The ABC's of portlands drinking scene (Amazing Beer & Cocktails)
Now that we've had breakfast it's time for some drinks! I'm sure I'm not the first to say that Portland Maine has an incredible drinking scene no matter what your into! On this trip we went on a guided tour, but we also made up our own beer crawl as well. This post I will take you through every brewery, cocktail spot and a wine tasting room I tried. I've attached links to all the places below so you can check our their menus and plan your own tasting adventures!
Maine Brew Bus
Sunday Funday tour... for $70 you will get a 5 1/2 hour tour to three awesome spots around town. At each location you'll receive free tastings and even a tour of the breweries! The bus pick up is located in downtown Portland off Commercial street at Old Port Spirits and Cigars.
Our first stop was Island Dog Brewing. Here we got to try 4 of their best sellers and were given a tour of their facilities. Everything was in house and their set up is on point. They use some really cool technology for a smaller brewery, but because of their set up they are able to grow and are doing just that! They had a great variety of beers, my favorite being Captain Tucker their cream ale.
Our 2nd stop on the tour was Cellardoor Winery. Here we got to do a 5 sample wine tasting. All of their wines were really good and their pours were generous. There was a brewery right next door (don't remember the name) so if you go on your own you can hit up two spots in one! Their decor was gorgeous and a great spot for a ladies trip.
The final stop on our tour was Bunker Brewery. This hidden gem is outside the downtown area and had an amazing Imperial Stout, Trashmaster, so good I got multiple samples :) Their brewery is huge and has corn hole and often a DJ. This place is great for a large group and is really close to downtown!
Maine Mead Works
Now on to our makeshift beer crawl. On the East side of Portland you can find a ton of breweries and distilleries. We stumbled upon Main Mead Works on our way to Urban Farms Fermentory and I am so glad we did! This was by far the best mead I have ever had, and I've frequented a few renaissance festivals in my time so I'm basically a mead expert! Our bartender was so nice and answered so many questions about the mead making process and their honey! We did a tasting and I got a pour of their FlaMango, my personal favorite. I'm telling you, if you've had mead before often it seems too sweet, but this was a perfect blend of sweetness and flavor. Some of their meads were even carbonated which I loved! The tasting was only $7 and you got to try their four year-round meads. Also, located next to a brewery and distillery you could literally just come to this block and go from door to door!
Urban Farm Fermentory
This is by the most interesting place I've ever been to and if you like cider, beer, mead, jun or kombucha this is the place to go! They use many foraged ingredients and offer mix and match flights of all 5 types of beverages. It was nice to get kombucha with my cider, made me feel a bit healthier. The interior is very relaxing and I tried and learned what Jun is (basically kombucha with honey). This was about a 5-10 minute walk from Maine Mead Works. This should be a must on your list just because there is no other place like it, at least not many places like it!
Rising Tide
Another 5 minute walk from Urban Farms you can find yourself in IPA heaven. Rising tide is a pretty large facility, so perfect for a big group! They have a ton of IPAs to choose from, my favorite was Fruited IPA and Nikita imperial Russian stout. This is one of the larger breweries in the area and is a great stop!
Blyth & Burrows
Your cocktail haven. Located in the heart of down town Blyth & Burrows is the perfect pre-dinner or post dinner spot. We grabbed a small bite as well and it was perfect! They offer a ton of fun cocktails and the decor is old sailor meets old library chic. There are two bars so if the bottom level is full, check out the second one!
Central Provisions
Another trendy, dimly lit bar in the downtown area is Central Provisions. They have a pretty big cocktail menu and tons of beers on tap. I didn't get to try their menu, I mean a girl can only eat so much, but the food smelled and looked amazing. I got a Dark and Stormy type cocktail and it was delicious! This restaurant has an up and downstairs, if you just looking to grab a drink go downstairs to the bar. If you want a more traditional sit down experience upstairs is your spot.
Shipyard Brewing
The final drinking hole on this trip is Shipyard Brewing. Right on the outside of the "downtown" area you can find Shipyard Brewing. All their beers are easy drinking, my favorites were their pumpkin beer and they had two "tea brews " that were amazing! They only have indoor seating and if you want a flight you just grab a flight tray and write the numbers and then a minute later you have your flight!
This is probably the most kid friendly, they had games and sodas the kids can get a flight of too!
