52 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine Hungry Eye There’s no shortage of places to imbibe, thanks to the explo- sion of brewery tasting rooms in 2017, including Good Fire Brewing Co., Battery Steele Brewing, and Westbrook’s Yes Brewing. But if you’re all sampled-out of your favorite ales, don’t fret–there’s more to come. “Enjoy your beer–that’s an order!” says Brad Nadeau, founder of Stars & Stripes Brewing, a veteran-owned-and- operated company that plans to open a brewery and taproom in Portland in early 2018. The military-themed brewery, which hit its $20,000 Kickstarter campaign target in December [see “Crowdsourcing a Dream”], will donate a portion of its proceeds to veterans organizations. “Our name says it all. It’s patriotic,” says Nadeau, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Booze News JULY 7-14 Maine Potato Blossom Festival Visit beautiful Aroostook County for the annual Maine Potato Blossom Festival this July. Over 100 performances, contests and activities round out what is undoubtedly the state’s biggest homage to the potato, including a… potato blossom pageant? You’ll just have to show up in Fort Fairfield to see it for yourself. fortfairfield.org 9-14 Central Maine Egg Festival Truly the event of the year in Pittsfield, ME, the an- nual Central Maine Egg Festival celebrates the humble egg in style. You’ll never view eggs the same way again after witnessing the “Egglympics.” centralmaineeggfestival.org 13-15 Moxie Festival Held in Lisbon, ME since 1982, the annual Moxie Festival is a Maine tradi- tion like no other. Cel- ebrate the origins of one of the world’s most eccen- tric beverages with other Moxie lovers from across the country. Did we men- tion we still love the taste all these years later? moxiefestival.com 20-22 Maine Celtic “Our mission is to make great beer for great people. We want to bring everyone, veterans and veterans’ families especially, together to talk and share stories.” Beyond Portland, newcomer Nuts and Bolts Brewing plans to set up shop in Biddeford by spring, while Brickyard Hollow Brewing will open a taproom in Yarmouth. Lone Pine Brewing recently purchased space in Gorham to increase their production. But it’s not all hops. Blue Lobster Wine Company, having mastered the craft of canned wine, plans to forge ahead with a tasting room in Portland. “Our rosé and Bayside Blend have been really well received around town. We’re stoked,” says owner Chris Gamble. “We’re current- ly sampling wines that we plan to bring into our East Bayside facility to have available by spring.” –By Madison Andrews