On a recent warm Saturday, we took a drive to SoMe Brewing Company in York, Maine. Their set up is nice- fits in well in the beach town it resides in. They have a table and chairs outside, which helps create a very inviting feel. We went inside, where there was ample seating, as well as a tasting bar and popcorn area.
SoMe Brewing is very new, opening December 14, 2013. They had planned on opening before then, but were held up by the government sequester. SoMe is owned by a father/son team, with the son also being the brewer. We had the opportunity to speak to Dave (the son in the equation) for a bit, and learned quite a bit about the brewery. He is very passionate about craft beer and brewing, and quite involved in the craft beer scene.
SoMe Brewing’s plan when opening was to rely on word of mouth- not to spend a lot on marketing. It is working! We had arrived shortly after they opened, and were told that after two it would become quite busy- it did. When we left at 2:45 there were quite a few small groups of people, and more strolling in. Dave’s wife, Jen, also works at the brewery, and she came in to take over so he could continue to make the beer.
The beer is only available at a few restaurants, and they recently started to bottle. They knew people would be coming to their space to try beers, and stay and enjoy beer. They invested in the space, and you can tell. It is very put together and comfortable.
Our Tasting:
Agamenticus Amber: American Style Amber Ale. Megan liked it, although she doesn’t typically like amber ales. Mark liked it as well, smooth but flavorful. 35 IBU, 5.5%
Foghorn Coffee Porter: Robust Porter with Carpe Diem Sumatran French Roast Coffee. This was a very good, coffee flavored beer. Still tastes like beer, but has a true coffee flavor. It is made with cold brewed coffee that is poured in the brew tank. 33 IBU, 7.2%
Whoopie Pie Stout:Very good. Milk stout aged on coca nibs and vanilla beans. Slightly sweet with a dark color. 28 IBU, 6.5%
Crystal Persuasion: Not an IPA but and Imperial Pale Ale. Good flavor, very hoppy. A little extra taste, lime maybe? Megan liked it, not usually a big pale ale fan. 70 IBU, 8.5%
Apostrophe IPA: Hoppy and bitter, but good. Uses mosaic hops, which is just the name of one particular hop, not a blend. 90 IBU, 6%
Goldilox: West Coast Imperial IPA. Good hop flavor, good balance. 100+ IBU, 8%
They have an amber with maple syrup, grade B, aging in oak right now. They will also be doing an Imperial Whoopie Pie in a few months aged in bourbon barrels. We’ll have to go back to try both of those.
None of the beers were super weird, but not ultra traditional either. The beer was definitely their own and there wasn’t a beer we did not like. It was a good balance, being unique but not being too weird.
They would like to expand, and see themselves having food. Right now they have popcorn, chips, etc and may be adding hot dogs and sausages before further expanding. One step at a time. This is one of the things we really liked about them- they want to have food, but want to make a name for themselves with their beer first, as beer is their first focus.
Want to visit?
Hours of Operation:
Thursday/Friday: 4-8pm
Saturday: 1-7pm
Sunday: 1-5pm
Want to try SoMe, but can’t make it in? The 7-11 in Kittery has an expansive craft beer selection, and currently has a few cases of their bottles. Check out SoMe’s facebook page for more info