A Guide to Drinking Great Beer in Portland, Lovell, and Burlington

If you stop in here at The Brew Lounge often enough, you may have caught writings last week of a recent trip to New England with the Ebenezer Belgian Beer Festival's dinner with The Home Brew Chef, Sean Paxton at the cornerstone of this trip. There's was, how shall I say, lots of writing. And, I spilled it out to you over 6 days. From looking at the website logs of visitor activity, it seems that some of you kept up day in and day out, but more are still hitting each day's installments and catching up. So how about a handy index to refer back to? It's the least I can do for you loyal visitors.

Part I: Into Massachusetts & Portland, Maine (Great Lost Bear, Gritty's, Bull Feeney's, Local 188)
   ~ Part I & II Pictures

Part II: Portland, Maine and Getting Closer to Ebenezer's in Lovell, Maine (Allagash and assorted Portland material)

Part III: Background on Ebenezer's, The Home Brew Chef, and the Beer Dinner
   ~ Part III Pictures

Part IVa: Sean Paxton's & Chris Lively's Belgian Beer Dinner, first 6 courses or thereabouts
   ~ Part IV Pictures

Part IVb: The Belgian Beer Dinner, second 6 courses and segue to After Party

Part V: Ebenezer's After Party, Moving on to Burlington, Vermont and Home, Wrap-up
   ~ Part V Pictures

---

---

On the Road with The Brew Lounge, Part 2

PARTS 1 & 2 pictures

link back to Part 1

link forward to Part 3

A Solid Maine Dinner I'd discovered Local 188 online while doing my homework before our trip north. From their website, it seemed to be the kind of place that I wanted to make sure that we checked out at least for small nibbles and drinks. We got a second opinion from the Brynldson Party of Two that it was a top recommendation from the crew over at Allagash as well. In this case, no one was wrong. The restaurant is billed as having a Spanish Tapas approach, with a focus on locally-sourced food ingredients and drink. The atmosphere is a smart casual one, but really just about anything goes. Some more Shipyard, a Dogfish, and Unibroue all went well with the Grilled Scallops and the flavor-bursting Paella dish. But, our travels and non-stop activity was taking a toll on us; we were fading. Plus, we knew we had a big day ahead of us with a trip to Allagash and finally to Ebenezer's where more food and drink was awaiting us. We knew we'd better rest up. So, we grabbed our blueberry crisp to go, got a couple of glasses of port from the rooftop lounge to take back to our room and called it a night. Novare Res Bier Café would have to wait until next trip. This was one last place that I wanted to check out in Portland. Partly for the stellar looking beer list, but maybe even more so for its "hidden" location, tucked away behind and underneath the tall downtown buildings of Portland. I suppose that's why they invented "next times". The Rest of Portland Speaking of nexts...The next morning, I took off on a 6 mile run around Portland, hoping to see more of the "real" Portland. I'm sure many of you have heard me say that when I travel I try my best to stay away from the more touristy side of the city. I go for a run, I attend a local baseball game, and I visit the bars and brewpubs. These are all ways that help me to identify the real soul and see what an area is really made of. After my run which took me past Shipyard, Patty and I packed up our things and checked out of the hotel. We made a quick stop at Shipyard (wow, what a gift store), then headed down to the water where we did the touristy thing (well, sometimes you've just gotta play the game!) and grabbed some lunch of seafood and Allagash White. A more perfect lunch I've not had in a while. Plus, there were local union workers and others that just come in off the water to suggest that we had chosen the less-touristy of the waterside restaurants (phew, I feel better about myself now!!) When in Portland... Now the clock was really ticking. We still hadn't stopped at Allagash...and this was an absolute must. I mean, seriously, what beer traveler goes to Portland and doesn't stop at Allagash? Skipping Novare the night before, fine. Missing Allagash, no way. We decided enough was enough and finally settled up on our lunch tab and left the idyllically charming lunch. By the time we got to Allagash, Rob and Jason's chauffeur was waiting. Yes, my friends. Some brewers are living the high life. You've heard the term rock star before, right? You know what that means, right? Ah, but I kid. They were doing the responsible thing. They needed to get back to Portland still that evening. So, when you're heading to this kind of feast that Ebenezer's was hosting, the responsible thing to do was to have a driver. Still, it was fun when we pulled up to Allagash to find the Town Car waiting out front and Patty said "I'll bet it's here for Rob!" We had enough time for Jason to give us the 5-cent tour. Typical brewery? Perhaps...until we were led out back to the spontaneous fermentation building. Check out the pictures on their website (use that little linky thing that I put in the last sentence). You'll see a local Philly guy (Mr. Peters) in there helping with some of the brewing process and, of course, the quality control. To call it a building might be a bit generous. A room? Maybe that's better. In any case, it's home to the Cool Ship (koelschip if you want to sound really kool) that was installed a couple of years ago for a bit of experimentation to find out what might be found in the cool Maine air on the outskirts of Portland and how it might help the character of some of their beers. With that and a few beers from the retail shop, we were off. Ebenezer's, Are We There Yet? Our trip to Ebenezer's from Portland seemed to indicate that life in Maine may proceed at just a bit of a slower pace. With two-lane roads and traffic that generally stayed at, or just below, speed limits, we realized that we weren't going to be getting to Ebenezer's nearly as early as we had hoped. This was not good. Too much was riding on this dinner at Ebenezer's to be strolling in late. The drive from Allagash to Ebenezer's in Lovell took a little over an hour and we pulled up a little less than 45 minutes prior to the dinner's "official" start. I say official because there were some pre-dinner rare beers being passed around. We needed to set up our "campsite" before the evening's debauchery, get changed, and mingle with Sean Paxton, Chris Lively, and the scores of other industry folk, beer geeks, and foodies that had gathered for this monumental event. I put some more juice in the camera's battery while I changed clothes, then was shown the way to our dining table seats as the night was about to officially begin.

