Trip Report for Portland and Portsmouth 3/5
Mar 6th, 2017, 06:59 AM
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Trip Report for Portland and Portsmouth 3/5
In a spur of the moment trip, 3 of us booked a one night trip to Portland for Saturday night. Not the best weather to head north for...
Easy drive from Connecticut to Portland except for a complete white-out between Wells and Portland where you couldn't see the car in front of you, especially the ones with no headlights on! As soon as we hit the border into South Portland, it was as if someone flipped a switch and bright blue skies but very cold. We stopped at Portland Head Light for a little while but didn't go far from our car with the wind. It took a little over 3 hours for the drive.
Up to Allagash Brewery we went. It is the biggest brewery in Maine. All samples are free and the tours are as well as a thank you for stopping there. Great gesture from them. We sampled the 4 they had on for the day (they choose what beers are available). Then they gave us a bonus sample of a new beer - awesome sour beer. Then over to their bottle shop to buy a few take home bottles. Even given the cold weather and slow season for Maine, it was getting very busy here.
We then went across the street to Foundation Brewery. They have expanded since we were there in August to have a lot more space. Sampled a bunch of their beers (a very IPA heavy brewery which is the style I look the best and bought more cans / bottles to go. Also had local potato chips that were maple flavored - different but they were good.
We then went to the other side of the building for Austin St Brewery and sampled theirs. Newer brewery with a tiny taproom but the beer is very good and really enjoyable. I just hope they are able to expand their tap room in the future. The summer isn't a problem as they have picnic tables outside.
There is another brewery opening next to this one within a few weeks so it will continue to be a major destination for breweries.
We then went to Lone Pine brewing and Fore River brewing. Both were both excellent stops for a few samples and service was fine.
We then went to an early dinner at Scales restaurant. Friend of mine got the recommendation from someone at work. Got a good table and split a few plates of oysters / clams for an appetizer and lobster for dinner. Excellent choice for a restaurant and a great view of the water. Busy too but we got in fairly quickly.
After dinner, we went in and checked in to our hotel (Howard Johnson South Portland). We had gotten great rates on lastminutetravel.com - $50 per room for the night. After relaxing for a little while, we took Uber to Barreled Souls Brewery in Saco. Its located in the basement of the house but an awesome brewery. All of the beers are barrel-aged and flavorful. Sampled all of them (some are 15% alcohol due to the rum / whiskey / tequila that they were barrel aged in). The taproom is a little dark due to being in the basement but a fun place to hang out - all of the chairs were made from bourbon barrels. The barstools were my only complaint - a little tall to get comfortable on. Service was great here and an awesome stop for us.
Next up was Banded Horn brewery in Biddeford. Another great stop and a bunch of beers to sample. Got some more beer to bring home and then back to the hotel and I watched Star Wars before falling asleep.
Easy drive from Connecticut to Portland except for a complete white-out between Wells and Portland where you couldn't see the car in front of you, especially the ones with no headlights on! As soon as we hit the border into South Portland, it was as if someone flipped a switch and bright blue skies but very cold. We stopped at Portland Head Light for a little while but didn't go far from our car with the wind. It took a little over 3 hours for the drive.
Up to Allagash Brewery we went. It is the biggest brewery in Maine. All samples are free and the tours are as well as a thank you for stopping there. Great gesture from them. We sampled the 4 they had on for the day (they choose what beers are available). Then they gave us a bonus sample of a new beer - awesome sour beer. Then over to their bottle shop to buy a few take home bottles. Even given the cold weather and slow season for Maine, it was getting very busy here.
We then went across the street to Foundation Brewery. They have expanded since we were there in August to have a lot more space. Sampled a bunch of their beers (a very IPA heavy brewery which is the style I look the best and bought more cans / bottles to go. Also had local potato chips that were maple flavored - different but they were good.
We then went to the other side of the building for Austin St Brewery and sampled theirs. Newer brewery with a tiny taproom but the beer is very good and really enjoyable. I just hope they are able to expand their tap room in the future. The summer isn't a problem as they have picnic tables outside.
There is another brewery opening next to this one within a few weeks so it will continue to be a major destination for breweries.
We then went to Lone Pine brewing and Fore River brewing. Both were both excellent stops for a few samples and service was fine.
We then went to an early dinner at Scales restaurant. Friend of mine got the recommendation from someone at work. Got a good table and split a few plates of oysters / clams for an appetizer and lobster for dinner. Excellent choice for a restaurant and a great view of the water. Busy too but we got in fairly quickly.
After dinner, we went in and checked in to our hotel (Howard Johnson South Portland). We had gotten great rates on lastminutetravel.com - $50 per room for the night. After relaxing for a little while, we took Uber to Barreled Souls Brewery in Saco. Its located in the basement of the house but an awesome brewery. All of the beers are barrel-aged and flavorful. Sampled all of them (some are 15% alcohol due to the rum / whiskey / tequila that they were barrel aged in). The taproom is a little dark due to being in the basement but a fun place to hang out - all of the chairs were made from bourbon barrels. The barstools were my only complaint - a little tall to get comfortable on. Service was great here and an awesome stop for us.
Next up was Banded Horn brewery in Biddeford. Another great stop and a bunch of beers to sample. Got some more beer to bring home and then back to the hotel and I watched Star Wars before falling asleep.
Mar 6th, 2017, 08:23 AM
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We got up Sunday morning and checked out of the hotel. Hotel was what we needed. Cheap and in a good location off the highway. Room was a typical hotel room. No complaints other than a broken soda machine when I wanted something out of it but that happens...
We drove down Route 1 and into Kinnebunkport for a scenic drive (past Walker Pt etc) and then into Ogunquit stopping at Perkin's Cove - again too cold to really walk around. Then to the Greenery Café for breakfast. I had an omelet while they each had pancakes. Food was good and really enjoyed this spot!
The next stop was Stoneface Brewery in Newington, NH. Repeat brewery for us but one of our favorites. Tried all of theirs and bought more bottles (probably over the legal limit for amount of alcohol in 1 car). They are getting ready to open a brewpub so they can actually serve pints. Only way in NH for breweries to sell pints is to serve food.
Next was Garrison City Brewery in Dover. Right on Main St and with a nice tap room. Took a while to find parking. Really enjoyed their beers. Very IPA focused but starting to experiment with other ones too (had a white stout yesterday).
From here, we went to Beara Irish Brewery in Portsmouth. First time here and it was ok. Couple of interesting ones but just felt the beer was slightly off. They have a pale ale with buffalo wing sauce in it. The base beer was just too light for me. Interesting concept. Taproom was tiny but had an Irish band playing. Glad we stopped but may wait a while to go back.
Next up was Throwback Brewery in Portsmouth. Set on an old farm and still active. Lots of beer choices and food. We got a table and a few flights to split. Enjoyed the samples and ordered a few plates of the Korean Chicken Wings. Good flavor to the wings but would have liked them a little spicier (only 1 choice for flavor). The beers were good and a lot of different styles.
After this, we drove home. Easy drive and uneventful - the best kind of drive home.
Very fun but quick weekend. Such a great area up there between the 2 cities. We were joking that we need to buy a bus and start doing multiple day beer trips between Boston and Portland...
We drove down Route 1 and into Kinnebunkport for a scenic drive (past Walker Pt etc) and then into Ogunquit stopping at Perkin's Cove - again too cold to really walk around. Then to the Greenery Café for breakfast. I had an omelet while they each had pancakes. Food was good and really enjoyed this spot!
The next stop was Stoneface Brewery in Newington, NH. Repeat brewery for us but one of our favorites. Tried all of theirs and bought more bottles (probably over the legal limit for amount of alcohol in 1 car). They are getting ready to open a brewpub so they can actually serve pints. Only way in NH for breweries to sell pints is to serve food.
Next was Garrison City Brewery in Dover. Right on Main St and with a nice tap room. Took a while to find parking. Really enjoyed their beers. Very IPA focused but starting to experiment with other ones too (had a white stout yesterday).
From here, we went to Beara Irish Brewery in Portsmouth. First time here and it was ok. Couple of interesting ones but just felt the beer was slightly off. They have a pale ale with buffalo wing sauce in it. The base beer was just too light for me. Interesting concept. Taproom was tiny but had an Irish band playing. Glad we stopped but may wait a while to go back.
Next up was Throwback Brewery in Portsmouth. Set on an old farm and still active. Lots of beer choices and food. We got a table and a few flights to split. Enjoyed the samples and ordered a few plates of the Korean Chicken Wings. Good flavor to the wings but would have liked them a little spicier (only 1 choice for flavor). The beers were good and a lot of different styles.
After this, we drove home. Easy drive and uneventful - the best kind of drive home.
Very fun but quick weekend. Such a great area up there between the 2 cities. We were joking that we need to buy a bus and start doing multiple day beer trips between Boston and Portland...
Mar 6th, 2017, 07:09 PM
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I made the west coast mistake of thinking this was Portland, Oregon!
Nice report. Reminds me of our wonderful trip to Maine years ago and the best homegrown blueberry (right from the bed and breakfast host's garden) homemade muffins.
Nice report. Reminds me of our wonderful trip to Maine years ago and the best homegrown blueberry (right from the bed and breakfast host's garden) homemade muffins.
Mar 7th, 2017, 02:47 AM
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Fun report makes me wish we liked beer. There are so many breweries of all sizes. Thanks for the tip about lastminute travel. I've been hankering to make a Portland visit and it's a little too far for a day trip.
Mar 7th, 2017, 03:04 AM
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Nanabee, Portland, Oregon is on our wish list due to the amount of breweries out there...
dfrost - definitely a lot of breweries. Different sizes and different styles. I love it in Portland and am glad I can get up there in a few hours. I know people that do it as a day trip from CT! Get up there but would wait till late Spring.
dfrost - definitely a lot of breweries. Different sizes and different styles. I love it in Portland and am glad I can get up there in a few hours. I know people that do it as a day trip from CT! Get up there but would wait till late Spring.
Mar 8th, 2017, 03:15 AM
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tchoiniere - I've scheduled weekend after 4th of July to go on a garden tour of a Portland neighborhood but I'm thinking sooner than that. Much sooner. May is a busy month for me. Why wait till late Spring?
Mar 8th, 2017, 12:20 PM
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tchoiniere,
I do hope you have a designated driver along, maybe someone who's allergic to beer but likes to visit brewpubs. I'm a little tipsy just reading this.
Sounds like you did have a good trip. Thanks for the report.
dfrostnh, June can be lovely, but it also can be quite cold along the coast and the black flies will eat you if you venture away from a stiff breeze.
I do hope you have a designated driver along, maybe someone who's allergic to beer but likes to visit brewpubs. I'm a little tipsy just reading this.
Sounds like you did have a good trip. Thanks for the report.
dfrostnh, June can be lovely, but it also can be quite cold along the coast and the black flies will eat you if you venture away from a stiff breeze.
Mar 9th, 2017, 02:51 AM
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emalloy, as a New England native and gardener, I am somewhat black fly proof. I like to schedule Maine visits for special events so we've been in Maine several times in June. One visit to Acadia was before school got out for the summer so ds could bike up Cadillac. Last year June was chosen simply because of availability at some rustic cabins. I'm also a lupine lover so a lupine festival somewhere on the Blue Hill peninsula was another trip. I can remember one boat trip when they passed out blankets. And in June you might find college teams competing in lumberjack contests.
Anytime the lobster shacks are open is a good time.
Anytime the lobster shacks are open is a good time.
Mar 9th, 2017, 03:55 AM
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emalloy, one friend of mine that goes only drinks the light beers and not a lot so that leaves him as the driver. And later in the day, we will change to Uber so he can have a little more.
