Maine beer trail

Pirate couple at Lubec, Maine Pirate Invasion

Lubec Pirate Invasion – Free and Fun for All in DownEast Maine

by Deb C November 30, 2020

The Lubec Pirate Invasion is a free and fun for all festival in DownEast Maine. Excepting 2020, it is an annual event on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. The good people of Lubec gather at the waterfront to defend their small town from the pirates coming from the city of Eastport. The invaders come not only by sea, but also by land and air.

Here’s the schedule for 2022:

Click image for enlarged view. (Not responsible for changes in this schedule which was published August 22, 2022.)

Every year it gets better.

You can also find information on The Lubec Community Bulletin Board on Facebook.

The Lubec Pirate Invasion – A Newer Tradition with Historic Roots

Both Eastport and Lubec are in the Easternmost part of the United States and on the Bay of Fundy. As maritime settlements, their histories are tied into the sea. Also as border communities, their histories are also rich with invasions, enemy occupations, smuggling, shipwrecks, pirating, and other sea-related activities.

Twenty years ago, in 2005, Eastport established the annual Eastport Pirate Festival on the weekend after Labor Day. As a lead up to, and extension of the festival, in 2008, Eastport began “invading” Lubec on Labor Day Weekend. Thus began the Lubec Pirate Invasion, free and fun for all in DownEast, Maine.

It’s a fun and easy activity, as it’s only about a half hour boat ride between Lubec and Eastport. On clear days, you can see Eastport across the bay from Lubec. By car, it’s about a 45 minute ride. Both Eastport and Lubec have small airports and a plane ride might take 15 minutes. While there is a core group of “defenders” and “pirates” all are welcome to come in pirate or colonial style costumes and join in.

Lubec prepares to defend the town from the Pirate Invasion

Around 9 a.m. Lubeckers and friendly tourists dressed in colonial period and buccaneer style garb gather on the hill and waterfront overlooking the town dock. They are armed with water buckets, water balloons, and other water weapons, ready to defend the town. Water Street is blocked off for pedestrian traffic.

Some of the restaurants, like Cohill’s and Water Street Tavern, offer “dutch courage” in the form of drink specials. Cohill’s, which overlooks the town dock, has a deck overlooking Water Street and a view of the dock.

Frank’s Dockside and TakeOut (now closed) set up an outside beer garden one year. The Lubec Brewery opened its own beer garden.

Local organizations, crafts people, and vendors set up tables with goods, children’s activities, and raffles.

The Lubec Pirate Invasion: By sea, land, and air

Around 9:30 a.m. on Labor Day Saturday, boats and ships bearing flags with skull and crossbones come around the islands in the waters between Eastport and Lubec. They advance to the dock, some with flares.

The boats are a mix of private and charter boats offering pirates round trip voyages to Lubec and back to Eastport.

As the “pirate” ships pull up to the dock, small planes appear, coming from Eastport. As they pass over the waiting townsfolk and visitors, they may drop streams of toilet paper. One or two of the planes may have a “Jolly Roger” flag tied underneath.

As the pirate crews disembark, they brandish their weapons – super soakers and plastic swords. They dip the super soakers in the water by the dock to load their weapons. Surging up the boat ramp, they are met with townsfolk also armed with their water weapons.

As soakings commence, a rumbling announces the invasion by land. A group of pirates on motorcycles and carrying smoke flares roars through the waterfront streets. Pulling up in front of Cohill’s, they line up their bikes, dismount, and take to the streets in search of brews and booty.

After a good natured soaking fest, the pirates and Lubeckers settle down. The pirates and defenders wander along Water Street, stopping at the vendors, shops, and the Farmers Market. Many in costume good-naturedly pose for photos. Some enjoy beverages in their tankards, while others take to the Lubec Brewery beer garden or the restaurants along Water Street. Fortified, mid-morning a tug of war takes place, Eastport vs. Lubec.

No two Invasions alike as Eastport Pirates attack Lubec

In 2019, for the first time, British Redcoat and Machias Revolutionary War Patriot Re-enactors were also on hand to engage with the invaders. The Redcoats fired muskets and cannon as the pirates approached the waterfront.

Also in 2019, Lubec organizers added a pirate parade and boat races and some other family activities to the mix. Every year is a bit different from the previous year. The DownEast Dragonfly Bar and Grill offered a Pig Roast and costume party with a local band.

