Novare Res Bier Cafe, Portland, Maine

Key: B Bissell Brothers; (blue) G Greyhound Bus; (claret) G Geno's Rock Club' (blue) M MECA; NR Novare Res Bier Cafe; (orange) M MAPS; T Thirsty Pig; S Shipyard Brewing; K Kings Head L Liquid Root Bottling Co; (claret) M Mash Tun

Portland, Maine, has no shortage of beer bars. On my first night in the city, a long walk led me to one of the best - Novare Res Bier Cafe.

My airbnb room was located near the Greyhound bus station and Maine Medical Center.

On Tuesday 3 October, 2017, it was dark as I walked up Congress Street, passing Geno's Rock Club with it's injunction 'Post Mad Bills'!

Portland appears to have a lot of interesting looking bookshops eg Yes Books.

The lights from Maine College of Art (MECA) emphasise the building's distinctive glazed frontage. The college is housed in the Chicago-style building with Beaux Arts decoration built in 1904 and expanded in 1911, that was previously the Porteous, Miller and Braun department store in downtown Portland.

It was only another quarter of a mile to reach Novare Res Bier Cafe from MECA. Approached via pedestrian route Canal Plaza which links Union Street and Exchange Street, it is away from traffic and has a spacious outdoor patio. Inside, the brick columns and dim lighting give the impression of a basement space that could have been in Belgium or the Czech Republic.

There are two bars, one on the left for national and international beers and one on the right for Maine beers. I found a bar stool at the smaller 'Maine beers' bar with draft beers listed on a blackboard above the bar in front of the varied glasses.

For my first beer of the evening I chose the Tributary Blueberry Ale (16 oz / $7.25). It had a delightful colour, a refreshing taste and it was nice to see it served in the correct glass. The description from the the Kittery, Maine, based brewery's website reads: 'This Pale Ale based "fruit" beer is brewed with 210 lbs of IQF wild blueberries and 42 lbs aseptic blueberry puree. The result is a light pink hue derived from the skins of the fruit, and a light blueberry flavor. No artificial anything in this fine ale. 5.4% ABV; 15 IBU'.

I looked at the food and beer menus, noting that draught beers from Europe include Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Oud Beersel Oude Vieux Lambiek and Brouwerij de Brabandere Petrus Aged Pale.

When a new customer sat near me at the bar and easily engaged the bartender in conversation, I came to the conclusion that Portland is a friendly place. Joining in, I offered the bartender a copy of Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA magazine. Evan gave me his name and agreed to pose for a photo and keep the magazine for reference.
After mentioning my role as editor of Ullage and that I had booked a place on the Allagash Brewing Co tour at 11.30am the next morning, my neighbour at the bar introduced himself as Sam, involved with guest relations and tours at the brewery. Sam kindly said he would liaise further about my Allagash brewery tour. He also revealed that he and Evan had moved to Portland independently but that they had both previously lived in Wichita, Kansas.

As an independent traveller it was nice to be involved in conversation with Evan and Sam but I didn't want to outstay my welcome or miss the chance to visit another bar in the city and so I made my farewells, stopping to take a photo of the brewery signs (including Magic Rock Brewing) on the way out.

The Thirsty Pig

Sam had suggested a visit to the Thirsty Pig in nearby Market Street where a cask ale might be available. The sausage based menu looked appetising but it was quiet inside and in the courtyard so I headed towards the harbour instead.

In narrow, cobbled, Wharf Street, the kitchen at the Portland Mash Tun had closed at 10pm and so my quest for a late meal could not be satisfied.

The larger premises of the Liquid Riot Bottling Company on the waterfront were also unable to offer a meal at this hour.

Just along the quay, the King's Head, with its English style pub sign, had also stopped serving food and so my tip for visitors is to order food before 10pm when visiting Portland if you want to eat in a bar or pub!
Walking back towards the Greyhound bus station I passed a few restaurants and food outlets that were still open so I did not go to bed hungry!

