Portland, Maine, is usually known as Maine’s brewery hub. A variety of breweries are spread out over various neighborhoods. In the east Bayside neighborhood alone, visitors can access at least seven breweries within a mile walk of each other. And countless other breweries are spread up the coast and across Maine. But it wasn’t always like this.

Maine and the Craft Brewery Tradition

The craft brewing scene in Maine has been building over the last 30 years. In the 1980s, only 13 craft breweries could be found across the United States. Geary’s and Shipyard were the first two well-established breweries in Maine, and since then, Maine has reached over 150 breweries, ranking second in the nation with the most breweries. 

Craft brewing is taken very seriously in Maine. Brewers hop from brewery to brewery, learning new skills, and engage with local farmers and hop growers. Many breweries in Portland partner with local coffee companies and fruit farmers to make coffee-flavored porters and fruited sour ales. To many Maine brewers, their work is an art, even though the ingredients are simple: water, hops, malt, and yeast.

But brewers and brewery owners seek out the finest ingredients. Some breweries use homegrown hops, barley, and oats for their malts, while many breweries get their hops from Aroostook County, the northernmost county in Maine. Some Maine breweries use wild yeast for their beers.

Best Breweries of Ellsworth, Maine

Popular leading breweries include Maine Beer Company, Allagash Brewing Company, Rising Tide Brewing Company, and Bissell Brothers.

Many breweries have formed alliances, such as the Maine Brewshed Alliance, which educates Mainers on the importance Maine’s waters. Sebago Lake supplies the Portland area with its public water supply, meaning that water ends up in most of the beer coming out of Portland.

It is some of the best drinking water in the country and does not need to be filtered. However, to keep up the health of Sebago Lake, education is necessary. 

Plenty of breweries in Maine serve all types of delicious beers for everyone’s taste preferences. Maine loves its beer so much that it even has Maine beer festivals throughout the state. The Maine Beer Trail, created by the Maine Brewers Guild. It is an interactive trail where brewery visitors visit a brewery and get rewarded.

At each participating brewery, a poster or a code can be obtained from a bartender. Entering the code on the Maine Beer Trail app will stamp your beer trail. You get a Brewers Guild hat if you visit at least 25 breweries. You’ll get a Brewers Guild short-sleeved T-shirt if you visit at least 50 breweries. You will receive a surprise prize pack if you see all the breweries listed on the trail.

But up the coast in Ellsworth, travelers will find two great beer-tasting locations before Acadia’s busy zones.

Fogtown Brewing

Just up from the main drag in Ellsworth’s charming downtown, Fogtown Brewing’s Ellsworth location can be found. While Fog Town has a second location in Bar Harbor, the Ellsworth location is a little more low-key for travelers who want to kick back and enjoy fresh draft beer in a sweet location.

This funky, steampunk spot with great beer, food, and live music is a great place to relax. You can also play some card games and enjoy delicious beer made using ingredients locally foraged from surrounding areas. These ingredients include berries, ferns, spruce tips, and other unique and interesting ingredients.

Fogtown is a famous craft beer in Ellsworth. It uses a Maine-grown base malt and brews with fresh Maine-grown hops, heritage Maine malts, organic Maine oats and spelt, and whatever else they can find that’s local and delicious and will taste great in a beer.

Some of their most popular flagship beers are Munich Dark Lager, Maine Coast IPA, Night Nurse American Stout, and Foglight Maine Pilsner. Keep an eye out for their creative and beautiful cans for sale on your travels through Maine.

For non-beer drinkers, they offer hard ciders and hard seltzers. Sometimes, they offer vintage wines as a limited release. Often, they have live music, special events, and open mic nights where local talent performs. They have indoor and outdoor seating with a dog-friendly patio.

Airline Brewing Pub

Want to try more craft beer in Ellsworth? Nestled in a classic English pub-style building, Airline Brewing’s Pub location will make you feel like you’ve stepped across the pond for a pint. One of three of Airline Brewing’s locations, the pub offers food and drink seven days a week.

They offer delicious food options such as New England clam chowder, beef and bean chili, stuffed mushrooms, quesadillas, stuffed potato skins, sticky toffee pudding, and more. Their beers range from a hearty peanut butter stout to a lighter Texas blonde ale and a crisp wheat beer called Schoodic Sunrise. They also offer non-alcoholic beers, ciders, and nitro-poured oatmeal stouts. 

The Airline Pub, focuses on the classic and traditional pub experience. So, show up hungry and thirsty and expect a traditional, old-timey feel.

Telephone Museum

There is more to your trip than just craft beer in Ellsworth. Before heading to your destination at Acadia National Park, remember to visit the Telephone Museum.

You can explore old working telephones and switchboards at this interactive museum. You can also head to the Stanwood Homestead Museum and Bird Sanctuary to explore wooded trails, a beautiful bird sanctuary, and the homestead museum.

And don’t forget to visit the John Edwards Market, which features flea markets and street markets with fun goodies.