There are so many amazing breweries in Maine and I’ve made an effort to expand my horizons and make different stops on my trips North, but there is one place that I always seem to visit, Maine Beer Company in Freeport. Some of that is ease of access, it is right off the highway and very much on my way, but I also go because their beer is delicious. On my most recent stop it was clear that they are in the midst of a major expansion, hopefully that means more of their stellar IPAs make the trip down to Massachusetts. It’s interesting how MBC has stuck to their guns and not chased trends. While most breweries switched to cans they have stuck to 500 mL bottles and while many have embraced turbid double-dry hopped IPAs theirs are still clear and precise. While I wouldn’t mind seeing Lunch and Mo in cans I love the beers that MBC makes and wouldn’t want them to change a thing in that department. One new beer I grabbed on my recent trip north was Woods and Waters, an IPA brewed with Maine grown barley and wheat to celebrate the Katahdin National Monument. It is available now on draft and in 500 mL bottles.
Maine Beer Company Woods and Waters pours clear light yellow with a solid white head. The aroma is very hoppy, citrus fruit and floral scents. The flavor is also hop forward, notes of lemon, pine and orange along with a mild but present bitterness. This is balanced by a light malt backbone, hints of crackers and cereal. Woods and Waters is very light bodied, easy to drink and not overly boozy at 6.2% ABV. The finish is crisp with lingering hop flavor. The flavor was supposed to remind you for the woods, and I think it really pulls that off. Maine Beer Company Woods and Waters fits perfectly into their stable of hop-forward but precise beers. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.
Previous Maine Beer Co. Reviews:
Maine Beer Co. Beer V, Maine Beer Co. Thank You, Maine Beer Co. Mo, Maine Beer Co. Mean Old Tom, Maine Beer Co. A Tiny Beautiful Something, Maine Beer Co. Beer II, BREWERY OVERVIEW: Maine Beer Co., Maine Beer Co. King Titus, Maine Beer Co. Lunch, Maine Beer Co. Another One, Maine Beer Co./Allagash/In’finiti 2013 Ale, Maine Beer Co. Peeper
Hoppy Boston 
