E-Malt.com News article: USA, ME: Sea Dog Brewing Co. expands in Bangor

Sea Dog beers have been brewed in Bangor for years, but with the recent expansion the brewery can now produce 112 kegs a week, up from 56 before. It also means they employ three full-time brewers — brewmaster Brooks Mathews and assistant brewers Michael Carey and Robert Baker, Bangor Daily News reported on June, 27.

The new space boasts eight tap lines serving up Sea Dog beers, an open kitchen, a hardwood floor and a unique peek into the brewing process through big glass windows. As patrons drink and taste in the Barrel Room, they can watch the brewers concoct the very beverages they’re consuming.

“There’s a big difference between the upstairs space, which is much bigger and noisier, and this new space, which is very intimate,” said Larry Killam, general manager of the Sea Dog Bangor. “We put a lot of sweat into making it really special. The staff put a lot of personal touches in it [...]. It’s very unique.”

The impetus to expand the Sea Dog facilities in Bangor has a number of deciding factors, one of the first being the rapid expansion of the Bangor Waterfront in the past few years. Business from the concerts has increased business for the Sea Dog, and the expansion capitalizes on that momentum. There’s also the exploding popularity of locally brewed beers — Maine brews are so popular that the Sea Dog ran out of space in its Portland brewery.

“There’s been a tremendous surge in people’s enthusiasm and consumption of beer,” said Killam. “This new space is a beer place. It’s for people who love beer. We love the fact that there’s so much local beer in Bangor, between us, Geaghan’s, Penobscot Bay and Black Bear. It’s all good for everyone. It all builds on itself.”


29 June, 2012