Maine's next great brewpub

It was another busy December at my real job. While I didn't get a chance to post on the blog, my family was hard at work reviewing the fare at Maine's newest brewpub, Mainely Brews Tavern in Waterville. Their review was more than enough to bump this pub up to the top of my to-do list. Hopefully, I will be adding my own, more beer-centric view shortly. Until then, bon appetit!

Good grub, Great pub . . . Who needs the post office?

The Travelin Maine(rs), George and Linda Smith of Mount Vernon, have spent their lifetimes enjoying all that Maine has to offer. Now they’ll tell you all about it — their favorite inns, restaurants, trips, activities, experiences, and travel books and websites — in their own personal style. They’ll be offering anecdotes, tips and all the details you need. So join them in exploring, experiencing and enjoying the great state of Maine.

If Luke Duplessis could turn every post office location that is closing into a Mainely Brews, people would happily forget about the mail.

After several friends and readers of this column told us how much they like Mainely Brews Tavern, in Waterville’s old post office, we scheduled a visit last week. This is a fun place with a great pub atmosphere, superb micro-brews, and a surprising (and enticing) menu.

Home for Christmas last week, our youngest daughter Hilary, who works at a high-end restaurant on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., joined us for our adventure at Mainely Brews.

Hilary

The atmosphere at Mainely Brews is what will bring you in — jovial, warm, and lively — but the food is what will keep bringing you back. Walking into the well-lit basement tavern with Mom and Dad just a few days before Christmas, I was surprised by how many families had chosen this place for a holiday dinner. This is not your average bar in central Maine.

The layout of Mainely Brews is great — something for everyone, with a horseshoe bar, large wooden tables fit for large groups, and cozy leather booths scattered around the oddly shaped historic basement. You can even have a private dinner or event in the old mail vault, a separate room adjacent to the tavern.

The history of the building makes for an authentic, charismatic restaurant with real Maine character.

The live music from a five-piece band was upbeat and a perfect accompaniment to the meal, without overwhelming the conversation.

The food (and beer) is what will keep you coming back for more. We were thrilled with the lobster stew and Southwest chicken rollups as appetizers, and blown away by the steak tips entrée and Mediterranean baked haddock entrée special.

These were all washed down with $3.50 pints of Maine microbrews that the tavern pours from taps.

My favorite was the Drop Dead red ale, high-alcohol amber that was both smoky and delicious. Dessert was not to be missed — the peanut butter pie is a real standout.

We were too full from all of the aforementioned food to try their burgers and pizzas. I was sorry to miss the London burger with black pepper and blue cheese. It would have been great with a Post Office Porter.

Incredibly delicious food, for surprisingly low prices, with some pretty spectacular locally brewed Maine beer. Mainely Brews is a long way from Washington, D.C., but I will be back.

Linda

The story behind Mainely Brews Tavern is a good one. Luke Duplessis bought this bar when he was 23 years old. I wonder if he could have even imagined how successful his restaurant would be now, eight years later.

The first thing you’re apt to notice is the beautiful old brick walls. Sconces and hanging lights give it a warm, welcoming feeling. One might think this is just a bar, but it actually is a restaurant serving great pub food — including burgers, appetizers and pizzas — and delicious entrees.

It was hard to choose from all those appetizers. The warm spinach dip included large pieces of artichoke, and was served with just-fried tortilla chips. Beware because those chips are addictive!

If you want something different, and enjoy a spicy sauce, order the Southwestern chicken rollups ($6.99). These are tiny burritos filled with corn, black beans and chicken, and then fried. It was the spicy ranch sauce that made these spectacular. Next time I go, they are likely to be my dinner! Luke told us these are very popular and I see why.

A friend was raving about the beef tips, so I knew we had to try this dish. A good portion of beef (perfectly cooked), mushrooms and onions, were served in a delicious, wild mushroom demi-glace.

Order their great mashed potatoes with this and you have comfort food at its best. The $13.99 price included a delicious Caesar salad. This entrée was incredible.

