Warehouses: Where it’s at

A week or so ago, my husband and I managed to float the same Friday off work and traveled to Portland, Maine, for a beer and yarn spree. Tess’ Designer Yarns was the first stop.

I won’t focus too much on the yarn in this post, other than to say that it is just so pleasant to browse these luxurious yarns in the quiet atmosphere of the shop, in contrast with the crowded, rushed feeling of a festival. (No doubt my purchases will be featured in later posts). Tess is located in downtown Portland on the second floor, where I imagine she pays much lower rent than a sidewalk-level shop would cost.

Speaking of costs, parking lots in Portland are five dollars an hour, hotel room prices are comparable to those in Chicago, and while I’m sure there are still hipster eateries, we stumbled into having lunch at an upscale French bistro, Petite Jacqueline. I enjoyed it very much, but it would seem downtown Portland is a different city than the Portland I met back in 2010 — and I know if I had more history with the city, the changes would be even more dramatic.

Before our parking bill grew any larger, we got back in the car and drove west on our quest for delicious beer.

Bissell Brothers was the first brewstop. Located in the Thompson’s Point development, the parking is pricey here too, but this is one of the latest trendy breweries everyone wants to visit. I honestly can’t say I was blown away by the beers - they weren’t my style and I’ll admit I wasn’t entirely caught up in the mood. Other blogs do this brewery more justice than I can.

It was our next stop, Bissell Brothers’ original location, that really struck me, and got me thinking. Located just off I-95 on Industrial Way, three breweries and a distillery occupy a warehouse near the western boundary of the city. On this Friday afternoon, cars filled (free) parking lots and lined both sides of the road. We snagged a parallel spot next to the warehouse (I just love showing off my parallel parking skills) and set out to explore. Austin Street Brewery, Battery Steele Brewing, and Foundation Brewing Company are all in one large building. The long-established Allagash Brewing Company is across the street, and Maine’s first microbrewery, D.L. Geary Brewing Co., is right up the road.

Flight of beer at Allagash.

In this warehouse environment we found friendly people of all ages, friendly dogs, friendly babies, and lots of tasty beer. Each tasting room was open to the warm afternoon, and featured roped-off outdoor seating, with the exception of Battery Steele, which is temporarily closed after selling all their beer. After tasting and purchasing from Foundation and Austin Street, we crossed over to Allagash, where their impressive distribution and market share affords them the ability to offer a free flight to every guest. The atmosphere reminded me of our favorite breweries at home: Great North Aleworks, located in Manchester, NH in a warehouse next to a giant Bingo hall, and our trifecta of the Londonderry and Derry town line in New Hampshire: Rockingham Brewing Company, From the Barrel, and Kelsen Brewing Company. While not in such close quarters as these Portland breweries, the trifecta are located close enough to each other to make it fun to carpool from one to another on a Saturday afternoon — and while they are not all technically located in warehouses, their locations are decidedly industrial.

As small breweries need cheap real estate (and proper drainage, as explained to us by the Foundation barista), and local micro and nano breweries continue to be popular, these industrial back roads are now the trendy spots. I’m sure no one is more surprised by this than the Bingo players in Manchester, who find their sprawling parking lot is suddenly smaller in size.