{"id":14293,"date":"2017-12-28T17:24:14","date_gmt":"2017-12-28T22:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=14293"},"modified":"2018-01-31T15:40:35","modified_gmt":"2018-01-31T20:40:35","slug":"we-do-with-brew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/we-do-with-brew\/","title":{"rendered":"We Do, With Brew"},"content":{"rendered":"

Winterguide 2018 | view this story as .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Move over, champagne. At some weddings, Maine craft beer<\/strong> is becoming the toast of choice.<\/span><\/h3>\n

By Olivia Gunn Kotsishevskaya<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"I<\/span><\/p>\n

Maine has become very famous for its beers, so it\u2019s a natural step to feature them at a wedding,\u201d says Oxbow Brewing<\/strong> founder Tim Adams. \u201cCraft beer is far more popular now in general, but Maine is particularly well known for brewing. Locals are proud of it. They want to showcase what\u2019s produced in our home state.\u201d With two locations\u2013a tasting room and bottling facility on Washington Avenue in Portland and the original farmhouse brewery and tasting room in Newcastle\u2013Oxbow not only provides beer to weddings, they often host them, too. \u201c[The Newcastle brewery] is rustic. We\u2019re not designed to be a wedding venue, we\u2019re designed to be a brewery and a farm, but that\u2019s what people like now,\u201d Adams says. \u201cFor the right couple, it\u2019s perfect. You might hear a couple of chickens squawking during your ceremony, maybe smell some beer brewing. It\u2019s part of the experience.\u201d Add some hops to the bouquet, and that\u2019s just about as authentic as you can get, newlyweds.<\/p>\n

Beer Taste with a Champagne Budget<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Now that the image of a bride in a white dress with pint glass in hand is as accepted as a flute of champagne, couples crave the opportunity to put a personal spin on the brew of the big day\u2013out of joy, shared tastes, personal expression, and a desire to give their guests what they really want. How about this for inspiration: a special beer blend made just for you and your love! Down in Lyman,they\u2019re doing just that.<\/span><\/p>\n

In October, Funky Bow Brewery<\/strong> co-founder Abraham Lorraine married his beloved Sylvia on the \u201cThe Farm,\u201d Funky Bow\u2019s brewery and tap room location, complete with stage, event barns, stables, and farm house. On the spur of the moment, as a gift to themselves and their wedding guests, Abraham brewed a special beer specifically for the occasion\u2013a service Funky Bow now offers to the beer-mad betrothed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Abraham and Sylvia\u2019s wedding was the third hosted at The Farm. Paul Lorraine, Abraham\u2019s father and Funky Bow co-founder, has seen The Farm\u2019s popularity as a ceremonial venue grow steadily in the year since its launch. With 20 acres of natural beauty and beers on location, who needs a wedding planner? \u201cWe\u2019ve got a yurt on the property and can set it up like the Ritz Carlton,\u201d Paul says. Weddings at Funky Bow start \u201cat $1,500,\u201d says Sylvia Lorraine, the brewery\u2019s event coordinator. \u201cWe like to work with both bride and groom to ensure their Maine craft beer wedding becomes a reality.\u201d And there you have it. The niche even has a name: a Maine Craft Beer Wedding.<\/span><\/p>\n

With This Brew, I Thee Wed<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This month, wedding planning brew buffs can add yet another potential venue to their Excel spreadsheets. Portland\u2019s Rising Tide Brewing Company<\/strong> opened the doors to its newly expanded space into the former Maine Craft Distilling<\/strong> tasting room this fall. Kailey Partin says her team is excited about the potential of the new venue, which can hold 100 guests, converging with the growing popularity of Maine\u2019s beers. \u201cI\u2019m not sure people are trading champagne for beer yet, but we get a lot of requests throughout the seasons for cans and kegs,\u201d she says. \u201cPortland is consistently at the top of the list for beer cities. It makes sense to include this Maine experience in your wedding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With the official wedding beer at stake, you can be sure the keg choice will be one decision in which the groom won\u2019t sit idly by. It\u2019s easy to imagine a couple going rounds after round over the perfect brew to offer. \u201cI\u2019d want to know what that person\u2019s style is, what he or she likes. If there is something one or both of them already enjoy, why not make that happen?\u201d says Partin. \u201cWe had one couple who offered their two favorites: the groom liked the Maine Island Trail Ale<\/strong>, and the bride was a fan of the Pisces<\/strong>, our Gose.\u201d In much the same way that certain couples offer personalized cocktails at wedding receptions, the beer choice seems designed to tell us something about the happy pair themselves. <\/span><\/p>\n

W<\/span>here once oysters and champagne toasts over ocean views encapsulated the ultimate Vacationland wedding, it appears many Maine couples are now opting for kegs and cans. Today, craft beers seem a staple of the state\u2013right up there with Bean boots and whoopie pies. At least, until the Royal Wedding triggers a volte-face toward all things traditional. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winterguide 2018
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