A three-barrel brewhouse, The Pour Farm, has opened for business in Union, and the owner said that by next year, he hopes to be growing hops and botanicals for the beer in an adjacent field.
This year, the brewery offers up to six beers on tap. The brewery is at 56 Crawfordsburn Lane, off Route 131, on farmland in between Crawford Pond and Seven Tree Pond. The Knox County town of 2,250 is 28 miles southeast of Augusta and 12 miles west of Camden.
Owner Bill Stinson told the Pen Bay Pilot earlier this year that it wasn’t so much the pastoral setting, but proximity to the coast that attracted him and his wife, Ashley, when they were looking to relocate from Massachusetts. He said they spent about two years searching New England for the right place to move and start a brewery.
Stinson has been making his own beer in small batches and experimenting with style since 1987, he said.
The brewery is part of the town’s burgeoning beverage scene that also includes Savage Oakes Vineyard & Winery and Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery. The brewery is the latest in the state’s still-growing craft beer industry. The Maine Brewer’s Guild lists 108 brewers with taprooms in the state.
The Pour Farm, which is open Thursday through Sunday, is also planning to partner with food trucks at the site, but those coming to the tap room are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch, according to the website.
The tap room has a beer garden on Crawford Stream, which runs behind the building. The was Mill Farm, beginning in the 18th century.
Beer is available in the tap room (flights, pints, and pitchers), and in growlers to go. There are no plans to can or bottle the beer.
The brewery had a quiet opening last month, Stinson said. “We accept cash, credit and Apple/Android pay,” he added. “We’ll probably never take bitcoin, but we’re considering bartering for live chickens.”