HopYard Porter: Maine-grown beer

Our brewmaster Tom Abercrombie calls HopYard Porter a nod to harvest, autumn, and all things Maine. This year’s version features our first estate-grown barley harvested from the site of our new Brewery.

 

When the Shaw Brothers leased six acres of land in Gorham to us back in March, conserving farmland was what they had in mind. Of course what we had in mind was how soon we could grow ingredients for beer!

 

Last May, Josh Buck from Buck Farms in Mapleton sent down four bags of barley seed. Wally Stevens, our neighbor from the farm up the road, helped us plant it on about a quarter acre of the land right next to the Brewery and Tasting Room. (BTW, it doesn’t take much for barley to grow robustly – despite opportunistic Canadian geese, which Kai routinely chased away all summer.)

 

We harvested the barley in August (Buck Farms malted it) and then combined it with Buck Farms Pilsner and specialty malts. We rounded it out with Willamette hops from The Hop Yard, also in Gorham.

 

The result is a smooth, balanced beer with hints of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts. HopYard Porter is available at all Sebago Brewing Co. locations, including the Tasting Room.

 

We brewed this original Maine beer for crisp days and cold nights. Come and get it while it lasts!