George

Hilary’s restaurant experience helped us evaluate some of the key ingredients for a good restaurant, and Mainely Brews had them all — from friendly, knowledgeable servers to appropriately timed delivery of food.

My perfectly cooked (flaky) haddock had a topping well-chopped so that you got all of the taste with each bite, and was served in a baking dish that kept the food hot (although I gobbled it up so fast it had little time to cool!)

After we’d finished our desserts, our very accommodating server (and also the front-of-the-house manager) Sandra gave me paper copies of all their menus — including the “Bear Skinny” health and fitness guilt-free menu. Much to my astonishment, my haddock dish was on that menu! I asked Lin if that meant I could order another dessert. You can guess the answer!

The micro-brews are provided by one of my favorite breweries, Black Bear in Orono, and both dark beers — the porter and the stout — are superb.

After a bit of begging, the girls allowed me to describe the desserts, a scrumptious peanut butter pie (the soft center was amazing) and a crème brule cheesecake that combined two of my favorite things into perhaps the tastiest cheesecake I’ve ever had. Hilary agreed.

Desserts are made by Luke’s friend at Carriage House Confections in Veazie (who makes desserts from some of our favorite restaurants including Fiddlehead in Bangor).

Conclusion

You’ll get real value here, where low prices are combined with good food served in a great pub atmosphere where everyone around us — including families with small kids — was obviously having a great time. Good grub. Great pub. Who needs the post office?

IF YOU GO . . .

MAINELY BREWS TAVERN
ADDRESS: 1 Post Office Square, Waterville
PHONE: 873-2457
ON THE WEB: www.mainelybrews.com
HOURS: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day, with food served until 11 p.m.
• Outside seating in summer. Nightly entertainment and daily species, including their popular $6 burgers on Tuesdays and 2-for-1 pizzas on Wednesdays.
• Reservations are taken, parking is in front of the building and at the nearby mall.

Travelin' Maine(rs)

To no one's surprise, my parents also appreciate good beer. In fact, I am not sure my father has ever been prouder than the day I took up homebrewing. (Just keep the free beer coming, right, Dad?) The two of them also love to travel and eat and thus the Travelin' Maine(rs) were born. This column / blog allows the two of them to travel to some of Maine's best inns and restaurants and write up the experience. (And get some more free stuff...) Not a bad deal.

Their latest article highlighted the Maine Beer Trail and included a guest appearance by yours truly.

GET SOME EXERCISE: Take a hike on the Maine Beer and Wine Trails

Kennebec Journal, 7/25/11

The Travelin Maine(rs), George and Linda Smith of Mount Vernon, have spent their lifetimes enjoying all that Maine has to offer. Now they’ll tell you all about it — their favorite inns, restaurants, trips, activities, experiences, and travel books and websites — in their own personal style. They’ll be offering anecdotes, tips and all the details you need. So join them in exploring, experiencing and enjoying the great state of Maine.

The best hikes in Maine are on the Maine Beer Trail. And you don't need hiking boots!

Our state has gone from a wasteland to a wonderland of beer brewing. We've established an international reputation for finely crafted beers and many brew masters welcome you into their facilities for tours and tastings.

The Maine Brewers Guild provides maps and a list of brewery tours including days and hours. Some of the breweries include restaurants. Prizes are awarded if you visit 5, 10 or all 25 breweries on the trail. As if you needed any incentive.

Today's column includes a piece by our son Joshua Smith, who works for My Brothers Keeper, serving the poor in Brockton, Massachusetts. We're very proud of Josh, especially for his commitment to public service. He is also a home-brewer and writer with his own beer blog, and we're stealing a piece he wrote after visiting the Penobscot Bay Brewery in Winterport, also the site of the very fine Winterport Winery.

Joshua

During those cold winter months, many hunker down and put on a warm mug of cocoa. I decided to go the other way with it. Since 2008, I have rounded up a few friends, driven to northern Maine, and enjoyed a few cold beers.

Previous destinations included Ebenezer's Pub, Oak Pond Brewing, Bray's Brew Pub, Great Lost Bear, Sea Dog Brew Pub and Shipyard Brewing. The road less-traveled, I guess.

