Midcoast Maine, Farm, Brewery
Sarah McNeil
Becoming Beer Farmers

In 2009, we picked up and moved to Baltimore for graduate school. It was not long after leaving Maine that we realized that our hearts beat louder and stronger along the rocky coast and we were confidence that some day our creative path would lead us back to this rugged beauty.

What we originally thought would be only 2 years away from Maine, ended up turning into almost 9 after we found decent paying jobs in the arts and brewing industries. We really wanted to return to vacationland, but with bills to pay and little-to-nojobs being offered in our field, the idea of returning to Maine was not promising. We grappled for a long time about how to find meaningful and financially sound work in a state with far less opportunities. We also dreamed of having our own business but giving up the security of a regular paycheck is scary. …

Becoming Beer Farmers

maine beer

DIY Farm Brewery: Part 2 - Building the Gardens

DIY Farm Brewery: Part 2 - Building the Gardens

DIY Farm Brewery: Part 2 – Building the Gardens

 The alpacas from the previous farm had been long gone before we purchased the property and as a result the fields were overgrown, and divided up into many separate pastures, which were full of wooden posts and electrical fencing. John removed the fence posts, created a jig to wind-up the electrical wiring and de-installed dozens of metal gates all before he could bush hog the field. This was the summer before we opened the brewery and we decided to hold off on planting that year and instead observed the landscape we had to work with throughout the seasons.

,

DIY Farm Brewery: Part 1 - Converting the Barn

,
DIY Farm Brewery: Part 1 - Converting the Barn

We instantly fell in love with the old barn and decided to make that the heart of the tasting room and brewery. Converting this 1820’s structure was the biggest project we had ever taken on but we were fueled by the potential of the space and the enthusiasm to build our own business. It is probably better that we were naïve to the extreme workload and constant problem solving that was ahead of us or else we might never had begun.