Lone Pine Brewing Company
I didn't really know much about the brewing process until my husband got into it over the pandemic. He bought a home brewing set and our basement turned into a science lab with pieces of equipment laid out everywhere. When I first saw our basement I thought, there is no way I could get into brewing beer myself. It is too much math and science, where I would rather go and market beer and promote it.
One of my goals for the podcast was to interview a brewery here in Maine, as the brewery industry has seen significant growth over the years. According to craft brewing business, over the last decade, on average 11 breweries open each year. That's a lot. I wanted to interview a brewery that has grown at a fast pace, has played around with innovative practices when it comes to its brewing and really just thinks way outside the box.
John and Tom of Lone Pine Brewing started their business in 2016 in Portland and quickly expanded to their location in Gorham and broadened its product line to include hard seltzer. The business idea stemmed from a conversation both longtime friends and former bandmates had. With help from the local community between financial institutions, other breweries and much more, their growth continues to skyrocket and expand throughout the nation.
My husband and I visited the Gorham location thanks to Berlin City Lexus for supplying us with a vehicle to show up in style. The car was dark green and matched our Lone Pine Brewing experience perfectly.
“I think beer is amazing in that it's very much a craft and it's an art form. In itself, it's a blend of science and improvisation. When you kind of get into the space where you’re building out a recipe and you have in your mind's eye sort of an idea of what the final product will be, there's a lot of factors that play into making that beer exactly how you envision it. That sort of that big combination of math and science and hard work and sanitization. Every day different and every day is very interesting. That's why we keep coming back and doing it every day.” - Tom
I learned that John found a love for craft beer through his years of being friends with Tom. Tom and his dad owned a craft beer store in Saco, Maine that John would regularly visit. John and Tom met years prior, though, while playing in a rock band together in high school. They believe that having the strong bond they built through the years, created the trust they needed to go into business together.
I had to know - where did they learn this craft from?! Tom shared that like many brewers out there, and similar to my husband, he learned on his porch and in his basement. He spent six or eight years working at this before they ever even started a business. Tom shared, “I studied everything you could before taking the leap. There's a lot of high quality brewers here in Maine, we've got award winners and national recognition all around us. They say quality breeds quality. We kind of walked into the lion's den, opening up in East Bay side of Portland.”
There is so much more information out there now about brewing and it is widely available to those who are interested in learning. When they started years ago, Tom was learning things more from the retail side of the business, as that is what he was working in.
When Tom was working in retail, John was living in LA and working in the entertainment industry before eventually moving back to Maine. The week before John was going to take the GMAT, he met up with Tom who brought up the business idea. Right away, John knew he didn’t want to take the test anymore and he wanted to put his full energy into this business.
My beer palate has grown tremendously while living here in Maine and I am starting to get into IPA’s. I wanted to know how a brewery continues to grow its portfolio of beers and create products for those who may not be “as into” the craft beer scene yet and what they would recommend for those who are starting to get into it.
To help someone their first time in the brewery, Tom says, “I always break it down in terms of the individual flavor descriptors that can come in with the beer. With Portland Pale, I get a little bit of lemongrass, you break it down in that way. So it’s a little lemongrass, little citrus rind, so I compare it to lemonade. Base on the flavor and then kind of work on how to transition them into a beer that sort of presents itself similarly.”
There is something for everyone at Lone Pine. Just last year, they created 48 different brews. They are constantly growing and finding new ways to stand out against the competition and that is why I, and many others, will continue going back and trying what’s new!
Thank you to Berlin City Auto Group for sponsoring this episode.