MAPS - basement pub in Portland, Maine

Leafing through the information folder for guests at my airbnb place in Portland, Maine, on Tuesday 3 October, 2017, MAPS caught my eye in a section '6 underground bars in Portland that you need to visit'.

A few hours later, walking down the brick pavement of moonlit Market Street, I was disappointed to discover that MAPS is closed on Tuesdays!

However, a plan for Wednesday evening was now established - return to MAPS at 64a Market Street!

Twenty hours later, after sleeping and brewery tours at Allagash Brewing Co and Shipyard Brewing Co it was time for a late lunch and a bus ride that would take me along the Eastern Promenade, ringing the Munjoy Hill neighbourhood, of Portland's peninsular.

This circular journey on route #1 would make good use of my $5 METRO local day pass ticket before darkness fell. After a warm day, there was a draught through the bus from open windows and an opportunity to take photos through the opening.

Returning to MAPS, it was a relief to hear the sounds of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and find that a stool was free at the end of the bar. From the list of 8 draft beers I chose the Oxbow Tourist Season Nelson Sauvin ($7 / 12 oz).

This seemed appropriate both for the name and for the fact that Oxbow Blending & Bottling is only about 1/2 mile away from MAPS. (Oxbow Brewery is based in a renovated barn in rural Newcastle, Maine.).

My neighbour at the bar toasted my beer with his oversized, football-themed beer mug and I learned later that he made the clever illuminated map, behind the bar, showing in real-time where there is daylight around the world..
By the time I had finished the Oxbow beer, I had friendly new neighbours, Matthew and Teresa, so it made sense to order a further beer.

Kyle, bar owner and DJ for the vinyl albums behind the bar, gave me a taste of Bissell Brothers The Substance Ale quickly followed by a16 oz tumbler-style glass full of the hazy New England IPA. The Substance Ale, brewed in Portland, has tropical fruit flavours and was a favourite beer on my brief trip to the USA.

Chatting with Matthew and Teresa, I learned that the fall colours were disappointing this year partly as a result of many leaves having black spots after a dry summer. Matthew (from Utah) and Teresa met up when she was travelling around the country years ago as a 22 year old. Their first months together were difficult, scratching a living with a tent as a home and getting temporary jobs but since then they have been able to travel to Europe and Scotland together.

Matthew impressed me with his knowledge of the historical importance of John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough. Teresa and I agreed that 'pubs are great'. Indeed, for a solo traveller especially, talking to people when visiting pubs and bars can be a great way to make a visit to a new place memorable.

Before leaving, I persuaded Kyle to pose for a photo behind the bar and in front of his vinyl albums with a copy of Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA branch magazine, which I left with him so that he and his English wife, Vikki, could read it at some point.

Finally, there was also an opportunity to visit the restroom, near the entrance, where I had been told am historic London Underground tube map was part of the decor. This was another of several interesting maps which make the bar well worth a special visit.

MAPS, 64a Market Street, Portland, Maine.
Facebook page: portlandmaine.MAPS 
Open (October 2017):
Wed - Sun - from 4pm

Shipyard Brewery Tour, Portland, Maine

On Wednesday 4 October, the last free Shipyard brewery tour of the day at 3pm included some cruise ship passengers but having booked in advance, there was a place for me in the group with a maximum size of 16.

A lifelike chalk drawing of brewery vessels adorns the wall of the tasting room, next to the internal entrance door to the brewery itself. After we had donned safety glasses, Trade Brewer, Bruce Elam led us through the door at the start of the tour.
Bruce explained how Fred Forsley started Federal Jack's brewpub in Kennebunk harbour in 1992. Export was the original style of beer aimed at visitors, many coming from Canada. Demand outstripped capacity and in 1994, Shipyard was established at this former anchor chain foundry near Portland harbour.

Shipyard has since grown to become the 28th largest craft brewer out of 5.400 in the USA. Bruce explained that the Brewers Association criteria for being designated a craft brewer in the USA are: a) small size - producing less than 6 million barrels annually; b) independent - at least 75% craft brewer ownership c) traditional - output derived from traditional ingredients. Bruce also mentioned the new independent craft brewer seal of an upturned bottle that will appear on all Shipyard labels once existing inventory has been used.

Bruce explained that standard Maine water is good quality but some minerals are added prior to brewing. As well as malted barley - rye, oats and wheat are used in brewing some Shipyard beers. Hops are used in both leaf and pellet forms. Grains are added to the Mash Tun after being ground by the blue grist mill. A trough is used to allow the wort to clear before transferring wort to the kettle which is fired by propane gas. Hops are added as a first addition, a second addition and finally a late addition for aroma during the 60 minute boil.

The brewhouse is on the top floor with fermenting vessels on the floor below. Bruce mentioned that the ale yeast needs to be looked after by using it within the correct temperature range. 'We feed it, clothe it and shelter it.' As open top fermenting vessels are used the yeast can be scooped out and reused in most cases. However, for extra hoppy or strong beers the yeast is killed off afterwards.

