One Day in Portland, Maine

One day with a car and I’d start on Industrial Way for Allagash, Battery Steele, Austin Street, and Foundation (good mix of styles). They are basically all next to each other. I’d skip Bissell Brothers but I think their beer is overrated considering the hype and superior competition all over town- plus they are a single destination which eats into your one day limit, and you can drink their stuff everywhere.

To tick a few more places, you could then head to East Bayside where you’ll find Urban Farm Fermentory (excellent ciders/meads/kombucha but forgettable beers) and across the street is Lone Pine and Goodfire which are very popular with the hophead set. There is also the original Tandem Coffee shop in this neighborhood if you need an excellent caffeine fix. Alternatively, there is also the Coffee By Design flagship store around the corner. Across the street from there is Rising Tide (and the another Austin Street location). This is all a short walk within what amounts to a two-block radius.

Straight up Fox Street (driving or 7-10 min walking) onto the Hill and you’ll immediately find Maine Craft Distilling next to an outpost of Island Creek Oysters which is good and cheap. A short stroll down Washington Ave and you’ll see a cluster of places including my favorite spot- Oxbow Blending and Bottling. Pay them a visit if you’re looking for more saisons and mixed fermentation-style beers. As an added bonus, there is an outpost for Duckfat– skip the lines at the main spot and stop here, instead. Next door to them is Maine Mead Works and Hard Shore Distilling, which makes an impressive gin. Other-than-Duckfat favorite food options are here depending on your mood, and all are excellent- Izakaya Minato for Japanese street fare, Terlingua for the best BBQ in town, and Công Tử Bột for pho.

Sticking with tap choices, take a right and head down Congress St. which brings you to the downtown/Old Port area where an original (with all due respect to The Great Lost Bear) excellent beer spot lives- Novare Res. I recommend everyone stop here if they’ve never been. They have a tasty but limited food menu as well. It gets nutty in here at peak times so I suggest a visit early afternoon on weekends/early evening on weeknights or right when they open. For okay food but a great tap list, there is also The King’s Head just off Commercial St. If you’re looking for cheap but good food and more great taps- seek out The Mash Tun on Wharf St. $6 grass-fed burgers all day is the best deal in a town with few good deals outside of happy hour. Also nearby is Liquid Riot which is a brewpub and distillery with the world’s most uncomfortable bar stools. Central Provisions is a spendy, indulgent place for small plates but is fantastic- hype and all. But if you want to skip the waits and get an equally great experience, check out Sur Lie. It’s a short walk from CP and is as good or better, plus they have a killer happy hour. Both places also have a small but good tap list.

Further down Congress you’ll find other notable spots outside the Old Port like Slab (excellent tap list and lots of carbs to eat), Arcadia National Bar (craft beer and classic arcade games), Dutch’s (great breakfast/lunch, not a beer place), Nosh (good taps and an indulgent menu), Empire Chinese Kitchen (good tap list and excellent Chinese-not-Polynesian food). Keep on going, and you’ll be near Little Tap House (great beer list, good upscale pub food).

That brings you to Longfellow Square which has Boda (long waits for amazing Thai), Pai Men Miyake (great drafts and those pork buns and Paitan ramen!!), LFK (interesting crowd and good draft list- avoid the food other than the deviled eggs, seriously). LFK is a good place to wait for a table elsewhere.

This is just scratching the surface. I’m going to forget a lot but other good spots: Bunker Brewing, Salvage BBQ, Bramhall, the whole Eventide/Hugos/Honey Paw food empire, Blue Spoon, Duck Fat, The East Ender, Piccolo, Bonobo, Bearded Lady’s Jewel Box/Hunt and Alpine/Blythe and Burrows for your fancy cocktail fix, Miyake, Blue Rooster, Local 188, Hot Suppa, Rose Foods… the list goes on and on.

The bottom line is that it’s easy to find good beer now in Portland and beyond. I think it’s more a matter of hitting a few key spots like Novare and some breweries and then picking from the virtually infinite delicious options in dining. My one complaint about Portland is that all this exceptional food and drink is expensive. Happy hour is a thing, so 4-6pm (sometimes even earlier) is where you can save a few bucks. The city is awash in mostly great options so you can skip Sebago, Gritty’s, Geary’s, Shipyard and Sea Dog. (Plus if you’re inclined, you can drink most of their stuff all over town with better food!)

I recommend the Bier Cellar, Bow Street Beverage, and RSVP as the best bottle shop options. Avoid the touristy options in the Old Port and their hefty markups. Whole Foods has a big beer selection, lots of quality spirits, too. There is also a restaurant here (Somerset Tap House) that is forgettable food-wise but has a really excellent draft list! Of course, there needed to be craft beer and grocery shopping. Also out there on Forest Ave is The Great Lost Bear, which is the original pub to get a good beer around here since ’79. It was a place to avoid for a while (bad food, dirty lines) but my occasional visits in the last couple of years have been good. It’s next door to Maine Brewing Supply which is notable for having a great specialty grain selection. It’s also the sneaky spot where you’ll regularly find the odd new release that has sold out elsewhere…

Only one day is barely getting started. Have a great time!