Kennebec Valley beer trail

IPA and oysters at Outland Farms Brewery,Pittsfield
IPA and oysters at Outland Farms Brewery,Pittsfield

Cheers to local brews!

The Kennebec Valley is home to over a dozen craft brewers. Paying tribute to the area’s historic past in their naming is Cushnoc Brewing Co. in Augusta or, in nearby Gardiner, Bateau Brewing’s Four Oars IPA. The Liberal Cup in Hallowell offers English-style, house-made beers to wash down some Bangers & Smash.

In Monmouth, Grateful Grain Brewing is worth a taste; they make their beers with Maine-grown hops, malts, and organic grains. Nearby in Winthrop, van der Brew
serves their brews near the shores of Maranacook Lake. Skowhegan offers choices: Oak Pond Brewery or Bigelow Brewing Company. One of the first and the northern-most, Kennebec River Brewery up in The Forks is the perfect place to relax after a day of rafting on the river.

Many of these local breweries offer food, whether it be a full menu or wood-fired pizza. Others sell snacks, host food trucks, or allow you to bring your own food.

Download the EXPLORER App for a self-guided tour with map and brewery descriptions.

Brew Fests

Snow Pond on Tap, held on the grounds of Snow Pond Center for the Arts in Sidney, is Maine’s only lakeside beer festival. Sample from over 30 brewers at The Taste in Waterville. Augusta’s Kennebec River Brewfest delivers beer, food truck, and live music in Mill Park. Labor Day weekend marks the annual Skowhegan Craft Brew Fest, where you can sample the product of 30 Maine makers. Gardiner closes out the season in October with their Swine & Stine Craft Brew Fest.

View over Water Street during Skowhegan Craft Brew Fest
View over Water Street during Skowhegan Craft Brew Fest
Cocktails featuring Tree Spirits locally crafted products.

Wine, spirits, and Cider too

Tree Spirits Winery & Distillery in Oakland makes wines, brandy, and a hand-crafted maple spirit, called Knotted Maple. They are New England’s only absinthe producer and now offer a line of mixers named subLime. 

Gardiner’s Sebago Lake Distillery focuses on creating small-batch craft rums, while fans of fruit wines should try Two Hogs Winery in Vassalboro. The region’s newest offering, Absolem Cider Company in Winthrop, serves house ciders alongside wines, beers, cocktails, snacks, and rotating food pop-ups.

Bateau Brewing in Gardiner
Bateau Brewing in Gardiner
van der Brew tasting room.
van der Brew tasting room.
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