The Maine Beer Trail and Kennebec River Brewery

Two Passions = Great Beer and Awesome White Water

When you have two distinct passions (in this case, rafting and handcrafted brews), it’s quite a feat of organization and dedication to combine them at the same time, in the same place. But that’s exactly what Jim Yearwood did here at Northern Outdoors when he opened up a microbrewery right at our resort. In 1997, the Kennebec River Brewery tapped its first handcrafted microbrew and the rest is delicious history.  Why did Jim start the Kennebec River Brewery? Well -it’s pretty simple, he likes really great beer.  And, it turns out – so do our guests!

Of course, we aren’t alone in our passion for handcrafted ales and lagers. Turns out, Mainers have a healthy appetite for specialty beer: Maine ranks sixth in the nation for the number of breweries per capita! In fact, we’ve got enough microbreweries to warrant a dedicated tour. And that’s exactly what the Maine Brewers’ Guild did when they established the Maine Beer Trail in 2009. The trail gives visitors a unique way to enjoy the various micro and craft breweries across the state. From coastal cities, all the way to western Maine, you can experience the wide variety of microbreweries in Maine. Plus, you can earn prizes and rewards along the way. There’s an official map with all 50+ breweries and you can plan your route here. Even better, check out this info-rich video about the Maine Beer Trail.Here’s to Maine handcrafted beer and following your passions!