Now, don’t get me wrong. I love hops and my love of IPAs grows stronger every day, but when I looked at the offerings online at the Maine Beer Company, I was a bit skeptical. Of the eight beers they had on tap, six of them were IPAs or pale ales – I wasn’t sure that a brewery could do that many beers of similar styles and impress me with more than one or two.
Boy oh boy was I mistaken!
First of all, the brewery has huge solar panels out front, and the first thing I noticed was their mission to giving back to their local community and the world. They give 1% of all sales (not profit, SALES) to a different non-profit every month. They seem to really want to make a difference in the world, and we need more people and companies who feel this way! So about $3 of what I spent on Friday night went straight to a non-profit helping people and the environment. Pretty cool, if you ask me!
Four IPAs, and all were dramatically different (and most of their beers had pretty hilarious names!)
Hands down, my favorite beer on the menus was Another One. And I had Another One after I had Another One. It was a higher ABV then I tend to prefer (7%) but it was absolutely perfect. Smooth, not too bitter, a beautiful golden hue. Not too heavy and incredibly refreshing. Brewed with cascade, citra and simcoe hops, the resulting flavor was slightly fruity and delicious.
Lunch was also delicious (and yes, Lunch was the name of it). MBC classified Lunch as an Ameican IPA, with 7% ABV and IBU of 62. Typically 62 is about as high on the IBU spectrum as I tend to enjoy, and this one was outstanding. It’s an east coast style IPA and I could taste subtle bits of pine (I love pine-y beers!).
Pilot 15 was the brewery’s only saison offering. Light and crisp, just like I like them, it was a very drinkable beer.
Special shout out to a third IPA, Woods and Waters. It was a 6.2% ABV and is a small batch that the brewery made to commemorate the new Katahdin Woods & Waters
National Monument. Honestly, I can’t believe three of my favorite beers from a brewery were IPAs…. two years ago I didn’t like a single IPA anywhere, let alone all of a brewery’s offerings.
Teardrops & Ales 