Comment below if you like what your reading and want to see more similar posts or let me know things you'd like me to hear me review, or really, rant about! Check out my instagram izzababy9 as well!
Maine Brew Bus
Sunday Funday tour... for $70 you will get a 5 1/2 hour tour to three awesome spots around town. At each location you'll receive free tastings and even a tour of the breweries! The bus pick up is located in downtown Portland off Commercial street at Old Port Spirits and Cigars.
Our first stop was Island Dog Brewing. Here we got to try 4 of their best sellers and were given a tour of their facilities. Everything was in house and their set up is on point. They use some really cool technology for a smaller brewery, but because of their set up they are able to grow and are doing just that! They had a great variety of beers, my favorite being Captain Tucker their cream ale.
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| Our tour bus! Kinda smelled like beer, but I guess it makes sense! |
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| This was my favorite! |
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| Blueberry |
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| Atomic Dawg Double IPA |
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| Unit 15 |
Our 2nd stop on the tour was Cellardoor Winery. Here we got to do a 5 sample wine tasting. All of their wines were really good and their pours were generous. There was a brewery right next door (don't remember the name) so if you go on your own you can hit up two spots in one! Their decor was gorgeous and a great spot for a ladies trip.
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| Had to add a bathroom selfie when the bathroom had such great lighting! |
Maine Mead Works
Now on to our makeshift beer crawl. On the East side of Portland you can find a ton of breweries and distilleries. We stumbled upon Main Mead Works on our way to Urban Farms Fermentory and I am so glad we did! This was by far the best mead I have ever had, and I've frequented a few renaissance festivals in my time so I'm basically a mead expert! Our bartender was so nice and answered so many questions about the mead making process and their honey! We did a tasting and I got a pour of their FlaMango, my personal favorite. I'm telling you, if you've had mead before often it seems too sweet, but this was a perfect blend of sweetness and flavor. Some of their meads were even carbonated which I loved! The tasting was only $7 and you got to try their four year-round meads. Also, located next to a brewery and distillery you could literally just come to this block and go from door to door!
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| Full pour of FlaMango |
Urban Farm Fermentory
This is by the most interesting place I've ever been to and if you like cider, beer, mead, jun or kombucha this is the place to go! They use many foraged ingredients and offer mix and match flights of all 5 types of beverages. It was nice to get kombucha with my cider, made me feel a bit healthier. The interior is very relaxing and I tried and learned what Jun is (basically kombucha with honey). This was about a 5-10 minute walk from Maine Mead Works. This should be a must on your list just because there is no other place like it, at least not many places like it!
Rising Tide
Another 5 minute walk from Urban Farms you can find yourself in IPA heaven. Rising tide is a pretty large facility, so perfect for a big group! They have a ton of IPAs to choose from, my favorite was Fruited IPA and Nikita imperial Russian stout. This is one of the larger breweries in the area and is a great stop!
Blyth & Burrows
Your cocktail haven. Located in the heart of down town Blyth & Burrows is the perfect pre-dinner or post dinner spot. We grabbed a small bite as well and it was perfect! They offer a ton of fun cocktails and the decor is old sailor meets old library chic. There are two bars so if the bottom level is full, check out the second one!
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| Look at how beautiful those radishes are! The cocktails are pretty too :) |
Central Provisions
Another trendy, dimly lit bar in the downtown area is Central Provisions. They have a pretty big cocktail menu and tons of beers on tap. I didn't get to try their menu, I mean a girl can only eat so much, but the food smelled and looked amazing. I got a Dark and Stormy type cocktail and it was delicious! This restaurant has an up and downstairs, if you just looking to grab a drink go downstairs to the bar. If you want a more traditional sit down experience upstairs is your spot.
Shipyard Brewing
The final drinking hole on this trip is Shipyard Brewing. Right on the outside of the "downtown" area you can find Shipyard Brewing. All their beers are easy drinking, my favorites were their pumpkin beer and they had two "tea brews " that were amazing! They only have indoor seating and if you want a flight you just grab a flight tray and write the numbers and then a minute later you have your flight!
This is probably the most kid friendly, they had games and sodas the kids can get a flight of too!
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| So different and delicious! |
Comment below if you like what your reading and want to see more similar posts or let me know things you'd like me to hear me review, or really, rant about! Check out my instagram izzababy9 as well!
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