PARTS 1 & 2 pictures

link back to Part 1

link forward to Part 3

On the Road with The Brew Lounge, Part 1

PARTS 1 & 2 pictures

link forward to Part 2

The plan called for Patty and I to leave home around 6pm, with a possible dinner stop at Willimantic in Connecticut along the way, if all went well. All did go well. With leaving home an hour later than expected at 7pm, the traffic was even thinner still than anticipated as we sailed north on the Jersey Turnpike to the GW Bridge. In 2 hours, we were cruising through the Bronx and into Connecticut. A bit of road crew delays on I-95 (when isn't there, right?!) slowed us down but still got us past Hartford in 4 hours. At this rate, we just wanted to get to our hotel stopover and crash. We had some snacks in the car to get us through, arriving in Worcester, MA in just under 5 hours from home. Smooth Sailing So we went to bed beer-less in Worcester, and that was just fine. There'd be enough beer drinking in days to come. If we had some more time to spend, we may have done as Lew did recently and gallivanted a bit more through western Massachusetts. Or, gone a little farther north towards Amherst, where The Femme Fermental will find herself planting her barstool for some time to come. We had another couple of hours of driving in the morning to get to Portland, ME. We were off just after rush hour and sailed straight into Portland two hours later. Well, perhaps just a bit more than that as we were snared by the siren calls of the New Hampshire State Wine & Liquor Outlet just across the New Hampshire border. Liquor Outlet, eh? Why not...some wine and the Powerball ticket that we forgot to buy before we left from home and we were good to go (update: still not millionaires). Maine, finally. Of all the New England states, Maine was the one I had never visited. Surprising, given that family and friends relentlessly rave about the food, the culture, and the scenery. We were about to find out for ourselves. Patty and I stayed at a non-chain hotel in Portland, the Eastland Park Hotel. Or, who knows, maybe it is part of a larger hotel group; sometimes these days it's hard to tell. In any case, it carries 75 year's worth of history and is located in the West End/Arts District, a 10-20 minute walk from the farthest Port District point that you might want to visit. An Iconic Watering Hole After getting an early check-in and an upgrade to the top floor at the hotel (these things can be attempted but are not always explainable), we were off to explore the city. With 30 years of history, it seemed that it might make sense to start at The Great Lost Bear located about a mile outside of downtown Portland. So we drove, figuring that after this lunchtime visit we could put the car away for the remainder of our stay. The Great Lost Bear has an interesting and varied menu of solid pub grub and more high quality beer from both near and far than any one person really needs. I'm not sure what exactly makes this bar both large and cozy at the same time. It could be the multiple rooms but the low ceilings; the cluttered walls of bric-a-brac but the orderly menu of good food and drink; and the location on a bustling street but the trademark friendly and intimate Maine service inside. When in Maine, it's hard to escape notice of blueberries everywhere, particularly in mid- to late-summer. So, it was without hesitation that I ordered up a Sea Dog Blueberry Ale...perfect start. I then moved to the opposite end of the spectrum and dove into another local, Shipyard, and their recent take on a non-Diacetylized 'XXXX IPA.' Glad that I