our first experience there and what a surprise! great food and great venue 10 out of 10!…read morehighly recommend you check this place out !

Great wine selection and knowledgeable staff Some wines new…read moreto us The buyer made great recommendations

Just to be clear, we did not go on a long drinking weekend in Maine!…read more We did go to Cold River Vodka for a tasting though. Wow! First off, their blueberry vodka (made with Maine Blueberries) may be the best Vodka I've ever had. Their gin, also amazing. Their aged vodka tastes like scotch! The place is fun, the crew is fun! I also learned the origin of English folk drinking Gin and Tonic (it was to help with Malaria)! It is illegal to ship alcohol in the US, so you have to carry it home in your suitcase. I am happy to say all three bottles made it home safely!!!

On our way up Maine this weekend, we decided to visit this vodka distillery we'd passed by on many…read morepast occasions. I'm so glad we stopped in. Vodka and gin are made and bottled right on site here using local Maine potatoes in the process. The entire business and production area is housed in a lovely old building with the distillery operation located on the main level. One flight up finds you in the tasting and salesroom. There was a tour already in progress when we arrived so we went right up to the tasting room where we had the place to ourselves along with the lovely staff person. She poured us tastes of their two signature vodkas: the regular and the blueberry flavored. Along with potatoes, blueberries are another signature Maine crop. Both vodkas were delicious. Normally, I don't think vodka tastes like much of anything and it's more about how smoothly it goes down. The plain vodka had a smooth and subtle flavor to it; very clean, crisp and easy to drink. While I am not very knowledgeable about flavored vodkas what I can tell you is that the blueberry had a lovely natural aroma of fresh blueberries with a hint of their flavor that was not overwhelming. It was subtle and agreeable. We purchased a bottle of the plain vodka; they were out of the blueberry. I turned down a taste of the gin since I don't care for it. I will use the bottle we bought simply to sip or in martinis. It's too good on its own to dilute with anything else and I think should be enjoyed as simply as possible. The tasting room also sells an array t-shirts and baseball hats and other souvenirs emblazoned with the name of the product: Cold River Vodka. On our way out, the tour that had been in progress was over. The tour guide greeted us warmly and offered us our own private tour which was very kind. Seeing all the gleaming equipment along with the huge 1,000 pound sacks of potatoes was quite something. This is a small but impressive operation. What we found here was delicious locally crafted vodka using all local ingredients, especially those Maine potatoes. We're happy we discovered Cold River.

We first came to Moderation when they first opened a few years ago. Have not been back since (not…read morebig beer drinkers - but we love a good brewery vibe) and have been waiting to try the new former Brunswick Fire Department location. It was awesome! Welcomed by the owner and found some yummy beer options. My sister was visiting and she isn't a beer drinker at all but tired (and liked!) the fruity spritz - it is frankly a great option to serve in a brew pub. I had the Oyster Lager - dark but not heavy tasting. Wayne went for their1856 Lager and my brother in law opted for the Champs Lager. All good - and bonus - Dog Haus was the food truck so we enjoyed the following: Wayne had the House Dog with sauerkraut, mustard, grilled onions & celery salt. I had the same but with caramelized onions instead and no sauerkraut. Bill totally enjoyed the OG dog, with maple mustard & curry ketchup, They also allow you to substitute a red snapper (you know, a traditional Maine dog!) for the beef one. All in all it was a great afternoon, sitting in the doors of the brewery, chatting and enjoying hot dogs and beer!

This is a very small brewery, with about 6 tables and the bar. They had 4 beers on tap and a…read morecouple of ciders and spritz to try. We liked that they had flights to try different beers. The 4 beers were well made and we liked them all. The bartender was very nice and it did not take long for everyone in the bar to have cross table conversations going.

