Maine wedding grooms who are fans of microbrewed beer have plenty to choose from in Maine, including two established options near French’s Point on Mount Desert Island – Bar Harbor Brewing Co. and Atlantic Brewing Co., located a short drive away from each other in the beautiful seaside town of Bar Harbor. Keep an eye out for these breweries’ ales at bars and markets around Maine or, if you’re in town for the spectacular sights at Acadia National Park, make sure to go directly to the source to taste these brews beloved up and down the eastern seaboard.
Bar Harbor Brewing Co. opened in 1990 and is the town’s oldest microbrewery. The company’s four standard beers run from dark and rich to light and fruity and include Cadillac Mountain Stout (named the best hard-to-find beer by Men’s Journal) and Harbor Lighthouse Ale (judged one of the world’s best English Mild Ales at the World Beer Championships). Bar Harbor Brewing has an inviting storefront in the center of town and offers free tastings daily.
Atlantic Brewing Co. began brewing in 1991 (just a year after Bar Harbor Brewing) and offers beers made with hops imported from England and water from the Town Hill aquifer. Atlantic Brewing may be a more kid-friendly destination than Bar Harbor because the brewery also makes scrumptious root beer and blueberry soda. Atlantic also provides tours and tastings at its new brewery built on the site of an old farm a few minutes outside of downtown Bar Harbor, where it also runs an outdoor restaurant, a gift shop, and an all-you-can-eat BBQ on Saturdays during the summer.
Both breweries, true to Maine form, offer blueberry-flavored ales and it’s long been a point of contention around here which one is better. You’ll have to take a sip and decide for yourself.