Have baby, will travel!

I suppose I should have saved this title for later in September seeing we will be headed to Vermont but I just decided to go with it. This week Porter and I packed up the Little Buttercup (LBC) and headed over the bridge to Novare Res. They had a beer on that I wanted to try to we hit it up Thursday afternoon. Oxbow brewing is a new brewery out of New Castle, Maine. I had heard about it from the BBQ (Beer Belly BBQ) and was intrigued. The offering was a Farmhouse Pale. I was hoping for a bit of funk mixed in with some delicious pale brew. What I got was a pretty standard pale. It left me wanting more. I enjoyed it and would have it again but I just missed that funky-ness that the word Farmhouse evokes to me. I did notice that as it warmed a bit there were some more flavor notes that added depth to the beer. Out of 5 both Porter and I gave it a 3.5. Porter ordered a Victory Hop Devil. This is a beer I had had before but was somehow surprised by just how complex it tasted to me this time. Perhaps my pallet has matured so I can taste past the hops and taste the slightly sweet almost malty flavor. We both gave this beer a 4. LBC was drinking milk out of her glass bottle so we all cheersed and enjoyed our time. Novare is always a great place to head to.

Ice Bar

Portland Harbor Hotel

A video of the Ice Bar

Beer Selection: As Shipyard was a sponsor of the event it was the only beer being served outside at the ice bars. There could have been different beers being served inside at the full bar but I can’t be certain of this as I didn’t visit it.

Atmosphere: We had a forty minute wait before we were allowed to get in. Once inside we discovered it to be quite crowded and the music was playing extremely loudly.

Service: The staff seemed to be nice enough. There was no one in the beer line so that was nice. The martini line was ridiculous; it would have probably taken over a half hour just to get to the front of the line. One gripe I have would be that the security guard, who was nice, let extra people jump in line instead of making them stand in line like all of the rest of us.

Food Quality: While there was food provided for “free” (there was a $10 entrance fee) it was extremely limited. The only food that was of quality was provided by a local restaurant called Denny Mikes.

Price: The prices were about what you would expect for a bar, possibly a bit more. For a novelty type event it was reasonable.

Overall: As a novelty bar goes it was pretty good. I enjoyed the experience but will not be going again next year. I didn't give it a bar stool rating as I felt it wouldn't be exactly fair to rate a novelty bar.

Ebenezer’s Pub

Lovell, Maine
http://ebenezerspub.net/

Beer Selection: Crazy amazing. They have 35 beers on tap and over 800 bottles. Their beer cellar is someplace any beer geek would love to call home. They have all sorts of rare beers and a number of vintage beers.

Atmosphere: When we first walked in at 2:50 it was packed but it emptied out between lunch and dinner service. It is quite small but not in a bad way. You feel nice and cozy while sitting and enjoying the views of their many unique bottles.

Service: The bartender was amazing, so nice and really knowledgeable. She was a huge help, making suggestions and just chatting about the bar. The owner, Chris, was also very friendly. Half jokingly I asked how many times we had to come before he would let us see his basement and he said if we came back the next day he would give us a tour. (It is a bit of a haul from South Portland but we will be up again)

Food Quality: Sometimes it is rough finding a good burger but not here. My husband and I split the Ruger Burger and it was absolutely perfect. We also shared the coconut shrimp and while my husband loved them I thought they were just ok.

Price: You will end up spending a good amount here but you will feel like you got more than your money’s worth.

Overall: