Growlers - the best way to drink beer at home

If you have been following my blog lately you will have noticed a lot of growlers purchased and reviewed. Most growlers are sold directly from the brewery at times convenient for the brewers. This is beer that comes straight from the kegs into a 64 ounce glass container, capped and sent home with you and in my opinion the very best way to enjoy craft beer at your home, family gathering or other event. I have growlers from most of the Maine breweries that offer them and refill them as often as possible. They store well in the refrigerator and will last 7-10 days if unopened (in theory they could last a lot longer but somehow they never do in my fridge as they opened and consumed shortly after purchase). Once opened you have a couple of days to finish. 64 ounces is 4 pints of beer so for me 2 pints a night for 2 nights and it is gone. Below is a recap and photos of growlers from several Maine breweries.

Oxbow Brewing Company - Newcastle Maine

Oxbow is one of my favorite breweries and if you want to enjoy their beer at home you have to visit their brewery between 2:00 and 6:00 on a Friday afternoon / evening. This is the only time the brewery is open for growler fills. I do not recall the cost for growlers but I believe it is $15 for a new growler and $12 for a refill. Whatever the cost is this is money well spent as every beer from Oxbow is top notch and unlike anything else you will get in Maine. They also distribute kegs to bars and restaurants in Maine and Washington DC so keep an eye out for their clear tap handles and if Oxbow is on tap give it a try. 

Tim & Geoff are great and you will enjoy the time you spend at Oxbow checking out the artwork and brewery. I believe sales are cash only so make sure you plan ahead.

Rising Tide Brewing Company - Portland Maine

Rising Tide only recently started selling growlers after moving their brewery to Fox Street in Portland. They have installed a tasting room and will be filling growlers from 4-7 on Tuesdays and Thursdays / 12-3 on Fridays and Saturdays with tours at 1:00 on most Fridays and Saturdays. Nathan and Heather have an excellent brewery and are great people, again you will enjoy your time at the brewery and certainly will enjoy the beer.

Cost was around $17 for the first full growler and I believe it was $11 for refills. Cash is preferred however they will run a credit or debit card if needed. I will be down there on Tuesday and will update this post with the accurate cost then. 

Read more after the break

218. Oxbow Saison Noel

Monday I made my first visit to Ebenezer's Pub in Lovell, ME. I went with my wife, her sister and her husband and we were basically the only ones there which was surprising. They had 35 different beers on tap including the Oxbow Saison Noel which was great as I had not had a chance to try this one.

Appearance is a very dark almost black with some hints of red, minimal lacing on the glass and the aroma was full of dark fruit. Taste was complex with plenty of dark fruit flavors and a slight bitter finish. Definitely worth trying if you can find it somewhere or if they bring it back next year. Really enjoy the stuff from the guys in Newcastle.

Pros: Complex flavor

Cons: Hard to find

Alcohol Content: 7.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Oxbow Beer

Brewers Description:

Mash:   Wheat, US Pale, Peat Smoked, Crystal 

Hops:    American 

Fermentation:    Saison Yeast

Flavor Profile:   Wet Stone, Dark Fruit, Leather, and Tobacco

209. Oxbow Funkhaus IPA

I picked up 3 growlers last time I visited Oxbow. One of them I sent out to Vermont in return for some Hill Farmstead, Heady Topper and a few others you will be reading about here soon. The other two I kept for my brother in laws birthday party. One was a Farmhouse Pale Ale which I previously reviewed here and the other was this growler of Funkhaus IPA.


The beer is a pale orange color with a slight head. Aroma has plenty of citrus and some earthy notes. Taste is excellent, hard to describe and not like most other IPAs as the hops are not as prevalent but they are certainly there. Funkhaus is an appropriate name for this one as it does have some "funk" to it. Drinks very easy for a 7.5% ABV beer and my brother in law and I both really enjoyed this one. 
Pros: Easy to drink and different than most IPAs

Cons: Only available at the brewery or on tap

Alcohol Content: 7.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Oxbow Brewing

Brewers Description: 

Mash:  Pilsner Malt, Wheat, Aromatic, Light Crystal

Hops:   American

Fermentation: Mixed Culture Primary Fermentation with Brettanomyces and Saison Yeast  

Flavor Profile:  Citrus, Herbal, Pungent, Spicy, Funk

Maine Beer Series at Frontier with Oxbow Brewing.