was happy with this beer as one of their brewers was in from across town, presumably having an end-of-day brew and taking up residence just a couple of barstools away. But, in case he wasn't at the end of his workday (and not knowing the company rules about such things) I won't share his name here in this space. We discussed Shipyard, Mr. Pugsley, and other such things of local flavor. We figured it was just about time to head back downtown. With so much that Portland has to offer, we could have blown up our whole plan to see more of the city by staying put on our barstools. Just as we were heading out, Firestone Walker's head brewer Matt Brynildson and his friend Allison (sheesh, I hope my memory's working correctly with her name) walked in. They were on a bit of the same trek that we were. They flew into Boston, drove up to Portland but started at Allagash then for lunch at The Great Lost Bear. They were heading, also, to Ebenezer's Belgian Beer Dinner/Fest and making a night of it first in Portland. We kibitzed for a bit then moved on, my gut telling me that this wouldn't be the last time that we ran into them. After all, they asked for hotel recommendations and we shared the name of ours. A Walk-About Once we dropped the car back at the hotel, we were off for a typical tourist's walk around the port area and its shops, restaurants, and bars. After hitting up some shops, we made our next beer stop at Bull Feeney's. A historic landmark of sorts, you can certainly feel the air of the old port activity when sitting at the bar that weaves its way between two rooms. Lots of brick and lots of wood make for an Irish Pub-like visit. Ghosts of Portland's past, both savory and unsavory, seem to ooze from the walls here. Definitely, a place I wouldn't have minded spending more time. The beer selection is not extensive but decent and carries many of the requisite locals. The service on this particular afternoon was marginally adequate, but that was fine given our one-and-done. My 'one', speaking of diacetyl, was Shipyard's Export Ale. I'm no stranger to this beer and it seemed to match my memories of it. I shouldn't take diacetyl's name in vein. It has its place in some beers, and not in others...so be it. We criss-crossed the street to then head into Gritty McDuff's. But, first, Brynildson Party of Two was just leaving. We traded some more notes, confirmed they were also staying at Eastland Park, and referred them on to Bull Feeney's. Had another quick 'one' (this time the Best Bitter) at Gritty's along with a plate of Fried Jalapeno Mac & Cheese. Of course, had to snap a picture of the dish and send along to Mr. TJ/Mr. Mac & Cheese with a recommendation for some R&D back in Paoli. The ambiance is relaxed at Gritty's. Where Bull Feeney's was a cozy pub-like stealaway, Gritty's had large windows looking out to the Bay and large wooden tables with communal bench seating in a side room behind the bar. With spending no more than a half hour or so at each of these spots, I can't share much more with you other than a recommendation to check them out for yourself if you find yourself wandering around Portland streets in need of a frothy one. By the time we made it through our casual tourist meanderings and shopping, we headed back to the hotel looking for a couple of hours of downtime before our dinner reservation at 8:30pm. It was good downtime, but obviously not enough. By the time we made it through our dinner and a few drinks, we'd lost the energy to head to our last planned stop in Portland. More about that later.

PARTS 1 & 2 pictures

link forward to Part 2