Microbreweries
The Kennebec and Moose River Valleys boasts three distinguished microbreweries, the first located in Hallowell, another in Skowhegan and the final in The Forks. On your list of things to do should be: to indulge in the locally famous beer cheese soup, take a tour of the beer making process, and to spend the night at an adventure resort/microbrewery. Here’s a bit more on the brews that will be sure to get your taste buds going.
Since 2000 The Liberal Cup Public House and Brewery has been serving the people of Kennebec Valley fresh beers brewed on premises and delicious homemade food. Throughout the year we brew 23 different styles of ales and lagers, providing our customers with a rotating variety of choices. Our pub is the only place in the world to try our beers, so it's worth the trip for that alone. But we also have a wide-ranging menu that will appeal to everyone who likes real food cooked from scratch, everything from pot roast and fish 'n chips to salads and our locally famous beer/cheese soup. All of this in an intimate old building in historical Hallowell. It's like going to England, but with better food!
Oak Pond Brewery, known to the locals as OPB, is a true hand-crafted microbrewery. Owned and operated by Don and Nancy Chandler, this small brewery does it all. The couple does everything from brewing to bottling and distributing the beer. OPB brews five ales and lagers year round with seasonal brews rounding out the taps to six. Beer is available for purchase in 22 ounce bottles or the ever popular 1/2 gallon growler. Nancy or Don is available for a tour to explain the beer making process, and sampling the beer as you learn about how it was made makes the tour even more fun! Located east of Skowhegan just off of Route 2, the OPB 14 barrel brew house is open for business Monday through Friday from 3 to 5:30 PM and Saturday from 12:30 to 5:30 PM.
Located on-site at Northern Outdoors a four-season adventure resort based in The Forks, Maine, the Kennebec River Brewery enjoys a place among the top ten brewers in the state, producing and selling almost 400 barrels of beer annually. Head brewer, Mike McConnell summed up the philosophy of the Kennebec River Brewery by noting, "Our goal is give people what they’re looking for; a fresh, delicious beer made with the finest ingredients and produced in small batches.”Brewed on site and served seven days a week at the pub and restaurant located in Northern Outdoors’ main lodge, these beers range in flavor from light and fizzy, to aromatic and fruity, to downright hoppy and bitter.
