PORTLAND, Maine — Wednesday was a good day to eat or drink anywhere outside. The warm sun got a lot of people in the summer mood, including some of the state's breweries.
“It’s a nice hint of the summer weather to come, for sure," Nate Wildes, managing partner of Flight Deck Brewing, said.
“[It's] late February. I think people are ready to transition into summer," Lone Pine Brewing Company co-founder Tom Madden added.
The pair, and the brewery industry as a whole, look forward to this summer in particular after two seasons hit hard by COVID-19 guidelines, protocols, and capacity limits.
To build momentum and comradery throughout the industry, the Maine Brewers' Guild launched the newest version of its Collaboration IPA. Fifty-two breweries brewed the same beer using the same recipe, each with its own creative twist.
“They were eager for an opportunity to connect with one another, so this year with the Collaboration beer, we had over 50 breweries take part and brew the beer," Sean Sullivan, executive director of the guild, said.
The release of the beers has been staggered with some released last month and new beers hitting shelves around the state each month through June.
At Flight Deck in Brunswick, brewer Marty McMorrow said creativity when brewing beer is the best part of his job.
“For me, it’s the most fun thing in the world to just to create recipes in your head and see it come to fruition in your hand," he said.
The collaboration also shows people how Maine's brewery industry works.
“This beer, when it sits there on the shelf with a similar label and a little twist on each, that is a perfect representation of what this industry is all about," Sullivan said.
Winter weather will soon return to the state to the dismay of many, but the brewery industry is already looking forward to the summer when millions of people return to Vacationland.
“People don’t visit Maine to go to one brewery, they visit Maine because of the density of breweries and because of the diversity of experiences they get by visiting different breweries," Wildes said.
Whether you are a local or visiting the state this summer, Madden has a drink recommendation for you: choose a Maine beer.
The Maine Brewers' Guild has a list of breweries participating in the effort.