80+ beers I handpicked for 5 day beer tasting journey in Maine.

The passengers of SpaceShip Beer meditated, contemplated and then drank these 80+ beers. We discussed and viewed presentations about beer styles, Maine and other USA breweries, German/Czech beer culture, explored the worlds of Austrian, UK, Brazilian, Argentine, Chilean, Estonian and Belgian beer. Lunch, afternoon, pre-dinner, dinner and after dinner tastings were the venues along with occasional parlays to savoring outdoor views and weather. Intense discourse and intense relaxation ensued.

See previous story : SpaceShip Beer lands in Maine – beerwarp-vortex created

• Allagash White
• Maine Beer Company Peeper
• Shipyard Stout
• Andrews English Pale Ale

• Allagash Curieux (Ale Aged in Oak Bourbon Barrels)
• Allagash Vagabond Ale
• Allagash Victor Francenstein (Ale brewed with grapes and oak barrel and aged with grapes)
• Allagash 2010 Fluxus (Stout brewed with cacao nibs)
• Allagash Odyyssey (ale aged in oak barrels)
• Flying Dog Gonzo porter
• Anchor Old Foghorn

• Stone Oak Arrogant
• Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
• Anchor Small Beer
• Unibroue Ephemere
• Maine Beer Company Zoe

• Schneider Hefeweisse
• Schneider Adventinus Doppelbock
• Schlenkerla Maerzen
• Schlenkerla Urbock
• Uerige Stikke
• Hanssens Kreik
• Boon Framboise
• St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition
• DuPont Foret
• Rodenbach Grand Cru
• Ommegang Zurr
• Hitachino Ginger
• Hitachino Nipponia (heritage grain Japanese hops)

• Anchor Porter
• Sierra Nevada Porter
• Sierra Nevada Stout
• Allagash Black Belgian Stout
• Smuttynose Robust Porter
• Rogue Shakespeare stout
• Meantime London Porter
• Porterhouse Oyster Stout
• Guinness bottle stout
• Dorothy Goodbody Stout
• Thisted Limfjords porter (still one of my favorites)

• Ommegang Three Philosophers
• Dogfish Head Red & White
• Dogfish Head Black and Blue

• Sierra Nevada 30th Anniv – Fritz and Ken Stout
• Sierra Nevada 30th Anniv – Charlie, Fred and Ken Imperial Helles Bock
• Avery Collaboration
• Brooklyner Hopfenweisse
• Harpoon’s Pott’s Landbier Collaboration (remarkably brewed in Boston)
• Dogfish/Sierra Nevada Head Life and Limb

• Eisenbahn Brazil - South American pale ale
• Ayinger Hefeweisse
• Hitachino White
• Omegang Rare Vos
• Dogfish Head Raison D’etre

Charlie homebrew beer & mead

• G&C Raspberry Imperial Stout 1995
• Bunga Toggles Barleywine
• Return to Innocence
• Mid Creek Prickly Pear Mead 1996
• Lavender, Prickly Pear Oaked mead 2000
• Elderberry Peach mead 2008 (inaugural tasting - quite extraordinary)
• Raspberry Oak Mead 2008

• Harvistoun Old Dubh 12
• Harvistoun Old Dubh 18
• Harvistoun Old Dubh 30
• Vermonster barley wine

• Sierra Nevada Torpedo
• Weyerbacher Slam Dunkel
• Lammsbrau Dunkel

• Avery Salvation
• Weyerbacher Simcoe Double IPA
• Urthel Hop-it
• Thornbridge Green Hop IPA
• Ayinger Jahr Hundret
• Urthel Saisonere
• Stone Levitation (unusual at 4.6% abv and well received by the group)

• Lindemann’s Cuvee Rene paired with Lobster cooked amidst coastal rocks at sunset
• Weyerbacher Imperial Stout
• Odell Woodcut 2008

Mysteriously delivered by kayak

• Bells Batch 9000
• Founder’s KBS Kentucky Breakfast Stout
• Jolly Pumpkin Ale Absurd
• Short’s Smoked Apple Ale
• Short’s Rye Ale

The list doesn’t include the dozens of beers we tasted on tour in Portland.

The nine participants generally thought that the 3 most memorable beers were:

1. Maine Beer Company’s Zoe (Simcoe/Columbus/Centennial hoppy 7.5% abv brown ale)
2. Harvistoun Old Dubh 18 (nicer balance than 12 and 30)
3. Founder’s KBS Kentucky Breakfast Stout - (Yum and used in flourless chocolate dessert too)

Crew eliminated consideration of my homebrews (“Not fair competition; they don’t count …”)

Next year another landing of SpaceShip Beer at the Whitehead Light Station is under consideration. Follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook  to receive announcement.