But wait, there’s more to the Pirates Invasion of Lubec

While the Pirates Invasion and “Occupation” of Lubec runs until about 1 p.m. There is a time gap before other activities. On Water Street, you can visit the historic Smokehouse complex and Lubec Landmarks gallery, as well as shops with locally made crafts.

A few miles away you can visit the famed “candy-striped” West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. On the way there you will pass the Lubec Channel Lighthouse, A.K.A. “The Sparkplug” and other galleries and shops. There are hiking trails by the lighthouse, as well as off Rt. 189, the lone road/route in and out of town. You can also stop in at Monica’s Chocolate’s or book a whale watch cruise.

Visiting Canada is allowed again, if you have your passport with you, and you fulfill whatever the current COVID protocol is, (at one point you had to fill out a form online) you can cross over the FDR bridge to the Canadian Island Campobello, which boasts the Roosevelt International Park, great scenic views, whale watch tours, and Herring Cove Golf Course and Restaurant.

View of Mulholland Lighthouse on Campobello Island, Canada from Lubec, Maine waterfront.

You can also make your way over to Eastport by car or ferry for the annual Salmon Festival which features salmon dinners, a street market, art auction, music, a boat trip to salmon pens and more.

To find out more about the Lubec Pirate Invasion and other town events and festivals, visit: https://www.visitlubecmaine.com/

See other posts with information about Lubec here:

Picnic with a million dollar view in Lubec, Maine

DownEast Maine Fourth of July Fun

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November 30, 2020 0 comment

Craft Beer Adventures Maine Beer Trail

On the Maine Beer Trail – 2 Feet Brewing, Bangor

by Deb C November 14, 2019

During a trip to Maine, we looked for a craft brewery in Bangor near our motel and decided to check out 2 Feet Brewing, 80 Columbia St., Downtown. We found it on a street parallel to Main Street. There’s a parking lot across the street as well as on-street parking.

The brewpub has a narrow storefront with a few patio sets outside. It was a dark and cool night with no one outside and it took a minute or so to determine where the door is. Their sign is round and mounted perpendicular to the building. Once inside we were warmly welcomed and found a cozy atmosphere.

The tap room is in an old building and has some exposed beams and a tin ceiling. Some of the furnishings were re-purposed from an area restaurant that had closed. It had a nice, friendly vibe.

Bar made with barrel staves at 2 Feet Brewing

The Beer at 2 Feet Brewing

They had six beers on tap when we visited. The two brewers like to experiment and it shows. The selections were: Barn Burner with roasted jalapeno and ghost pepper Saison; Harvest Ale, a wet hopped pale ale, Lil’ Unfortunate IPA made with Belma Hops; Machon, an Irish Red with Saffron; Pop Goes the Weasel, an amber ale with Mulberry; Highland Breeze, Scottish with mint.

Beer and Beverage chalkboard menu at 2 Feet Brewing

A five ounce sample is $2, a pint $5. They offered flights of three beers for $5, or six for $8. Growlers are $9.50 for 32 oz. and $19 for 64 oz. Definitely one of the most reasonably priced breweries we’ve come across.

We ordered the flight of six so we could sample each beer. We looked over the menu that they labeled as finger foods, although a few require silverware. Pretzels are always calling to us so we ordered the Spent Grain pretzels served with Raye’s mustard, a product of Maine, and great beer cheese, only $5. We added an order of Siamese Devils – a plate of six curried deviled eggs topped with pickled ginger, only $3.75. We’d never had such an appetizer so thought we’d try them.

Beer flights at 2 Feet Brewing — Beer Flights at 2 Feet Brewing

The deviled eggs, served on a chilled plate, appeared moments later. The beer and pretzels weren’t far behind. The beer cheese was served in a handled ramekin with a metal insert and had been heated up in an oven, not a microwave. We were hungry after our four hour drive and they looked so appetizing, we ate them before I thought to take a photo.

The pretzels didn’t disappoint, but my husband love, love, loved the eggs. He likes to cook and try new things. Now he is planning to make some the next time we have a family gathering.

We enjoyed each of the beers. Each was interesting in it’s own way. The Pop Goes the Weasel and the Highland Breeze were the most intriguing in flavor. We like hoppy IPA’s so the Lil’ Unfortunate was less hoppy to our palates. Still good.

