A few weeks back, Tom and I joined his parents for a week in Maine as a little Summer vacation. We originally planned to be in the U.S. Virgin Islands but due to COVID-19 we decided to cancel the trip. After a few quick pivots made by Tom’s parents, we found ourselves in Maine.

Tom and I fell in love with Maine last Summer after his college roommate got married in York (which has become one of my all-time favorite beach towns) and since we met when we were living in Boston, New England always feels like our little slice of heaven. Unfortunately, this week happen to overlap with a very busy week at work so I wasn’t able to take the full week off but I did get to sneak one day in. Of course, we spent that one singular day brewery hopping in Portland.

Throughout the day we went to 5 different breweries, which were all walking distance from the heart of the city. We did end up taking an uber back from the last one but mostly because it was a long day of drinking, not because it was too far by any means. Below you can find my full review on each of the breweries. Before you dive in, I think it is worth acknowledging that it was very clear that each of the breweries was doing their very best to make this Summer happen and while my experience may have been good/bad, understand that the circumstances could (and may have already) change as they continue to learn how to navigate this COVID-19 world.

1| Sebago Brewing Co. This was the first stop on our tour due to the proximity to the port but honestly my least favorite. The beer wasn’t bad, I had the Fyre’s Leap IPA but the vibe gave me Buffalo Wild Wings vibes. Overall, it felt very commercial and not very crafty, which is obviously something I look for when I’m going on a unique beer tour like this one. That being said, I did order the fried pickles here (classic BWW order) and they were great but be prepared for spicy! 🌶

2| Shipyard Brewing Co. In terms of beer, I think this one was my favorite! We were excited about this one because we remember getting it on tap when we lived in Boston all the time. Shipyard Pumpkin Ale is 💯. I originally ordered the Summer Ale and Tom ordered the Blue Paw but once they came to the table, we ended up switching and I’m so happy we did. Blue Paw may now be one of my favorite beers of all-time. 😋 Their outdoor set up was a bit make-shift, you can tell that they don’t usually have tables outside but there was plenty of room and it was way quieter than some of the other breweries, so we couldn’t really complain.

3| Oxbow Blending & Bottling. This place probably had the best outdoor seating situation but it was certainly limited. There were a few picnic tables down an alleyway that felt secluded and private from the outside world. The best part of this place is that it is right next to The Duckfat Frites Shack, making it a great mid-tour stop so you can fuel up with some food. The worst part of this place was the bathroom situation. I didn’t use it but Tom did and it was a porta-potty.

4| Rising Tide Brewing Company. At this point, I was starting to feel the brews (and you can definitely see it in my eyes in the picture below 😂). This place had the most outdoor space than any of the breweries we visited. They had one huge area that was tented so you could get out of the sun (which is what we chose) as well as an un-tented area that was still full of umbrellas and plenty of seating. If you are going with a big group, I’d definitely say this is your spot. Here, I drank the Blueberry Squadron, which was pink so I obviously loved it but it was equally as delicious. Tom got the Capsize beer, which is a Moscow Mule inspired beer, and loved it. Moscow Mules are one of our favorite cocktails so this was an exciting option to see on the menu.

5| Austin Street Brewery. Last on our tour was Austin Street Brewery. And before I even knew the name, it felt like a place right out of Rainey Street in Austin, TX. This is another place with great outdoor space with each table very distanced from one another. Next time around, I would want to start here because all of the beers looked delicious and I could imagine myself spending all day on their patio. However, since it was the end of the day, I went with their Rally beer because it had the lowest alcohol content 😂 but it was still delicious.

Needless to say, this little tour was the BEST way to spend my one vacation day! It made me feel like I was seeing a lot of the city (because we needed to walk to each brewery) and try the local fare (😂), which ae my two favorite things to do when I travel. What I didn’t realize until after the fact was that drinking all day actually kept me away from my email/social media/etc., which made it feel like a real escape. I know if we were at the beach or hanging by the pool, I would have been more tempted to check-in on things. So not only did I learn that I 100% want to go back to Portland for more brewery hopping but also that brewery hopping is my OOO of choice.