Novare Res Bier Cafe
4 Canal Plaza, Portland, Maine
Website: novareresbiercafe.com
Twitter: NovareResBierCf
Facebook: NovareResBierCafe
Instagram: novareresbiercafe

Opening Hours (October 2017)
Monday - Thursday  4-1
Friday                        3-1
Saturday & Sunday 12-1

Aeronaut Brewing Co, Somerville, MA - 2017

Aeronaut Brewing Co was one of the places from my 2015 visit that I revisited in 2017, along with the ICA, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Club Passim, Stoddard's pub, Arnold Arboretum, Doyle's cafe and the Sam Adams Brewery Tour.

Built like a Venetian palazzo on Boston's Fenway between 1899-1901, the inner courtyard of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum combines Roman, Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance elements and stone columns with flowers, plants and palm trees and is as memorable as the art collection displayed in the surrounding rooms.

After visiting the museum on Saturday 7 October, 2017, I caught a Green line train to Lechmere on Boston's original subway line, much of which runs above ground.

The sun was setting as I rode the 87 bus from Lechmere to a stop on Somerville Avenue (Central Street). I took a photo and was admonished by a pedestrian striding past for taking a photo 'in the dark'.

Not to be dissuaded, I took a further photo from the steps of St Anthony of Padua parish church in Properzi Way, before arriving at Aeronaut Brewing Co in Tyler Street.

The taproom area of the brewery building was full of young people talking loudly to make themselves heard.

I ordered a tray of my choice of 4 x 5oz measures to sample a variety of beers and managed to find a seat at the end of a table where a small group were playing a Scrabble board game.

My favourites in descending order were Wiesner (6.7% ABV) a hoppy wheat IPA with wheat, spelt and American hops; NEIPA S.M.A.S.H. (7.1%) a juicy New England IPA with Blue Ox malt from Maine and Rakau hops from Massachusetts; Hop Hop and Away (4.8%) a hazy India Session Ale and Bruce Sumac (6.2%) a rosy and tart wheat ale made with wild foraged Sumac.

Perhaps I should have saved some money by ordering the $12 'IPAs for days' feedback flight listed on the printed beer menu which I only noticed later?

The dim lighting makes the large space of the taproom with its high ceilings more intimate. It also allows retro games to be projected onto the walls.

A variety of board games can be borrowed from the bar and there is a collection of arcade games in another area of the brewery building to cater for all tastes.

At 8pm I could move to a small table near the corner stage area which was set up for 'Forrest presents' featuring the house band with guests..

First up was Xenia Dunford playing acoustic guitar and keyboards. The 14 oz beer glass in the foreground holds a favourite beer from my 2015 visit - A Year with Dr Nandu (6.3% ABV -$7) an American IPA brewed with Mosaic and Centennial hops.

Next up was Stace Brandt with soulful vocals and playing electric guitar in a laid back style, backed by the house band, featuring Forrest on bass.

Just as music sounds better with a beer to drink, my latest 16 oz 'pint' glass, of earlier favourite Wiesner, tasted even better with the funky live music from Stace Brandt! After her set, Stace kindly gave me her website and instagram links. It would be great to see Stace playing at Ace Space, Newbury, if she gets a chance to tour the UK one day.

A nice feature of the Aeronaut tap room is that much of the brewery equipment is visible and although the light was dim I was able to take some photos to illustrate this post.
Earlier I had enquired at the bar about Lia Olsborg, who I had met here in 2015. This time, I left a copy of West Berkshire CAMRA's Ullage magazine for her which featured Lia and Aeronaut Brewing Co. (Winter 2015/16 - page 7)

Just after talking to Stace, it was wonderful to spot Lia in the taproom, wearing her brewing clothes and to give her a further copy of Ullage, which she kindly posed with. Lia moved up from a beer cellaring role to become a brewer at Aeronaut in March, 2017. She was able to give me some helpful information about NERAX. When I mentioned that the cask ale in the tap room had sold out, Lia suggested a visit Maverick Marketplace Cafe on my way to Logan airport the next day as John Tyler might be serving Aeronaut's cask ale there (which turned out to be the case!).

After a rewarding evening at Aeronaut Brewing Co, it was time to travel back to Jamaica Plain, starting from the bus stop at Conway Park. Here, a shadowy sign revealed that the park's site was the former location of Bay State Smelting Company which melted down scrap metal to retrieve lead and cadmium inside.

At Central Square, Cambridge, the terminus of the 83 bus, the Moody's Falafal Palace looked appealing from aesthetic and culinary aspects! Subsequent research revealed that the building was originally a White Castle or (imitator) White Tower hamburger restaurant. Both chains were involved in a copyright fight in the 1930s.

