When Boots clunked away, I asked my New Friend why he hadn’t seemed interested. He told my New Friend that he was very handsome, and my New Friend thanked him, grinning, before turning back to his phone. A moment later, a hulking whiteboy in boots wedged himself between us. We agreed that the weather felt entirely unseasonable (Global warming, my New Friend smiled), and he told me that he’d been coming out to the bars ever since the COVID shutdowns had lifted. I sat next to another Black guy, one of the room’s few masked patrons, and soon enough we struck up a conversation. The sidewalks were dimly lit, and I glided from light to light through the deeply balmy evening, and beyond the patio I found a pandemic-era simulacrum of a Texas gay bar’s usual weekday crowd: a few (white) guys watching sports on their phones, a (white) man talking to the bartender, alongside a handful of skinny (white) dudes looking to get laid. On my first evening in town, after pretending to write but mostly crying over K-dramas, I headed out to Oak Lawn, the city’s gayborhood. I’d driven to the city for a research trip, from my home in Houston. Bottles and cases can be ordered online for curbside pickup.The first gay bar that I passed through this year was in Dallas, Texas.
#BEST GAY BARS PORTLAND MAINE PLUS#
The beer you shouldn’t skip: Besides the widely loved Lunch, there’s also Dinner, a double IPA that’s rightfully lauded for its spicy, fruity undertones and malty, sweet aromatics.ĬOVID-19 protocols: The taproom is open, as is the sunny patio-both serving beer plus pizza and salads with reservations.
Meanwhile, the beer enjoys its own distinctions the eight on-tap brews are constantly revolving, but usually eclipsed with constant orders for Lunch, its classic (and luscious) IPA. That, plus the headquarters’ rural setting, have made it a magnet for beer-loving nature enthusiasts. And indeed, the company gives 1% of its gross annual sales to environmental causes and partners consistently with local environmental organizations. Have fun.” is the longstanding motto here. Here are the 19 best breweries in Portland.Ī bit off the beaten Portland path (plan on a 20-minute drive) sits one brewery that’s become a regional, if not national, destination. We’ve spelled out the current COVID-19 safety regulations of each spot, and do note that masks are required inside all businesses throughout Maine. You can take the Maine Beer Trail Challenge, you can take a Brew Tour Bus, or you can simply walk around a fantastic city while keeping this guide to the best breweries in Portland handy.
Inarguably one of the most vibrant and diverse scenes in the country, there are a ton of options-from well-known heavyweights that helped pioneer microbrewing in the ’90s (see: Allagash and Shipyard) to innovative upstarts (Foulmouthed and Batson River). Meanwhile, Portland’s breweries are as much about quality as quantity. Even during (or arguably especially during) the shutdown last year, Mainers were not about to live without their craft beer, so existing brewers and newcomers alike turned on a dime, offering curbside takeout for growlers, cases, and kegs, as well as outdoor seating to keep their businesses afloat and locals happily sipping their suds. The seaside city currently boasts 12.7 breweries per capita -that itself is a jump of two places since 2019-making it the third-highest in the U.S. Even with the pandemic still afoot, Portland, Maine’s craft beer scene is hopping.