The Best Breweries, Brewpubs & Taprooms in Maine

Welcome to Maine. The way craft beer should be.

Written by CraftJack | Updated 06/07/23 | 5 min read

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Portland, Bar Harbor, Freeport, & other Maine "cities" own the New England brewpub scene. Allagash, Maine Beer Co., Shipyard, & Bissell Brothers are solid.

Toss arrows at your Maine brewery map, because there are a ton of beer trails to follow, Craft Beer Ranger. The (Lone) Pine Tree State is your beer salvation. We're also super excited for the opening of KIT NA Brewing, Maine's first non-alcoholic brewery.

Just because Portland, OR gets all of the craft beer credit doesn't mean that we should discount breweries in Portland, ME. Portland, Maine has some very robust microbreweries and taprooms, from the Old Port to old Munjoy Hill. Further up the state near Acadia National Park is Bar Harbor, which plays host to half a dozen microbreweries.

Atlantic Brewing Company

15 Knox Rd, Bar Harbor, ME 04609

Bar Harbor, one of the hottest spots for tourism in the Northeast, is home to Atlantic Brewing Company. What makes that funny is that Atlantic Brewing is a few miles outside of town. With biergarten-style tables indoors and a great outdoor beer garden (almost literally), ABC is a worthy stop after a day's hike at Acadia.

With regard to beer, we've always enjoyed a good Bar Harbor Blueberry.

Allagash Brewing Company

Portland, ME

Allagash is arguably Maine's biggest name in the craft beer industry. Allagash White, their flagship brew, is an infinitely drinkable belgian-style witbier that has won numerous awards over the years. Patrons can enjoy pours & tours at their Portland taproom and brewery set back from downtown on Industrial Way. If you're touring Portland breweries, you should not miss Allagash as it is one of, if not the, best breweries in Portland, Maine.

Baxter Brewing Company

Lewiston, ME

Lewiston's Bates Mill is where Baxter Brewing calls itself home. The taproom retains all of the charm from it's original mill building design, while upholding the vision of modernity through its wood, brick and glass aesthetics. It's our way of saying you and some buddies could drink a few pints of beer after work there just as easily as you could get married there - they do host private events ...

Baxter has even partnered with the Free Jacks, a Major League Rugby team and the first of it's kind in New England, to create Free Jacks IPA, a bright and aromatic India Pale Ale that will be on tap at all Free Jacks home matches.

Beers to try include Logger Road, Staycation Land, and Coastal Haze, a year-round Hazy IPA. We're also very, very curious about the Ice Storm of '98.

Bissell Brothers Brewing Company

38 Resurgam Place, Portland, ME 04102

Bissell Brothers and their outrageously fantastic beer took Portland (and Milo, ME) by storm over the last decade. With a large taproom sited @ Thompson Point, the brewery is the perfect spot for a Skate & Slake, given that The Rink is right next door.

A visit to the old railway building will leave patrons satiated with a belly full of hoppy ales and farmed, fished, and foraged gourmet eats. If you need a hand in choosing a beer, look at The Substance, Swish, or Angels with Filthy Souls. If you want to get adventurous, try the Spruce Tip Substance, an IPA brewed with foraged Spruce Tips for the dankest notes of Earth. Last, their 2021 Festbier was one of the best Oktoberfest beers we had the pleasure of enjoying.

• Bissell Brothers Portland is open 7 days a week
• Bissell Brothers Three Rivers is open Thursday to Sunday

Definitive Brewing Company

Definitive Brewing has two locations, one in Portland and one in Kittery. They brew excellent IPAs and session ales. They've seen a rapid growth in popularity over their half decade of existence, as evidenced by the opening of the second taproom in Kittery in 2020. We suggest you try the Vanilla Superdome, the Entity, the Contee, or the Portals (w/cherry).

Federal Jack's

Kennebunkport, ME

One of the oldest brewpubs operating in the state, FJ's boasts an amazing view of the Kennebunkport harbor from it's second level deck. It's the birthplace of Shipyard Brewing Company and has a full-service restaurant backing up its lineup of diverse craft brews. Rumor has it that Federal Jack's served the best pineapple upside-down cake dessert in the Winter of 2003. We can neither confirm nor deny that rumor.

Grab a Bluefin Stout and the Brew Pub Poutine and call it a day. You also have the option of ordering a flight of beers. Or, check in on the monthly cask-conditioned release.

Maine Beer Company

Freeport, ME

We often wonder what Tom did to earn the moniker Mean Old Tom. What's worse, to have that moniker immortalized in Maine Beer Company's American Stout of the same name. Who is this Tom, and is he really mean? We digress.

Maine Beer Co.'s tasting room is astoundingly ultra-modern. Out of it they serve pizzas, salads, and beers named after meals of the day (lunch, dinner, etc.). Plus, Freeport's a pretty sweet town to visit in the Summer and the Fall (Leaf peeper season).

Orono Brewing Company

Orono, ME

Tubular is the first word that comes to mind when we think about Orono Brewing Company. The word, which vaguely harkens back to the days of Bill & Ted, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Ocean Pacific surf wear, is also a core beer of the Orono-based brewery.

And what do breweries do when they've stumbled upon a great beer recipe? They add more power! Thus, Totally Tubular was born. Totally Tubular is a doubled up version of it's namesake, exploding with flavor from hops like Strata, El Dorado, Citra, and Topaz.

UMaine is a 20 minute walk from the brewery, so expect a student or two if you visit the taproom. Further, Orono Brewing created a graduation ale for the class of 2021. Strong work, Orono. Strong work.

Oxbow Brewing Company

Newcastle, ME

DJ sets. Superhero Lady Arm-Wrestlers of Portland (S.L.A.P.), and Private Weddings are all in a day's work for Oxbow Brewing out of Newcastle, Oxford, and Portland. Let's address a quick fact or two about each location.

• Newcastle (The Farmhouse). Beyond the farm and orchard where Oxbow's beer ingredients are born, there are bike trails abound and logging roads for hiking. There is even cross country skiing on-site in the winter.
• Oxford (Beer Garden). - The Oxford Beer Garden is a mile and a half from the Oxford Casino. It also sits on the road in to one of the largest and most popular ski resorts in New England, Sunday River.
• Portland (Blending & Bottling). Part event space, part art gallery, and part shared patio with Duckfact, one of the best restaurants in the city of Portland. The Munjoy Hill brewery is just a short walk from the Eastern Prom, if you're looking for some touristy views of the ocean.

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