Beer people are good people. This fact was apparent at the first meeting of the Woodman’s Beer Society on Sunday, March 24. The combination of fresh beer supplied by the Craft Beer Guild of Maine — a newer distributor in the state — fresh food, a venue supplied by Woodman’s Bar and Grill and good company supplied by beer enthusiasts, ranging from University of Maine undergrads, alumni and professors, to beer bloggers and friends, all led to an example of the power of beer to bring people together. In other words, the first meeting of Woodman’s Beer Society exemplifies what has made the craft beer movement so successful.
The event featured a tasting, conducted by Sean Connell, a representative of Craft Beer Guild of Maine.
“We’ve only been working in Maine for about a year,” Connell said. “We started in the Portland to Kittery area, and this coming year we hope to bring even more brands to the state.”
Connell was keen to emphasize that Maine was one of the pioneers of the craft brewing movement, calling the influx of new brands a “second wave” for the craft beer industry in Maine.
“We want to bring Maine beer drinkers closer to the brews from the rest of the country,” he said.
To that end, Connell led a tasting of eight beers for about 50 guests, who then voted on which two beers should go on draft at Woodman’s. On offer were several brands, ranging from a light pilsner, a refreshing and alcoholic ginger beer, several varieties of India pale ales and an infused porter.
The pilsner and hybrid cream ale-IPA were brewed by Sixpoint Brewing. Sixpoint Crisp, the pilsner, had a light and refreshing bite. If spring ever actually shows up, it would be a perfect choice for a warm-weather drinking session.
Sweet Action, the hybrid cream ale and IPA — one of the author’s picks to go on draft — had more body and bready notes, but it was light and hoppy enough to stand up to warmer weather as well. Lagunitas India Pale Ale was well balanced at 6.2 percent ABV, but it was without the taste-bud-destroying tendencies of many other pale ales, due to a softer, maltier finish.
The hoppiest beer Connell served was the Green Flash West Coast IPA. At 95 international bittering units and 7.3 percent ABV, this beer is a hop beast and an excellent example of the piney and citrusy notes en vogue among breweries across the nation. Also from Green Flash was the very drinkable Hop Head Red, a combination red ale and IPA.
A little different, Crabbie’s alcoholic ginger beer stood out at as a sweet and spicy beer-soda brew that many found too sweet, but others agreed that it showed a great deal of promise as an ingredient in a variety of mixed drinks.
The last from Lagunitas Brewing was the A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale — a 50-50 wheat and barley IPA. Instead of being noticeably bitter, the Sumpin’ Sumpin’ was the most floral of the tastings. It was also the author’s second pick to go on draft, because of its balance and complexity. However, at 7.5 percent ABV, drinking more than two glasses should be accompanied by a sober driver.
Last was the Vanilla Porter from Breckenridge Brewing, with a creamy mouth feel, a light body and an up-front burst of vanilla flavor that might be a little too rich to have much more than a pint of for some, but it was well worth a taste.
While attendees lined up to try the various brews, two representatives from Central Street Farmhouse — a home brewing and DIY craft store located in downtown Bangor — spoke about the brewing process. They spoke briefly about the four basic ingredients of beer, which are water, grain, yeast and hops, but they also noted that the combinations of these simple ingredients are endless. Home brewers, he said, go far beyond the basics to experiment with spices, herbs and even candy bars — 3 Musketeers, to be specific.
Teddy Wilheit and Brett Lerner, two attendees, were enthusiastic about the tasting and the spread supplied by the Woodmans’ kitchen.
“It’s awesome to see an event like this in Orono,” Lerner said.
“It’s great to see something like this done right,” Wilheit said. “I can’t wait to see how this develops.”
Abe Furth, co-owner of Woodman’s and mastermind of the event expressed similar feelings of excitement, but he was thankful to the people who were committed to coming to the events.
“We decided to change the pricing to a per-event fee, instead of one up front fee, so that it was more flexible for people,” Furth said. “But I love the fact that we have such a diverse group here.”
At the end of the afternoon, the Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ placed first with 19 votes, while the Green Flash Hop Head Red took second with 18 votes. The first runner up was the Six Point Crisp. Ultimately, however, the attendees won. An assortment of individuals met, simply due to their shared enjoyment of new brews and good company. When you’re with beer people, it’s hard not to have a good time.