Beer and Vintage Port
If you love beer, you're probably familiar with Portland, Oregon. But it may surprise you that America's original Portland, in Maine, is a top beer destination in its own right. This old port city of 60,000 turns out an amazing quantity, and variety, of good beer.
Portland's evolution into a beer Mecca began in 1980, when Alan Eames, who later won fame as a beer historian, opened Three Dollar Dewey's (241 Commercial Street; 207.772.3310). While its name comes from the favors offered by Klondike prostitutes, its atmosphere is reminiscent of Britain, not the Yukon. According to a Portland beer writer, Eames's pub "educated an entire generation of beer drinkers." Having discovered a world beyond mass-market lagers, they were ready when craft brewing came to Maine.
The pub is large and roomy, with brick walls, wooden floors, and low ceilings. It's full of long wooden tables where locals meet and visitors relax after shopping or a harbor cruise. The three-sided bar in back is perfect for reading the paper and munching popcorn while enjoying one of the three dozen beers on tap. Most are brewed by New England micros, but there's also a good selection from the British Isles, including an "Irish Blacklist" of combination drinks made with stout.
Maine's first brewpub, Gritty
McDuff's (396 Fore Street; 207.772.BREW) occupies a
restored red-brick building in the heart of the Old Port
district. It, too, follows the British tradition, with a
wooden, country-pub ambience and a minimum of electronic
distractions. The drinking area on the main floor
features a bar with hundreds of ceramic mugs overhead.
It consists of two rooms, one of which has an
anatomically interesting mural of mythological revelers.
It's a sweatshirt-and-jeans place, with an atmosphere
cozy enough to take the chill off the most blustery
days.
Gritty McDuff's ales are brewed with a centuries-old yeast culture developed by monks in the north of England. The year-round ales include McDuff's Best Bitter, also served out of the cask; Lion's Pride Brown Ale, which shares a recipe with a Quebec micro; Black Fly Stout; and Portland Head Light Pale Ale. They're joined by seasonals such as Winter Wheat Ale, a dunkelweizen; and Long Winter Ale, brewed in the stock ale style popular in 19th-century New England.
The story of Stone Coast Brewing Company (14 York Street; 207.773.2337) began in the resort town of Bethel, where the Sunday River Brewing Company opened a brewpub to serve thirsty skiers. The beer caught on with outdoor sports enthusiasts and visiting beer lovers alike, inspiring Sunday River's owners to build a second pub in Portland.
Stone Coast appeals to lovers of casual elegance. The first floor houses a modern dining area, where classy pub fare--with a pronounced New England accent--is served. There's also an upstairs "Smoking Room" with pool tables, hand-rolled cigars, and entertainment; and an outdoor patio with a sweeping view of the harbor. Those here for the beer may prefer the more traditional bar area; the mahogany bar is draped with hop plants, and the brew kettles are visible behind it. Draft choices include Redstone Ale, a bitter, dark amber beer; Black Bear Porter, with a hoppier-than-usual finish; 420 IPA, a strong, American-style India Pale Ale; and Sunday River Alt.
It's a two-mile trek from downtown to The Great Lost Bear (540 Forest Avenue; 207.772.0300) which, the experts agree, is one of America's top beer bars. Even before micros came to town, this bar was a Portland institution. Its atmosphere is, to say the least, offbeat: there are cartoons on the walls and "bearwear" on sale just inside the entrance. The interior is a warren of softly-lit rooms decorated in "flea market motif": stuffed animal heads, silly bumper stickers, and posters advertising long-defunct amusement parks. And whatever the season, the Christmas lights are on.
What earns the Great Lost Bear national recognition is the beer. It offers a wide, well thought-out selection, updated as new seasonals arrive; there are three cask-conditioned ales to choose from; and five-ounce samples are available for a dollar each. Local beer gets the billing it deserves, with most of Maine's breweries represented on the menu. Thursday is "theme night," featuring a brewery, a style of beer, or even a battle between breweries; pints are only $1.99. And if you're drinking at the bar, a few minutes of fame await: the "Bear Cam" broadcasts your smiling face to the online world.
If a trip to Maine isn't in your plans, beer brewed in Portland might be available locally. The city is home to five breweries: Allagash Brewing Company, New England's only brewery specializing in Belgian-style beers; Casco Bay Brewing Company; D.L. Geary Brewing Company, the oldest micro east of the Rockies; Sea Dog Brewing Company; and Shipyard Brewing Company, which opened the world's first airport brewpub in, of all places, Orlando.