Drinking Our Way Around Portland, Maine, the Craft Beer Capital

Colleen, Gene and me at Lone Pine, the last stop on our The Maine Brew Bus tour in Portland.

By John Roberts
We grab our seats on the patio at Lone Pine Brewing. It's a spectacularly sunny and warm early September afternoon as our host Becca offers us a tray full of slightly cloudy, honey-colored wheat beer.
Lone Pine is the last stop on our tour of craft breweries in Portland, Maine, and we down a few varieties, including this freshly poured Honey Whole Wheat Ale. By this time, the weekend had become a somewhat impromptu whirlwind tour, following our taste buds around a city that has built an incredible reputation for craft beers.
We spent parts of two days drinking our way through the port city during a visit on our cruise on Scenic Eclipse. It wasn't all drinking all the time, though.
Portland offers plenty of charms. We included runs along the picturesque waterfront park to get each of our days started.
And we . . .
Well, that was it.
So, a bit of jogging and visits to eight separate craft breweries over two days.

The waterfront trail is built along an old rail line in Portland. We made use of it both days to burn off some calories ahead of our beer indulgences.

Well, OK, I'm sure Portland offers plenty of other charms.
But this time, we gravitated toward one of our favorite ways to explore what a new destination has to offer. 
The city has a legit claim as "Craft Beer Capital of America." In fact, a C+R Research study released in 2019 reveals that Portland, Maine, boasts the most breweries per capita in the U.S., with 18 breweries per 50,000 people, edging out Asheville, N.C.
We had long known about the delicious brews coming out of Maine. But it wasn't until we stepped off the ship to wander out on a self-guided, Google-informed walking tour on a Saturday afternoon that we realized just how many cool bars are within easy reach of the port. The city is highly walkable and easy to get around. We checked out three breweries on our own on the first afternoon.

Portland is a stunning waterfront city. It's a popular port for cruises to New England and Canada, especially during the fall.

We were a little blown away by the cool atmosphere, friendly people and number of bars and restaurants we spotted all over the city. Our informal wanderings provided a wonderful warm-up to the beer scene. The next day, we joined a formal tour to visit even more destinations a little farther afield.

The Maine Brew Bus offers a range of fun tours, and we were shuttled around to a handful of locations -- small, medium and larger outfits -- that feature creative varieties. If you're ever visiting Portland, these craft beer tours are a fun option. They are led by expert guides, and you get to explore both well-established and budding breweries operated by passionate entrepreneurs.

We took a Sunday craft beer tour around the city on The Maine Brew Bus.

Here is a look at the breweries we visited during our time in Portland:
Self-Guided Tour (All of these are within a 15-minute walk from the port)
Sebago Brewing Co. -- We found the Sebago Portland Brewpub just five minutes from our ship and settled in for our first Portland craft brew of the weekend. There would be a few more flights and pints, so I started with a Simmer Down session ale at Sebago.

Shipyard Brewing Co. -- This is one of the bigger and most widely known brands based in Portland, along with Allagash Brewing, and Shipyard offers a fun environment to settle in and try its brews. We selected out our flight flavors (using chalk on the creative flight trays), grabbed a trivia game and sat back and savored the vibe of this bustling tasting room. By now, we could see why so many people who come to visit Portland, end up staying and becoming part of this friendly community.

Oxbow Blending & Bottling -- One last stop on our self-guided Day 1 tour. Colleen found this brewpub, which specializes in farmhouse ales, and she loved it. The indoor/outdoor facility is a rustic reclaimed warehouse (many of the craft brewers throughout the state have repurposed old city pubs, river lodges, mills and barns). The beer garden features a food stall offering Belgian specialties, part of the site's partnership with award-winning restaurant Duckfat.

The Maine Brew Bus Stops
Bissell Brothers Brewing Co. -- This brewer is a definite trend-setter and known as one of the creators of the New England-style pale ale, with its hazy natural body. The brewery's flagship beer is The Substance, an almost creamy IPA with hints of citrus. We grabbed a four-pack on our way out.

Bissell Brothers created the first well-known New England IPA, and the Substance launched the company's craft brewery business.

Goodfire Brewing Co. -- This small brewer offers funky hazy varieties. We loved the Maximum IPA, with its subtle grapefruit and pineapple flavors. The brewery's cans feature cool art designs, too. Goodfire is located just out back behind its neighbor Lone Pine. A food truck is almost always on-site.

Lone Pine Brewing Co. -- This well-regarded brewer began in 2016 and is growing rapidly (available in seven states). It specializes in America ales and small-batch varieties. We enjoyed Lone Pine's Honey Whole Wheat Ale and flagship Portland Pale Ale.

Our guide Major Tom gave us an in-depth look at the Portland craft beer industry.

More Pours (We kept the good times rolling after our Brew Bus tour with these finds)
Urban Farm Fermentory -- This spot is right across the street from Lone Pine. Urban Farm features fermented drinks like kombucha, ciders, mead and beer made with locally harvested and foraged ingredients.

Liquid Riot Bottling Co. -- This Portland waterfront brewery and distillery was a natural last stop as we headed back to the ship. We watched an NFL game and downed a pint to cap a sweet weekend drinking our way around Portland. We also made a pact to come back for a longer visit in the next year to try some new beers and reunite with some of our favorites from this trip.

Next time, we'll be sure to make time for hiking, biking, watersports and all the fabulous foods the city offers, too. All of these activities pair perfectly with a delicious craft brew, of course.  
We left Portland with four four-packs, picked up as cherished souvenirs from our visit that we brought home to share with friends.

Thanks for reading,
JR