More on the Menu at 2 Feet Brewing

For those who prefer wine, 2 Feet offers a selection from Maine wineries. It also offers wine spirits, mead, cider, soda, and coffee. They make their food onsite and their menu includes wings, Maine lobster rangoon, cheese and onion enchiladas, stuffed mushrooms, and a Maine lobster pot pie. They also have dessert of the day. It was hard to ignore a sumptuous cake under glass behind the bar, but we did.

If you visit 2 Feet’s Facebook page, you will get an idea of the delectable cakes and food that is served there.

2 Feet Brewing and the Bangor Area Beer Trail

The jacket of the menu of 2 Feet included a copy of a brochure and map that the owners created to guide beer lovers to other area breweries and brew houses. After studying the map we realized that there was a brew house we weren’t aware of, just one street over and within walking distance.

It was still early in the evening. As they served food, too, we decided to go there for dinner and check out their beer list. This was an adventure as we aren’t into bar hopping. We took a photo of the cook/co-owner Nit-Noi Ricker and the bartender, before we left 2 Feet.

We went for the beer, but found a whole lot more: great food, great prices, and friendly welcoming folks. We’ll be back.

See another of our stops on the Maine Beer Trail here.

Keeping track of your craft beer adventures

The Maine Brewers Guild distributes a free Maine Beer Trail brochure. You can either download one from their website or pick up a hard copy at member breweries. Get rewarded for visiting breweries if you have a brewery staff member checkoff, sign and date the brochure when you visit. You can earn a hat, t-shirt, or a prize pack, if you visit 10 or more breweries.

If you want to keep more detailed records of where you went and what beer you enjoyed, you might like Keeping Up with Craft Beers: A Journal for Your Tasting Adventures. You can list up to 100 beers, as well as list breweries and brew pubs you liked as well as beer festivals.

I prefer writing in a journal to digital notes. I worked on the journal after I realized that the breweries often add to and change their beer offerings. It was becoming a challenge to remember which ones I like and those that I don’t. We just dropped into a brewery that we hadn’t visited in about a year and I pulled out my journal and consulted my notes before ordering. My notes helped me avoid ordering a beer I didn’t care for and getting one I hadn’t tried before that I enjoyed very much.

November 14, 2019 0 comment

Maine Beer Company Freeport Maine Entrance

Craft Beer Adventures Maine Beer Trail Travel in the United States

On the Maine Beer Trail – Maine Beer Company Freeport

by Deb C November 4, 2019

Include Maine Beer Company Freeport when visiting L.L. Bean and the outlets.

We often visit Maine, and if it’s meal time we may seek out a brewery near our route. Some years ago we discovered craft beer. And we also discovered that many breweries offer good food or food trucks. Breweries and “Mom and Pop” places are fun and tasty alternatives to chains.

The Maine Brewers Guild guides you to breweries in Maine via its website and Maine Beer Trail brochure.

Freeport, Maine is home to the Maine Beer Company

When we first visited the Maine Beer Company in 2017, it’s outdoor seating seemed bigger than it’s indoor. Picnic tables with water bowls for dogs and an outdoor pizza oven dominated the front parking area. The tap room, entered by a small front porch, was simple, as were the restrooms. They had just eight beers on tap so decisions were simple, as we usually got flights so we had a sampler of each. Huge plate sized pretzels with mustard that were self-serve covered a corner of the bar.

Renovations give the Maine Beer Company a whole new feel

What a difference in 2019! The brewery added a two-story, 30,000-square-foot building to its original space with a new larger entrance. Now there’s a long bar with twenty beers on tap, an indoor food service, well-lit beer hall with a mezzanine, extensive beer cooler, gift shop, and a large roof-covered patio area. Dogs are still welcome in the patio and you can still pick out a large self-serve pretzel as you order your beer.

The outside entrance seems modest, but it’s deceptive, as the inside is extensive and well-lit. I wish I had taken more photos, but it was quite busy and I was trying not to include people.

The entrance, within a simple post and beam black barn-like structure, is now at the side of the building. A wide staircase leads down to the patio and tasting room/beer hall. Rather than have a handicap access ramp outside, which could be challenging in rain or snow, the ramp is immediately inside the wide door. There were a number of people with walkers and strollers who made use of it.