Any flavourings for beers are added as extracts. Brewers take physical samples of beer from the fermenting vessels every 2 or 3 hours around the clock and once the required OG strength is reached the beer can be chilled down and transferred to closed conditioning tanks. Before transferring to the final bright beer tank the beer may pass through a cylinder filter. Alternatively a centrifuge may be used for IPAs before packaging.

Downstairs, Bruce showed us the packaging area where the beer is kegged or bottled and boxed. The Zajac bottling line can process 190 bottles per minute. Now at the end of the tour, Bruce joked 'There is no test'!

We returned to the taproom where tasting flights or individual glasses of beer or soda could be purchased. A flight of 4 x 4oz glasses cost $6.

I chalked the numbers of the beers from the blackboard behind the bar that I wanted to taste on the beer flight and passed it across the bar to be served.

Beers from other breweries were available but I limited my fourt choices to Shipyard beers: 8- Island Time session IPA, 7- Finder NE IPA, 4-Monkey Fist IPA (named after a knot) and 9- Old Thumper English ESB. My favourite was the Finder New England IPA.
My seat on the long table in the taproom was between two couples who had also just been on the tour.
They joked that perhaps the tour had been on a serious note because Bruce had spotted the CAMRA logo on my navy Ascot beer festival staff polo shirt.

One couple was on the cruise from Florida while Joe and Kristen were from Minneapolis. Later they posed for a photo with Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA magazine.

Postscript - the UK connection - I was aware in advance that Shipyard Brewing Company had a connection with Englishman Alan Pugsley, who moved to North America from Hampshire's Ringwood Brewery where Old Thumper was the flagship beer.
A 2014 piece about by Tom Acitelli in All About Beer magazine about the early days of Shipyard Brewing Co explains that Fred Forsley hired Alan Pugsley as a consultant on the equipment and the beers.when opening the Kennebunkport Brewing Co. and Federal Jack’s brewpub in Kennebunk in 1992.
This explains how Old Thumper also became a Shipyard beer brand.
More recently, Shipyard have established a connection with Marston's in the UK and some Shipyard beers are brewed at Marston's Park Brewery in Wolverhampton.
Shipyard American Pale Ale is available on draught at Wetherspoon pubs in the UK.

Shipyard Brewing Co website: shipyard.com 
Address: 86 Newbury Street, Portland, Maine
Tasting Room Hours (October 2017):
9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Mon-Wed, Last Call 5pm)
9:00 am to 7:00 pm (Thu-Sat, Last Call 6pm)
11:00 am to 5:00 pm (Sun, Last Call 4:30pm)

Stoddard's Fine Food & Ale, Boston, MA

Stoddard's Fine Food & Ale, 48 Temple Place, is situated in downtown Boston close to both Downtown Crossing (red and orange lines) and Park Street (green line) subway ('T') stations.
Stoddard's website reveals that the building is the former quarters of Stoddard's Cutlery and home to original tenant Chandler's Corset Store. The 1868 Greek Revival style building was one of the few to survive the Great Fire of 1872.

On Tuesday, 3 October, 2017, it was a pleasure to return to an establishment, fondly remembered from a November, 2015, lunchtime visit.

Walking past the individual fonts, spaced along the long carved wooden bar, the bartender realised that I was interested in a beer from one of the five handpumps at the far end. I didn't need to consult the beer menu as the cask Mayflower IPA, from Plymouth, MA, was to my taste and apparently not cooled.

Having arrived after 2.45pm, the lunchtime customers had mainly left so there was plenty of seating available.

While I enjoyed my (16oz / $6.25) pint, I took a look at the beer menu to see what beers were available from the fonts for keg beers, although with a 4.15pm bus to Portland, Maine, to catch at South Station Bus Terminal, some distance away, my beer appreciation opportunity at Stoddard's was limited to the pint in my hand.
It was interesting to note that draughts were divided into four sections: Germans & Lagers; Stouts & Porters; Ales and Belgians. The British Isles were represented by Coniston Brewing Co Bluebird Bitter and O'Hara's Irish Stout. Two beers in the Belgians section were from Allagash Brewing Co of Portland, Maine - White and Tripel.

Before leaving Stoddard's, I had a quick word with Tavish, the affable bartender, who agreed to pose with a copy of Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA magazine, and to keep it for reference.

Open Tuesday - Sunday from 11.30am
Website with menus etc: www.stoddardsfoodandale.com

Bellingham, WA (part 2)

Railroad Avenue, Bellingham

Bellingham is the thirteenth largest city in the state of Washington with a population of over 85,000 (2015) according to Wikipedia.

The Bellingham Tap Trail ™ leaflet shows 11 breweries and 11 taphouses and pubs in the city.

Boundary Bay Brewing

Maureen at Boundary Bay brewery taproom

On a sunny Friday 30 September, Maureen, my long-suffering second cousin, kindly drove me around the city so that I could visit four breweries in one afternoon. Boundary Bay brewery & bistro was our first stop.