As I mentioned in my prior post I attended the first Maine Beer Series presentation at Frontier in Brunswick on Thursday. This was a 2 hour session with Oxbow Brewing owner Geoff Masland and his wife Dash representing the brewery. Geoff did a great job with the presentation including photos, video and the complete story of how Oxbow came to be. He also went into some of the challenges they have overcome being located in a small town in rural Maine and a history of the saison style. The 2 hours of the presentation went by very quickly and there were 25-30 people in attendance. During the session they provided samples of Space Cowboy, Freestyle #3 Dark Saison and at the end we got to try the first bottled beer from Oxbow Brewing. This is a barrel aged version of their flagship beer Farmhouse Pale Ale. The beer has been aging at the brewery for months and it will not be on sale for a few more weeks. Tentative date of 4/14 for the release at the brewery.


Frontier did an excellent job as host of the event keeping sample glasses full, providing quality hors d'oeuvres and the space was a perfect setting for this kind of event. Ample parking and easy to find. They already have 2 more events scheduled - April 12th with Marshall Wharf Brewing and June 14th with Maine Beer Company. I expect to attend each and would recommend any fan of craft beer to do the same. 

176. Oxbow Freestyle No 3 - Black Saison

First I have to say I am so glad I was able to take a picture outside as the sun is up after 5:00 now in Maine which makes things a lot easier. The quality of pictures taken inside is terrible compared to the normal setting of my deck rail. If you look back to last Summer/Fall you will see the same backdrop as this picture with vibrant green and fall colors. Hopefully the rest of the pictures until November will be taken outside. This was taken at the end of the growler - 64 ounces of beer is perfect for a weekend especially when it is 7.5% ABV. The Freestyle #3 is a Black Saison which is almost perfect. The beer pours black (what a surprise for a black saison :) with a small head that leaves a bit of lacing. Aroma has plenty of malt and taste is great. There is a bit of coffee in there, just a small amount of sweetness but very well balanced and goes down very easy for a 7.5% beer. The 64 ounce growler was gone in 2 nights and although I have a beer almost every night it is usually limited to a single 22 oz bomber so finishing a growler in 2 nights means it was a good beer. If you live in Maine or even New Hampshire take the drive to Newcastle on a Friday afternoon and visit Oxbow. I was there for 15-20 minutes talking beer with Tim Adams (head brewer) last Friday and it was a great time. Will certainly be back for more Oxbow in the coming weeks.
Pros: Dark, strong and flavorful.

Cons: Only available on tap or growlers at the brewery

Alcohol Content: 7.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Oxbow

Brewers Description:

Mash:   British Pale, Belgian Chocolate Malt, Belgian Crystal, Belgian Coffee Malt, Specialty B, Aromatic

Hops:   American, European

Fermentation:    Saison Yeast

Flavor Profile:   Deeply Kilned Malts, Italian Roasted Coffee, Pepper

Abv:     7.5%

165. Oxbow Farmhouse Pale Ale

I stopped by Oxbow Brewing in Newcastle on Friday and met the brewer Tim Adams. Very nice guy and it is always fun to talk with a brewer. Also got to sample the 3 beers they had available and ended up with 2 growlers to take home. If I didn't already have a refrigerator full of beer I probably would have taken home one of each. The Farmhouse Pale Ale is their flagship beer, the original and always available. The color of this one is what you would expect from a pale ale with a one finger head that leaves a fair amount of lacing. Aroma has a bit of everything; some citrus notes, floral hops and a bit of yeast and spice. Taste is hard to describe; dry is the first thing that comes to mind but in a good way. Plenty of hops and a bit of bread and some spice. ABV is 6% but it does not drink like it and since you get a 64 ounces in a growler this can be dangerous. This is another beer that works well in any season. I happened to drink this on a warm winter day (40+ degrees in Maine in February) and I am sure it would be just as good on a hot summer day. 
Pros: Aroma, color, easy to drink

Cons: Only available on tap or growlers at the brewery

Alcohol Content: 6% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Oxbow

Brewers Description:

Mash:   Pilsner Malt, Wheat, Aromatic, Light Crystal

Hops:   American

Fermentation:    Saison Yeast

Flavor Profile:    Citrus, Herbal, Rustic, Dry

Abv:     6%

Availability: Year Round