This year, on our way to a University of Maine hockey game in Orono, I arranged for a visit to Penobscot Bay Brewery in Winterport, operated by Mike and Joan Anderson who also own Winterport Winery.

They were kind enough to invite us for a tour despite being officially closed for the winter. It's a very nice facility with kitchen, tasting room, gift shop, winery and brewery -- all overlooking the Penobscot River.

This small brewery opened in 2009. Mike gave us a very entertaining tour, tracing each piece of brewing equipment back through its previous owners. While the room had the feel of a garage, I was impressed with how well-organized and clean the whole operation was.

Needless to say, Mike isn't haphazardly throwing handfuls of chipotle peppers into the brew pot like I do when home brewing.

The tasting room is simply beautiful, with shelves jammed with fruit wines, winery merchandise and local Maine products. They even sell Bay Brew Ice Cream, made with their own Half Moon Stout! My stout float was indescribable.

On tap were their Old Factory Whistle Scottish Ale, Stout and Wheat and Brown Ale. It made for a very enjoyable and tasty afternoon. Because you can only get Penobscot Bay's beers in Maine, this is a great stop on any beer trip.

George

Shipyard dominates Maine's microbrewing industry, so it's no surprise they their Portland facility offers the best tour, complete with a video, tour of the bottling process and tastings of my favorite Shipyard beers (be sure to try the Pugsley series). To get inside the huge brewery itself, reserve a space online for their Tuesday-night tour.

Bar Harbor Brewing Company produces one of my all-time favorites, Cadillac Mountain Stout, so Linda and I stopped by the brewery for a tour during our June visit to Bar Harbor. There's not a lot to see in a brewery, so a good tour guide is essential.

At Bar Harbor, our guide was a young guy named Ezra, nicely seasoned in his fourth year at the brewery. He was very humorous. He encouraged us to taste the ingredients that go into their beers, including barley, a chocolate malt that tasted like burned brownies and oats that Ezra claimed to eat out of the vat for breakfast.

He saved the worst for last, a hop he described as "bittery, sour candy with a hint of grass clippings." It was worse than described and stuck with me for a couple of hours.

Shipyard, as it does for a number of beer makers, brews some of Bar Harbor's beers, "but we send them our own yeast and recipe," Ezra was quick to point out.

The tasting went on for a while, helped by a tasty snack of pretzels dipped in Raye's mustard. I learned that another favorite brew, Coal Porter, is great in chili and beef stew. Who knew?

Last week up to the Forks, we enjoyed a visit at Northern Outdoors resort including a tour of their Kennebec River Brewery. Jim Yearwood and Mike McConnell spent a lot of time telling us about their brewing process. I really enjoy the smaller brewers that don't have established tours -- they just love to tell you about their beer, anytime you show up.

All but their IPA is consumed at the resort, so you'll need to get up there to see if you agree with me -- their smoky porter is superb. For the record, Lin liked the summer ale best.

Linda

Really good barbecue is hard to find. Once you've had great barbecue, you're always looking for a place close-by.

Lately, I've noticed more barbecue places popping up in Maine. Thank goodness. My theory is that restaurants specializing in good barbecue have figured out the perfect way to season and slowly smoke meats. Many have also created their own great barbecue sauce.

So when we noticed that one of Bar Harbor's two Mainely Meat BBQ restaurants was right next to the Bar Harbor brewery, we decided we had to try it. And we're soooo glad we did!

All of their sandwiches (chicken, hamburger, veggie burger, and pulled pork) come with choice of chips, potato salad or coleslaw for $7.71.

We ordered the pulled pork and it was absolutely delicious -- lots of tender pork with a choice of barbecue sauces. Dinner choices include ribs, chicken, hot Italian sausage and steak ($10 to $15) and a sampler plate.

We dined inside at a long high table with bar stools, but there's also a screened-in porch with lots of seats. The atmosphere is casual and friendly.

Conclusion

Join us this summer on the tastiest trail in the state: the Maine Beer Trail. And check out Josh's beer blog!