This independent brewery, located in a restored 1922 warehouse, has played a role in the community since 1995 and received Washington's Small Philanthropic Business of the Year award in 2014.

There was a chance to see some of the brewery vessels before ordering our drinks. 

Maureen was not drinking beer but I made up for her by ordering two 5oz glasses. The (left) Inside Passage Ale (Flagship IPA 7.5% ABV / 78 IBU) was pleasant but my favourite was (right) Cedar Dust IPA (6.5% ABV / 66 IBU) from the Galbraith Mountain Series, named after trails between Bellingham and Sudden Valley.

The taproom has plenty of interesting decorative features with a nautical theme.

Two cask ales are available served from handpumps at the rear of the bar.

Best Bitter ESB (5.4% ABV / 45 IBU) is another flagship Boundary Bay beer and the most traditional pale ale brewed there.

We passed repurposed Boundary Bay stainless steel kegs walking the fifty yards to the second brewery stop of the day.

Gruff Brewing

Open all day Friday - Sunday, situated at 104 E. Maple Street,  Gruff Brewing is a recent addition to the Bellingham brewery scene. 

At the bar, I gave Eric a copy of Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA magazine, and as the taproom was not busy he kindly gave me some beer samples to taste. The Pineapple IPA (5% ABV) is brewed with Mosaic hops and was very fruity. 

Pinball can be played at Gruff Brewing

Wish Rock Wit (4% ABV), the Bellingham Beer Week special herbed beer, brewed with blackberries, a collaboration with The Racket bar and pinball lounge, was also nice.

A schooner of Pale Wheat Ale (4.4% ABV, $4) tasted good in the extensive outside area at the back of the brewery, giving panoramic views of old industrial buildings and the bay beyond. The time left on the car parking ticket was running out so it was time to visit our third brewery.

Aslan Brewing Co

The sunny weather meant there were plenty of people on Aslan Brewing Co's outside terrace.

We found a place at one of the high tables inside with a view of the bar and the brewery further back, behind a glass partition.

There were plenty of beers, listed on a blackboard strip behind the bar, to choose from so a flight seemed like a good idea.

My order for lunch was sweet potato fries and fish taco. The service was friendly and efficient.

The chosen beer flight comprised Black Gold (Blackberry Kolsch brewed for Bellingham Beer Week, 4.4% ABV / 13 IBU), FIFA (French India Farmhouse Ale brewed for Bellingham United, 6.2% ABV / 55 IBU), Nectarine Farmer (Saison, 5.8% / 24 IBU), Festbier (5.1% ABV / 20 IBU) and Dawn Patrol (unfiltered Pacific Ale using Rye malt, 5.3% ABV, 18 IBU). 
FIFA and Dawn Patrol were my two favourites from the beer flight.

There is some variation in beer prices. Festbier is priced at $4 (9oz), $5 (16oz) and $6 (21oz). During Happy Hour (daily 2pm-5pm and 9pm-kitchen close) there is $1 off the two larger glass sizes (prices applicable in September 2016).

A framed photo records that, since the summer of 2012, 'The Aslan owners committed 8 months of sweat equity to the renovation of a historic industrial building into a brewery and restaurant. L to R: Boe Trosset, Pat Haynes, Frank Trosset & Jack Lamb.'

Before heading to our fourth brewery we made a detour to shop at Joe's Gardens in Happy Valley for some produce to go with the evening meal. 

Kulshan Brewing Co

A little way out from the centre of Bellingham, we visited the first site of Kulshan Brewing Co which is situated at 2238 James Street. The brewery was founded in 2012 by Bellingham native David Vitt.

The external sign's posts and the base supports for the bicycle racks are made from stainless steel beer kegs.

A sign by the bar lists the beers on tap. The Good Ol' Boy Pale caught my eye because of the similar name to Good Old Boy from West Berkshire Brewery, a beer that I drink regularly in the UK.

Although several other beers looked tempting, there was really only one choice for me!

We sat outside at a shaded table. The tasting notes for Good Ol' Boy Pale Ale (5.35% ABV / IBU 20) mention flavour as 'Light Biscuit/Bread, Citrus Tartness, Crisp Bitterness, Subtle Green Hop Character' and ingredients as Malt: 2-Row, Pale Wheat, Munich, Crystal. The hops are Apollo, Cascade, Willamette. This was my favourite beer of the day and a beer to look out for on my next visit to Washington.

Once again, I took the opportunity to get a photo of the friendly staff with a copy of Ullage, to prove how far it travels!

We called in at Rocket Donuts on the way home but they had sold out of donuts for the day!

Never mind! There was still a can of Bastard Kat IPA (6.66% ABV, IBU 70), brewed with Apollo, Cascade and Centennial hops, from the fridge at Elizabeth Station, for one more beer later in the evening. This is one of my favourite IPAs.