Craft beer in Portland
Maine's craft beer capital
Portland, Maine — population ~70,000 — has become an unlikely craft beer destination over the past decade. Allagash Brewing established Belgian-style brewing here in 1995. The newer wave (Bissell Brothers, Maine Beer Company in nearby Freeport, Foundation, Lone Pine, Goodfire) launched a coastal Maine craft scene that now rivals Vermont's for hazy IPA acclaim. The compact downtown is walkable between multiple breweries.
Breweries Tracked
2
Specialty
Belgian, NEIPA, wild ales
Hub Neighborhood
Industrial Way / Thompson's Point
How Portland shaped American craft beer
Allagash White (1995) helped popularize Belgian Witbier in America. The brewery's investment in barrel-aged sour and wild ale projects (Coolship Resurgam, the Coolship series) put coastal Maine on the map for traditional spontaneous fermentation. Bissell Brothers and Maine Beer Company's late-2000s launches helped establish Portland's reputation for clean, modern, hop-forward styles. Maine Beer Company's tagline — 'Do what's right' — captures the Portland brewing ethos.
Where to visit in Portland
Tasting Room HighlightsAllagash Brewing tasting room and tour in Industrial Way (free tours, generous samples), Bissell Brothers' Thompson's Point taproom, Maine Beer Company in nearby Freeport, Foundation Brewing in the same Industrial Way cluster as Allagash.
Common date code formats from Portland breweries
MM/DD/YY
2 breweries