For the month of November I visited quite a few breweries in various states ranging from the top of the east coast in Maine to the bottom of the eastern side of the country, down in Florida. In spirit of all that I can’t pick just one beer to highlight so I will feature here my top local beer for the month, along with my top Florida beer for the month. I will review a couple from each brewery but highlight my top two. Let’s start in New England with two local breweries out of Maine that I ventured up to visit after a listener mention my blog & they contacted me. They are Southern Maine Brewing Company & York Beach Beer Company out of York, Maine. They’re both owned by the same people & I had the privilege of visiting & sampling beers from both places & they did not disappoint!
York Beach Brewing Company:
This was a fun, cool spot that my friends & I enjoyed hanging out in. The outside patio looked like a great place to drink, play outdoor games like corn hole, and hang with friends during the warmer months! These are my two top beers while visiting: Flannel Sombrero & Miss Jen. Flannel Sombrero tastes just like a corona and I love it! Refreshing, light, hint of lime, & served with a lime. Corona is my go to casual drinking beer and this Flannel Sombrero I dare say might be beer than Corona so I give it a 9.5 out of 10 for a light beer. Then Miss Jen was the most unique beer I’ve had as of late. Very unique, very light & refreshing. It’s a coffee flavored beer that is surprising light and not very traditionally stout like. The coffee flavor hits you right away & you can smell it. I found this beer to be an enjoyable treat. I give it a 7.5 out of 10. I recommend you definitely try it for yourself.
Southern Maine Brewing Company:
This cozy taproom makes you feel like you’re down the road from a local ski lodge hanging having a drink with some locals. It’s a cool vibe. One of my beer picks for the month out of New England comes from this brewery & that is the Peanut Butter Whoopie Pie. This 6.3% ABV stout is quite the tasty & unique beer that you can’t find anywhere else! It’s sweet, it’s packed with flavor, and it perfectly balances the malt sweetness of the stout style with peanut butter and chocolate. It’s really quite tasty & I give it a 9.3 out of 10. I’m picking this beer as the local highlight of the month because of its unique flavor & stout style that reminds me of a perfect dessert this Thanksgiving month.
As for my southern visit to Naples, Florida I visited a brewery down there called Riptide Brewing Company and I think it’s worth mentioning in case we have any readers/listeners who venture down there. First off when I got there they were doing a dog photo shoot for a charity calendar and all these dogs were at the brewery so I felt like I was in heaven! After patting the dogs for a bit I eventually ordered a flight & let me tell you I might have found my new favorite drinking beer! The beer I highlight and choose as November’s out of New England/Southern beer of the month is The Great Wit. Omg, this beer has coriander, orange, and lemon notes that make my mouth happy. It’s a 5% ABV Belgian White beer. I liked this beer so much I give it a 9.8 out of 10! I’m quite honestly upset this is not available in my area...I might be going back to Naples, Florida...
That’s some of my November brewery adventures for you. Until next month, stay refreshed & be responsible while doing it!
-Lightning