Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100w i n t e r g u i d e 2 0 1 7 4 1 15 PORTLAND SYMPHONY WINE DINNER & AUCTION Hosted once again at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, this annual fundraiser com- bines glamour with gourmet. Wine is the nucleus of the event, and 2017 means divine vintages from Germany, France, and Aus- tria. Chefs Sam Hayward (Fore Street and Scales), Brian Hill (Francine Bistro), Krista Kern Desjarlais (The Purple House, Bresca & the Honey Bee), and Cara Stadler (Tao Yuan, BaoBao Dumpling House, and Lio) share the kitchen with the Harraseeket’s Troy Mains, creating perfect dishes to complete pairings. 773-6128, portlandsymphony.org 24 FREE ICE CREAM CONE DAY Spring marks the return of lots of good things in Maine, Gifford’s Ice Cream includ- ed. At all five of its family-owned shops in Skowhegan, Farmington, Bangor, Waterville, and Auburn, the shops celebrate the start of the season with free cone day. Snow or no, it’s never too cold for free dessert. giffordsicecream.com 26 BRISKET DERBY Fuel up to shred the slopes with a day’s worth of barbecue tastings and competi- tions to benefit the Sunday River Communi- ty Fund. The day pairs a brisket cook-off fea- turing “the best BBQ this side of anywhere” with an exhibition by local fire departments in which firefighters will race a slalom course in full turnout gear. As Sunday River puts it, “a smoke show like no other.” sundayriver.com 26 CHILI CHOWDER CHALLENGE Chili and chowder cook-offs are never far away in the Pine Tree State, but none can compare to Augusta’s annual Chili Chowder Challenge. Local restaurants battle for the glory at the Augusta Armory while raising funds for the Augusta Children’s Center. chilichowederchallenge.com 26 MAINE MAPLE SUNDAY Maple farms across Maine offer tastings, syrup-making demonstrations, and sweets to satisfy your sweet tooth. mainemapleproducers.com Mar. 31 - Apr. 1 SPRING FESTIV AL Sunday River continues a yearly tradi- tion of food, music, and Margarita Mix-Off among local bartenders, plus a key lime pie eating contest. Live music and rousing rounds of Sip ‘n’ Flip keep the fun going all week long. sundayriver.com April 2 CHOCOLATE LOVERS FLING The most delicious fundraiser in Maine re- turns to South Portland’s Marriott at Sable J ustincaseyouwereworriedthe momentumbehindtheMainecraft brewingmovementcouldnotsustain itselfanylonger,fearnot.Thecomingyear lookssettowelcomeevenmoreopenings andexpansionsbylocalbrewers.InMaine, craftbeerremainsking. EastBaysideoriginalsBunkerBrew- inghavemadethejourneysouthtoalarger spaceinLibbytown.The9,000-square-foot breweryandtastingroomwillbesituated justastone’sthrowfromBissellBrothers brewery…andtheCumberlandCountyJail. InitsfouryearsonAndersonStreet,own- ersChrestenSorensonandJayVillani(of SalvageBBQ,Local188,andSonny’sfame) sawEastBaysidetransformfromindustri- alwastelandtooneofthecity’shottestnew spots.PerhapsthemovetoLibbytownisa signalofthingstocome? JoiningtheranksofFoundation,All- agash,andAustinStreet,BatterySteelewill bethenewkidontheblockatOneIndustri- alWaycomeFebruary.OwnersShaneNo- bleandJakeCondoncuttheirteethwork- ingatGrittyMcDuff’sbrewpubsoverthe yearsbeforedecidingtogoitalone.“We knowwehavetohitthepavementrun- ning,”saysCondon.“Therearesomany discerningpalatesaroundPortland.We grewuponfarmsinAroostookCounty,so ourgoalistouseasmanylocallysourced andsustainablygrownMaine-basedprod- uctsaspossible.Inthefallof2017,ourgoal istostartusinggrainsfromaMainefarmer thatwereplantedespeciallyforus.” OverinWestbrook,joiningtheranksof MastLandingBrewingwillbetheaffirma- tivelynamedYesBrewingCo.on609Main Street,slatedtoopeninApril2017.We quizzedownerJohnBigelowonhisdecision toopenoutsideofPortland.“Portlandisab- solutelysaturated.[Westbrook]isjustfar enoughawayfromthecitythatwegetthat littlebitmorenotoriety…nottomention justthatthetownitselfisphenomenal.” A casualty of the craft brewing boom, D.L. Geary Brewing Co., a.k.a. the one that started it all in 1983, has reported- ly taken a cut in production due to de- creased demand following stiff competi- tion from its younger counterparts. Ac- cording to statistics from the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages, Geary’s production went down by 34.5 percent between 2011 and 2015. Meanwhile, craft breweries made 113.8% more beer in 2015 than in 2011. As more breweries establish them- selves in the state (59 in total, according to figures from Brewers Association in 2015) brewers are having to fight to slake the thirst of an increasingly competitive mar- ket. Multiple requests for comment have been rebuffed. No Sign of Slowing