Maine Trip

We have been back from Maine for about a week now and it was an awesome trip. While we only went to two breweries, Maine Beer Company and Rising Tide we were able to get cans from Bissell Brothers, Liquid Riot, and Lone Pine. We also visited a bunch of restaurants and walked all around the Old Port. It was a bit surreal at times as it was empty due to various social distancing restrictions but it was still fantastic. Here are some highlights:

- It stunk not being able to get pours at Bissell which is always one of my stops in Portland. But I was able to pick up one of my favorite beers 'The Nuclear Whim With The Fuse Of A Mile.' It is an exceptional beer with an even better name. As I've written before I am always a sucker for a good name.

- We were not able to get to Allagash but had a few of their offerings at some of the nearby restaurants. I was a little disappointed they didn't have 'Sixteen Counties' but it has been distributed nearby so I will be on the lookout.

- The food was incredible, we did not have a bad meal the entire time we were there.

- There were a lot of good summer beers around. Very good lagers, pilsners, and sessions as well. However, one of the best beers from the weekend was 'Totally Tubular' from Orono Brewing. This double IPA was super juicy and really nice.

- While it was an awesome trip there were lots of breweries that were not open for pours that we couldn't get cans at: Sebago, Shipyard, and Austin Street just to name a few. We will definitely be back next year.

Brewery Trip! Rising Tide Brewery

We are back home in Rhode Island after an amazing trip and it was a lot of fun and very relaxing. While there were a lot of places that were closed or had limited seating there were many others that took the proper precautions to allow for us, and others, to feel safe. One of these places was Rising Tide Brewery.

Rising Tide is not in the Old Port but slightly off the beaten path. It is right next to Austin Street Brewery and is very close to a few other breweries. When things return to normal it should be an awesome area to visit and we will be making the trip. Unfortunately, Austin Street was only open for cans when we visited.

The outdoor area was large but I am not sure if it was just a temporary situation or their usual seating arrangement. I was able to see the inside part of the brewery and it looks like it was a commercial garage of some kind. Definitely a really funky set up when things were normal.

I was surprised to see that they were offering flights as most breweries have stopped this during COVID-19. This was awesome as I was able to try a few of their beers and they were pretty good. The stand outs were 'Hesperus' a super complex barleywine with a heavy malty profile, rich with caramel and bourbon. There was also 'Maine Island Trail Ale' a session IPA with a light and crisp flavor profile and a nice and simple hop.  They also have wood fired pizza, oysters, and other food and while we did not get anything since we already ate beforehand but it looked and smelled amazing.

Rising Tide is a very good brewery in an really awesome area definitely worth the trip.