Once the major transportation channel to Bangor (the one-time “lumber capital of the world”) as well as the traditional homeland of the Penobscot Indian Nation, today Penobscot Bay is known primarily for lobstering, commercial fishing and of course, as the home of Penobscot Bay Brewery. Founded in 2009, our on-site brewing facility specializes in small batch, hand crafted brews. There’s a beer for every palate, so take a look below and find your favorite!
While the name may be self-effacing, the origins of Humble B Lager are anything but. Inspired by the infamous “Light Munich” pale lagers of Germany, our version is slowly fermented and cold conditioned for at least a month before bottling. Made with lager malt, a touch of wheat, ground fresh ginger and local honey, Humble B is lightly hopped. The result? An aromatic, smooth beer that allows gingery spice and honeyed sweetness to lead the charge.
It’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.
4.9% ABV / IBUs 14.2
No matter which way you lean, there’s one beer all parties can agree on: comfortable, easy-drinking Whig Street Blonde. This soft, delicate ale’s uncomplicated and clean taste is the result of pale malt, a handful of malted wheat and finished with Perle hops for bittering and Cascade hops for aroma. Its balanced flavors and aromas are enough to make one ponder: Can world peace be far behind?
Love the 21st Amendment? Join the party!
4.2% ABV
As Scottish as haggis (but much better tasting) our signature ale, Old Factory Whistle, is inspired by the rich, red ales from the land of Nessie. Complex, like the pattern of a Highlander’s kilt, the toasty flavors of caramel malt and sweetness, and classic red color, are the result of chocolate, crystal pale and Munich malts (we know, not from Scotland, but good!) with a dose of roasted barley. English Kent Goldings hops (almost Scotland!) add depth and a pleasing balance.
Here’s tae ye!
6.2% ABV / IBUs 25
Ever smoked a beer? We have. It’s called Wildfire Rauchbier. Lovingly nicknamed “Bacon Beer,” Rauchbier (literally “smoke beer” in German) was the go-to for imbibers in Deutschland until a mere few hundred years ago. Today, we tap specialty grains like Weyermann Rauchmalz for that signature smoky flavor, Munich for body, Cara-Pills for richness and Carafa for deep color. So drink up. And leave the smoking to us.
Where there’s smoke, hopefully there’s beer.
5.4% ABV / IBUs 25.8
Hale and hearty like 19th-Century, Union-suit-wearing boxer John “Long John” Sullivan, we present Red Flannel Ale. Made with mostly Pale malt, but full-bodied (like The Boston Strong Boy himself) with flavor from Special B. roasted barley and Munich for color. The sweet aroma is followed by rich, malty flavors with added notes of Perle hops for bittering. This heavyweight is best sipped at cellar temperature. Enjoy now and lay down some for the future.
Ever have that dream you went to work in your underwear?
7% ABV / IBUs 42
With its explosion of aromas and flavors, it’s a bit of a surprise that Building 5 Rye is still standing. But one thing’s for sure; you’ll stand to toast that great coppery I.P.A. color and lacy head. With a balanced, bitter yet rich foundation of dry hopped Amarillo Gold at 70 IBUs and 25% rye in the grain bill, we’ve constructed an I.P.A. that delivers a spicy hit with a hint of orange to the nose, and quickly reveals a bite and soft nuttiness.
Building 4, drink your heart out!
7% ABV / IBUs 71.5
If you’re a lumberjack, that’s ok. But for the experienced beer drinker, only Mountain Man American Double India Pale Ale will do. Intensely hoppy at 100+ IBUs, this fearless brew is made with Warrior, Centennial and local Cascade hops. Drinks clean with notes of citrus, pine and earth, yet nicely balanced with a smooth, rich malt backbone. Best enjoyed cold and young. Like the unspoiled frontier on a frosty winter morning.
You want hops? You can’t handle the hops.
9.5% ABV / IBU 100+
A beer of historic proportions, our Half Moon Stout is named after the ship that Henry Hudson sailed into Penobscot Bay in 1609. Four hundred years later, this proud stout is sure to become a favorite for your own drinking vessel. A one-hour mash of pale, crystal, chocolate and wheat malts and an ample portion of roasted barley yield this dark, full-bodied stout with a heavy aroma of fresh-roasted coffee. And mild Fuggles hops balance the bitterness.
May the warm wind at your back not be your own.
5.5% ABV / IBUs 44
While cow tipping is discouraged, tipping back our Brownie Chocolate Milk Stout is sure to please your palate. This just-shy-of decadent stout begins with an upfront cocoa flavor richness from Ghana cocoa nibs, and follows with a creamy, slight sweetness from milk sugar for texture and mouth feel. At 41 IBUs and 5.25% ABV, Brownie is the perfect pairing for say, chili or Mexican mole. And with chocolate chip cookies? Worth jumping over the moon for, we hear.
Open your mouth and say “Mooooore.”
5.25% ABV / IBU 41
Why skip through a meadow when you can sip through a Meadow Road Wheat? True to classic Hefeweizen tradition, this unfiltered brew uses only malted wheat, lager malt, a top-fermenting Bavarian yeast, and is lightly topped with Tettnanger. It has a beautiful medium-golden yeasty haze with a bright palate. The nose has notes of clove and honeysuckle coming through a background of banana. The latter not being very meadow-y. But very tasty.
One always wonders about the road not partaken.
5.4% ABV / IBUs 12