley is from Hampshire, England where he worked with Peter Austin at the world-famous Ringwood Brewery before moving to the United States in 1986.

In 2008, Shipyard Chamberlain Pale Ale and Old Thumper both took home first and second place awards at this competition.

The Birds and the Beer

Two new reasons to trek through Maine
by George Smith
May 27, 2009

You know all about the birds and the bees. Start thinking about the birds and the beer....

Read full article at this link.

Beer Bound on the Maine Beer Trail

This week, Brandon and Zach spent a couple days checking out a bunch of the great breweries and brew pubs on the Maine Beer Trail. Their mission: deliver Maine Beer Trail brochures and have a heck of a good time enjoying the Trail. Brandon was the tour guide and Zach (who is visiting Maine from Iowa) was the official staff photographer and beer taster. Check out photos HERE.

Their journey began at Shipyard Brewing Company in Portland where they loaded their car full of brochures and headed south to their first stop: the Shipyard Brew Pub in Eliot, just outside Kittery. This is the first brew pub you hit when you cross into Maine from New Hampshire.

Next up: Federal Jack’s Restaurant and Brew Pub in Kennebunk and the new Run of the Mill Pub in Saco. Both of these pubs are in beautiful settings. Federal Jack’s overlooks Kennebunkport Harbor and Run on of the Mill is on Saco Island in a newly refurbished mill.

They stopped at the new Sea Dog Brewing Company in South Portland to see the amazing Cap Dog art and check out a brew then it was off to Sebago Brewing Company by the Maine Mall before heading onward to Portland, where they visited Sebago Brewing Company's Portland pub, Allagash Brewing, D.L. Geary Brewing, and Gritty’s.

The next day they headed north with stops at Gritty’s in Freeport and Auburn, Sea Dog Brewing Company in Topsham, and The Liberal Cup in Hallowell. Phew!

There’s more to the trail as you head further north and up the coast, including: Sea Dog Brewing Company in Bangor, Atlantic Brewing Company in Bar Harbor, and Kennebec River Pub & Brewery in The Forks. You also won’t want to miss The Inn on Peaks Island in Casco Bay (just a 5 minute ferry ride from Portland) and, during ski season, the Shipyard Brew Haus at Sunday River and Sugarloaf.

Download a free Maine Beer Trail map at the Maine Brewers' Guild website. Cheers for Maine beer!

Beer of the Week: Shipyard Pugsley's XXXX IPA

Read the write up on Brewed for Thought HERE.
"I really enjoyed this beer and hope that more bottles make their way to the West so we can all enjoy them. I’m also looking forward to the next installment in this series as Shipyard is proving to be more than capable of brewing these bigger styles of beer." ~ Mario Rubio, Brewed for Thought

Mario also writes: "Note: In a bit of coincidence, the same day I announced my Santa Rosa Beer Walk, Shipyard and their Maine brewing brethern also announced a tour of beer with the Maine Beer Trail. I’ve included the specifics below so all in the far Northeast casn enjoy some tasty beers." Read his blog for more about the Santa Rosa Beer Walk and the Maine Beer Trail.

Maine Beer Trail in Bangor Daily News

5/20/09
Tid Bits
Something's brewing

By Emily Burnham
BDN Staff

Maine Brewers' Guild
Something’s brewing

History buffs have the Freedom Trail in Boston. Hikers can do all or part of the Appalachian Trail. Now, there’s a trail of hoppy golden delight right here in Maine, designed just for beer lovers: the newly designed Maine Beer Trail, a network of 14 breweries and brew pubs located in our state. The choices range from Allagash Brewing and Gritty McDuff’s in Portland, to Atlantic Brewing Co. in Bar Harbor and the Sea Dog Brewing Co. in Bangor. The trail, assembled by the Maine Brewers’ Guild and the Maine Restaurant Association, helps to cement Maine’s reputation as a beer lover’s paradise, boasting more than 25 microbreweries — more than just what’s included on the beer trail. For more information, or to download a map of the beer trail, visit www.mainebrewersguild.org.

Maine Comics Arts Festival in Portland

Shipyard Brewing Company, The Inn on Peaks Island, and Capt'n Eli's Soda are proud sponsors of the Maine Comics Arts Festival, being held today from 10:00 - 5:00 at Ocean Gateway Terminal in Portland, Maine.

Last night,comics creators from Maine and around the country were treated to a special VIP reception at The Inn on Peaks Island. Follow this link to check out photos from the reception. The Inn is just a short ferry ride from Portland aboard Casco Bay Lines Ferry. Intrepid creators hopped on board the ferry for a fun and foggy trip to the island for a happy hour with fabulous food, hand-crafted Shipyard beer and Capt'n Eli's Soda. A true taste of Maine!

More than 70 comics creators will be at the festival today, of which about 20 are based in Maine. Maine-based comics creators include Alex Irvine, novelist and writer of Marvel Comics Daredevil Noir; Lincoln Peirce, creator of the newspaper strip Big Nate; and Jay Piscopo, author and illustrator of the all-ages graphic novel The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli (pictured on the left). The festival is hosted by Casablanca Comics.