Thankfully, the Red Line and Orange Line 'T' trains were still running to get me the rest of the way back to Jamaica Plain.

Thanks to Lia and all at Aeronaut Brewing Co and Stace and all the musicians for another memorable final night in the Boston area. Cheers!

Aeronaut Brewing Co
14 Tyler St, Somerville, MA
Website: www.aeronautbrewing.com 
Twitter: aeronautbrewing
Facebook: aeronautbrewing
Instagram: aeronautbrewing

Taproom opening hours (October 2017):

Mon: 6pm-11pm
Tue - Thu: 5pm-midnight
Fri: 5pm-12:30am
Sat: noon-12:30am
Sun: noon-8pm

Maverick Marketplace Cafe, East Boston

East Boston might be compared to South London - a part of the city you are aware of but might never visit unless you live there or have friends there.

View from Maverick St, Rast Boston towards Charlestown

'Eastie' was neglected and with cheaper rents it housed a relatively high proportion of immigrants. Many residents are now from Central or South America and speak Spanish.

Recently, apartments have been built on the waterfront and LoPresti Park provides harbour views and recreational facilities.

On the afternoon of Sunday 8 October, 2017, the last day of my New England trip, I caught the Blue Line subway / T train towards Wonderland from State to Maverick.

An information board at Maverick station includes a photo of a streetcar emerging from the original tunnel, opened in 1904, which is now used by the MBTA Blue Line.

Above ground, from Maverick Square, an elevated mural shows the same scene.

At La Sultana Bakery, a Colombian bakery situated at the far corner of Maverick Square, I resisted the temptation of a cake or pastry but enjoyed a cup of coffee in a Spanish speaking environment.

Maverick Marketplace lies about 100 metres east along Maverick Street (No. 154). The historic building once housed the Overseers of the Public Welfare. It is now an incubator space for small businesses with retail and office space. It also houses Maverick Marketplace Cafe on the Ground Floor.

John Tyler served me a (16oz) pint of Aeronaut Brewing Co Sanctuary (4.6% ABV), a gluten-reduced saison style beer with minimal sourness, brewed in nearby Somerville. (In an effort to spread awareness of fresh cask ales at Maverick Marketplace Cafe, John and Dan (General Manager) upload YouTube video reviews.)
Lia Olsborg, an Aeronaut brewer and New England Real Ale eXhibition (NERAX) supporter, had kindly suggested this visit to me as Aeronaut's cask ale had all been sold on my brewery taproom visit the previous evening.

John also passed me the cafe's menu and I chose an omelette with home fries from the All Day Breakfast menu on page 2. The kitchen is just behind the cafe's bar which is open for breakfast from 8am (Sundays 9am).

My second pint was a wheat beer brewed by Night Shift Brewing in nearby Everett. Also visible in the photo above are tap handles from previously served beers decorating a high shelf on an inner wall of the cafe.

Looking in the opposite direction, there is a view of ivy covered walls through the window by the bar. At a quiet moment, John had time to chat with me and revealed that he is originally from Norwich and that his father was a CAMRA member.

With a few dollars in my wallet left to spend, and still some time before needing to check in for my flight, it was time for a third and final pint and John recommended nearby Malden's Idle Hands Craft Ales Four Seam (6.6% ABV). This cloudy New England IPA with tropical fruit flavours was one of my favourite beers on this trip and a best seller at the Maverick Marketplace Cafe. Also visible in the photo is the TV behind the bar showing a live baseball match from Boston's Fenway Park between Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros.

It was time to pay my bill and luckily there were enough dollars to include a tip for John and to reduce my luggage by giving him my Original Gravity% magazine. Boston's Logan airport is only a mile from here and easily reached by one stop on the Blue line to Airport station where free Massport shuttle buses link to the five airport terminals.

Maverick Marketplace Cafe - Not your usual bar
154 Maverick Street, East Boston, MA
Tel +1 617-455-6232
Website - www.maverickmarketplacecafe.com
Facebook - Maverick Marketplace Cafe
Opening hours (October 2017)
Mon - Sat  8am - 11pm
Sun            9am - 10.30pm