Entrance to Maine Beer Company from bottom of stairs — Exit/Entrance of Maine Beer Company from bottom of stairs

Maine Beer Company Bar — Maine Beer Company bar with mezzanine seating area overlooking
the Tasting Room and production area.

We were a little overwhelmed with the new larger setup that we stuck with the beers we knew. We like hoppy beer so we chose Lunch, which is one of their headliners, so to speak. Samplers of the Post Ride Snack – Session IPA , Dinner – Double IPA, and Wolfe’s Neck – IPA rounded out our flights. A pretzel said “pick me” and we added a pizza baked their new indoor wood-fired oven. All were very tasty.

Plenty of room to accommodate groups, strollers, wheelchairs and walkers, and pets

The two-story taproom accommodates about 500 people. It is open and airy and enhanced by plants, a fountain framed by stone benches and a bronze sculpture of a tree within a stone circle providing more casual seating. The mezzanine above the bar area overlooks the taproom and production area. It offers a variety of seating and a shuffleboard.

We sat in the new patio area, which is about two-thirds under an overhang, and one third in the sun. A rock wall and picnic tables with umbrellas are in the sun, and long tables in the shaded area. Several dogs were the patio area and enjoying the water bowls provided for them. The patio will have heat lamps in colder weather.

Maine Beer Company in Freeport attracts singles, couples, families of multi-generations

The day we stopped at the brewery it was quite busy. Customers ranged from couples with/without strollers and/or dogs, families of three generations, and retirees with and without walkers or canes. The brewery was doing a brisk business with bottled beer from the self-serve cooler. People, noticeably women as well as men, were leaving with cases, not just a couple of bottles of beer. In addition to beer to go, you can also buy gift certificates and merchandise in the gift shop area.

One section of the Maine Beer Company cooler

Experimental Black Barn Beer series

The sign to the left of the cooler explains their Black Barn Program: “Our Black Barn Program is about being creative, learning, and challenging our team to brew the highest quality beer. Our beer goes through extensive lab testing and our robust sensory program in order to comply with our belief in quality over quantity. Black Barn beers are brewed on our 15BBL brewhouse and will be available in bottles and on draft exclusively in our tap room.”

We look forward to trying some of the Black Barn series on future visits.

Independent and Proud of It.

The Maine Beer Company believes beer drinkers have the right to know when they are supporting an independent craft brewery and has adopted the Brewers Association Seal of Independence.

Brewers Association Seal of Independence

Doing what’s right

Maine Beer Company’s motto, printed on every bottle is: “Do what’s right.” And it does, beyond making good beer. There are solar panels on the roofs and the taproom is solar powered. Ingredients for the beer and food are from local Maine farmers. Maine Beer Company is a member of 1% for The Planet, agreeing to donate one percent of gross annual sales to environmental charities. It has partnerships with several Maine and global environmental groups, including Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Friends of Katahdin Woods & Water, Maine Audubon, and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Its highly regarded beer, Lunch, is named after “Lunch,” a finback whale tracked by Allied Whale, a local marine mammal laboratory and 1% of the Planet member. And, the brewery regularly holds events in the Tasting Room to support designated charities.

Visiting the Brewery

The Maine Beer Company is a short hop from L.L. Bean at 525 U.S. Route 1 Freeport, ME 04032. It’s easily found by taking Exit 20 off Interstate 295. As of this writing, Fall 2019, hours are Monday – Sunday, 11 am – 8 pm. excepting major holidays. Currently it doesn’t offer brewery tours. Food is served from open to close in the Tasting Room. In addition to large pretzels with mustard there’s a limited but delicious menu of pizza and salads, which is subject to seasonal changes.

Check the website: mainebeercompany.com or call (207) 221-5711 for current hours, beer and food availability, etc. Maine winters are traditionally tough, and Maine has been hit with even more severe weather the last couple of years which may affect power and road clearing.

See another of our stops on the Maine Beer Trail here.

Keeping track of your craft beer adventures

The Maine Brewers Guild distributes a free Maine Beer Trail brochure. Either download one from their website or pick up a hard copy at member breweries. You can get rewarded for visiting breweries if you have a brewery staff member checkoff, sign and date the brochure when you visit. If you visit 10 or more breweries you can earn a hat, t-shirt, or a prize pack.

November 4, 2019 0 comment