Spring has sprung…The flowers are in bloom…yada, yada, yada. In New England, never take nice temperatures for granted until after Memorial Day weekend. Serious gardeners know to prep their soil and planting areas for their new seedlings, but NEVER, NOT EVER, put anything the least bit delicate in before Memorial Day or said gardeners run the risk of losing everything to frost. Hence the reason the spouse creature & I decided to enjoy blissful temperatures (read above 40F) in Portland, Maine.
Friday night found us at Oxbow Blending and Bottling, located at 49 Washington Avenue with Duckfat Friteshack (Duckfat’s takeout window) right across the alley. Now, this alley consists of freshly laid brickwork, a great sitting area with a festive fire pit, & a small smoking area for those who choose to wreck their lungs and contaminate those of others.
Spouse & I discovered we were by FAR the oldest people there – does that increase our hipster value or just make us wannabees?! – but loved the ambiance. It was dahk, wikkid dahk (thank you to Finding Nemo!) but once the eyes adjusted, I enjoyed the wood bar and the picnic tables. The tables allow for sharing of conversations & meeting new people! The bar area also showcased the storage area for the many aging barrels. Looks like lots of good stuff will be released soon!
I tend to enjoy the lighter side of the beer world; I like darker beers, but rarely can make it through a whole pint/glass. My spouse dives in to the dark side – the heavier and more barrel-aged, the better! I had two styles, Promontory (farmhouse ale brewed with rye) and a collaboration beer with Bunker Brewing titled Endless Summer. Both beers are delightfully drinkable, with the Endless Summer having a stronger hop flavor & finish. Promontory paired well with the poutine (naughty, tasty, potato goodness) & the smoked duck salad; it stood up to strongly-flavored food and was palate cleansing. Endless summer worked as a dessert – YUM.
The Max Tun was a hugely different style. This Belgian Style Imperial Stout, aged in rye barrels, is BIG (12%) and super dark. Oxbox serves the stout in bottles, which are $17.50 a pop! The bottles hold 2 solidly sized servings for dark beer drinkers. I had a sip…..and then I was done. The coffee overtones were quite strong, a “slam your butt down” (spouse’s quote!) kinda brew. It grabs your attention and can definitely wake you up! I’m just gonna leave that bottle for the experts!
We then moved to Hardshore Distilling. This place, a couple of doors down from Oxbow on Washington Avenue, distills gin. That’s it. Gin. I generally stick to beer & wine when imbibing, with the occasional addition of tequila. I still look to find spirits that I truly enjoy, letting my partner take up those reins for me. Well, I found one! This gin is not overwhelmingly spruce flavored; gin usually tastes like Pine Sol to me. I could still find a juniper overtone, but also found gentle notes of lavender and rose. Incredibly surprising!
I keep to a 2 drink maximum, per day. Why? Too many calories, too much likelihood I’ll say something untoward, and too much risk of tripping over my own feet. Spouse ordered the Bees Knees, made with the flagship gin, honey, & lemon. OHMIWERD. Bliss. I shared way more of this cocktail than I normally would, but it was SO TASTY!
After way too much ingestion, we headed to our East End hotel. Stay tuned for the naughtiness of Saturday to be posted soon!
The Libations Librarian 
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