May 22: Shipyard Night at Hamilton's Tavern in San Diego

Don't miss happy hour at Hamilton's Tavern on Friday, May 22. Shipyard Brewing Company's owner Fred Forsley and California sales representative Jeff Gray will be in the pub for a traditional Maine lobster bake and special event!

The Cask:
Firkin: XXXX IPA Cask Conditioned IPA with 9.2% ABV and 70 BU! This is the 1st firkin from the brewery ANYWHERE as well as the 1st Shipyard firkin in CA!!!

The Draughts:
Shipyard Signature Series Barley Wine (cellar-aged 8 mo's!)
Shipyard "Brewers" Special Brown Ale - NEW (RE-brewed just for this event!)
Shipyard Fuggles IPA Traditional English IPA
Shipyard Old Thumper Extra Special Ale (award winning english bitter!)
Shipyard Export Ale (Shipyard's #1 selling beer!)
Shipyard Blue Fin Stout
Shipyard Pugsley Imp Porter (aged 5 mo's!)
Shipyard Summer Ale - NEW
SHIPYARD XXXX IPA - NEW

The Food:
FRESH MAINE LOBSTER…STEAMED CLAWS N’ GRILLED TAILS WITH GRILLED CORN, POTATOES, AND HOMEMADE SPICY ITALIAN HOP SAUSAGE!

The Maine Restaurant Association and Maine Brewers’ Guild Team Up to Create the Maine Beer Trail

The Maine Restaurant Association and the Maine Brewers’ Guild announce the Maine Beer Trail. This new trail spotlights the high quality and creative diversity of fresh, hand-crafted, Maine-made beer. The purpose of the Trail is to attract visitors to Maine to enjoy the vibrant micro and craft brewing industry found throughout the state.

The Maine Beer Trail brochure provides a simple guide to more than a dozen of the state’s breweries and brew pubs. Brochures can be downloaded from the Maine Brewers’ Guild website at this link and will be available at Maine Visitor Centers and participating breweries and brew pubs.

Maine is widely known for its award-winning craft beer. According to the Brewers Association, Maine ranks fourth in the nation for the number of breweries per capita, with one brewery for every 42,000 residents. Maine is home to New England’s first microbrewery, D.L. Geary Brewing, which was established in 1986. Gritty McDuff’s opened its doors in 1988 and became the first brew pub to open in Maine since prohibition. Since 1986, Maine has been at the forefront of the craft brew movement and the industry has grown to include dozens of breweries and brew pubs statewide.

From The Shipyard Brew Pub in Eliot, to Atlantic Brewing Company in Bar Harbor, to Kennebec River Pub & Brewery in The Forks, visitors are attracted to fresh, locally brewed beer and the Maine Beer Trail provides an easy to follow brochure that can be used throughout the state to find nearby pubs and breweries.

Tourism is the state’s largest industry. It generates an estimated $10 billion a year and employs about 140,000 Mainers. One in ten Mainers work in the restaurant industry and the state boasts nearly 3,000 restaurants, the majority of which feature locally brewed beer. According to the Beer Institute, Maine breweries create over 5,200 jobs in the state and have an economic impact of more than $675 million a year.

The Maine Restaurant Association is a membership-based, non-profit corporation dedicated to representing, promoting and educating the food service industry of Maine.

The Maine Brewers’ Guild is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting the craft brewed industry in Maine.

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Take Mom to The Inn on Peaks Island

Sunday, May 10
10:00 - 2:00 Bring Mom to The Inn on Peaks Island for Mother's Day! Just $15.95 for adults and $7.95 for kids 12 and under. Check out the Casco Bay Lines ferry schedule at this link.

Beerbloggers.com Reviews XXXX IPA

The purpose of beerbloggers.com is very simple: drink beer and write about it. Founded by Jason Burks of Portland, Maine, this blog is packed full of beer reviews and Shipyard Brewing Company is proud to have Pugsley's Signature Series new XXXX IPA be one of them.

Read the review HERE.

Beerbloggers Verdict? "Seek this one out."

Next Week is American Craft Beer Week

American Craft Beer Week starts Monday, May 11!


Read the full press release.

Read the text of the Declaration of Beer Independence.

Become a fan of American Craft Beer Week on Facebook to show your support for the Declaration of Beer Independence.

Watch the 2008 American Craft Beer Week clip featured on Colbert Nation.

The Barley Blog: XXXX IPA

XXXX IPA reviewed on The Barley Blog.
"The folks at Shipyard have found the perfect blend of hops and malt to create one of the more balanced Double IPAs I’ve ever enjoyed. It’s not overly hoppy or bitter, but has just the right amount of punch in combination with the mellow, sweet malts. The higher alcohol level is well masked and will certainly sneak up on you as it did the both of us — it’s quite warming for an IPA." ~ Ray Henry, The Barley Blog

Read the full review HERE.