Portland 'Beer Camp' expected to draw thousands
Like beer? Then make plans for Thompson’s Point in Portland tonight, where up to 4,000 craft beer enthusiasts are expected to congregate for Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp.
The city is just one of Sierra Nevada’s seven stops in the country for its inaugural Beer Camp Across America, which will feature more than 120 U.S. craft brewers. Dozen of Maine-based brewers are expected to participate, including Portland-based Shipyard Brewing Co., Whitefield-based Sheepscot Valley Brewing Co. and Newcastle-based Oxbow Brewing Co.
Beer Camp organizers said they expect up to 4,000 people to attend tonight’s event, which begins at 5 p.m. and ends at 10.
Tonight’s event follows a recent report finding that Maine’s craft beer industry could double production in the next four years. The report commissioned by the Maine Brewer’s Guild made that determination based on a survey of the state’s 35 breweries in 2013. The number of Maine-based breweries has since grown to 53 and counting this year.
The report also found that Maine breweries sold $92.6 million worth of beer while employing almost 1,500 workers. Beer-related industries generated an additional $35.5 million in sales.
Developers of Thompson’s Point said they hope the event is the first of many to come. The previously blighted area is undergoing a major redevelopment project that most recently saw the restoration of a 14,000-square-foot pavillion designed for concerts and other events.
“We’re excited about the long-term plans for Thompson’s Point, and creating a great experience for event goers,” Chris Thompson, the principal of Thompson’s Point Development Co., said in a prepared statement, “which includes adequate parking, off-site shuttles and safe pedestrian and bike access to the Point is important to us, not just as hosts of events, but in our role as good neighbors.”
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Study: Maine beer industry to see major growth
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