I'm now a member of the prestigious Maine Beer Writers' Guild. In my first official act as a member, I toured Fedral Jack's brewery and pub with other beer writers. I filed away the technical specifications of the various malts, specific gravities, ferkins, pumps and valves in the old steel trap. Please send me an email if you'd like these details. For purposes of this blog, I'll stick to a high level overview.
The tour was conducted by Mike Haley, a highly professional and knowledgeable young man who is clearly passionate about his chosen field. He's a Pugsley-trained brewer who started working in a brewery as a summer job. That was 14 years ago, he's never left brewing.
To be successful as a brew pub, location and consistency are crucial. Federal Jack's delivers on both (setting aside for a moment its distance from Portland). There are spectacular water views, and the beers are balanced and full of quality ingredients. Careful processing delivers the desired consistently delicious beer. I tried the cask conditioned 'Taint Town, the Old Thumper (one of my favorites), and the Fuggles IPA. All were pretty fugging good. I also drank a Barleywine. I'd never had one before, I guess because of the name, which implies wine (I like wine, but not wine-beer combos, although I'll make some Belgian exceptions to those rules). Anyway, it was good and left me longing for more. A trip to RSVP for a sample is in my future.
Anyway, I normally stray off the pennisula only as far as the GLB but a trip to Federal Jack's is worth it. You just need to choose straws for the designated driver.
In an unrelated note, brewer and beer blogger Ben has brewed a RyePA for Gritty's. I didn't catch when it would be available for consumption (maybe I missed it). It sounds great.
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