This was a great find! It was on my list of always wanting to go cider tasting. The owner made it…read moresuch an amazing experience for us. Such a quaint place. He really explains and give details on his cider and how he makes it. You can tell this is a passion for him. The cheese is a MUST! The quality is incredible! I wish I could have packed some of that up as well to take home, but it wouldn't have made it. Everything is local and organic. You can taste the difference. The cider is quality so if you are use to drinking angry orchard this is not the place for you. This is QUALITY cider. The best I've ever had by far! Also, you'll be greeted by several friendly chickens. We couldn't get enough of these lovely girls! Make sure to go online and get a reservation asap!

Beautiful place in the wooded countryside. Close to Freeport. Beautiful cider and the tasting room…read morewas built by the owner.

Black Pug has moved to Moderation's former space. It looks so good. Indoor seating, outdoor seating…read more(front on Maine Street) plus the seating in the back. If the Maine Street is full there is a large free parking lot in the back. Their beer offerings change but they still keep some of their staples in rotation. They offer a large selection of non-alcoholic options as well. Lots of thought is put into their flavors, beer types, the season. You never know what yummy flavor you may see. If you aren't sure what to get try their refreshing Kölsch or famous ThaI.P.A. with lemongrass flavor. Indoor and outdoor is dog friendly. Upstairs has event space for rent. Check their instagram or Facebook for special events, food trucks, new beer and hard selzter releases.

It is easy with the overabundance of craft breweries to run with the safe and typical options…read more Black Pug certainly does not operate this way and instead experiments with unique flavors along with some more traditional brews. Today marked the first time I have revisited since way back in February of 2019. At that point they had only been open since October 2018. Hard to remember just how much the space had changed but it is still small but not meant in a negative way at all. It's a small but inviting and well decorated space. Plenty of as you would expect Pug pictures and decor, so very cute! I appreciate that they take risks with more unique beer offerings. Including their flagship THAI.P.A that uses ginger and lemongrass and they rotate different flavors into it. Jasmine and hibiscus beers and more. More traditionally they offer a kolsch as well. They also have bottles to go and offer growler (aptly named pug jugs) to go as well. If you can't decide their smaller pours are perfect to sample multiple brews. This visit my wife enjoyed their fruited sour Druidcraft and I got their smoked lager Camp Wood 4 Sale. Both tasty and well made. Friendly and knowledgeable bartenders will help find the perfect beer for you and make you feel welcome in their space. Also although we did not partake this particular weekend they were offering Christmas ornament painting, a great little craft activity! A smaller sized brewery that deserves support and is worth checking out!

We had a great chance to do a tasting here during the 4th of July week. Even in the hot weather…read morethey were experiencing they managed to make it comfortable to relax with a few samples of their cider and take in some live music. Flowers on the tables were a nice touch, and the general family friendly atmosphere was great. The cider is delicious, I especially liked the limited barrel aged they had on hand, and the funkiness of their Around Town (gleaned from trees...around town). They are honest and authentic in the product they make, and it shows.

One beer tasted, and I'm sold on this brewery. DiPA just came out. I was very happy.read more

I've been wanting to try Grateful Grain so I was excited when our trip to Norlands meant we'd be…read moredriving through Monmouth. The beer was really good and they had some coloring books for kids that one of the employees was nice enough to bring over to us. A small space, so I wouldn't try to go with a group bigger than 4 or so--at least in the winter. It looked like they have an outside setup in the warmer weather.

I've been here a handful of times and each time is a great experience. First, the beer is awesome!…read moreI love the pink boots sour-it's refreshing on a warm day. Second, the people. Specifically the owner. You can tell she cares about beer, animals, and the community. Third, the events. There's typically live music, karaoke, or a dog-themed event going on. I love that they post upcoming events on their facebook page. This is a great spot in Lisbon Falls. Bring your friends and enjoy a beer!

Well, I am a wine drinker. My husband loves a good beer. We stopped into the Olive pit brewing and…read morewhat a great experience we are having here. We grabbed a pretzel and enjoyed a great atmosphere and music.