Scotty McQuilkin, Michael Wood, Mike Glessnek and Patrick Colgan Enjoyed A Beer Before Leavang With Their “Quota” – Shown at The Back of the Table.
Meghan Fritz and Rob Lyle, of Canaan (near Skowegan) Picked up Their Supply of Beer.
Codi Keene, Manager of Construction, for Landry French, at the Grand Opening Today.
Michael & Diane Broderick, with Forest Stone & Wife Lindsay.
By Carol McCracken (Post # 2,609)
The lines were long – very long – winding around the building at Thompson’s Point beginning at 11:00 am for a noon opening. Some waited for as long as 1 l/2 hours to 2 hours just to get inside the newly created space and buy their limit of the highly sought after beer – three four packs of beer per person – before the supply sold out!
The new company is owned by brothers Peter and Noah, once of Milo. About 2 l//2 weeks ago, the Industrial Way site was shut down to move to this huge location to accommodate this booming craft beer business that has contributed significantly to Portland’s reputation as a craft beer mecca everywhere.
Artist Michael and Diane Broderick, Boston, designed and painted four murals on the walls of the interior, including the wall behind them in the photograph below. It took the couple 75 hours to complete the work. Forest Stone and LIndsay built the bar and the stools that occupy the site. Codi Keene, construction manager for LandryFrench, has been working at Thompson’s Point since November of 2015. The work was mostly on the exterior of the building. That included a new roof, underground utilities, brick word and more. “Peter and Noah were awesome to work for and easy to get along with,” Keene said. The only real rush came 2 l/2 weeks ago when the Industrial Way location was shut down and they had to get into producing beer at the new location – big time.
Fans of Bissell Brothers Brewing came from all around Maine and New England. Meghan Fritz and Rob Lyle, drove down from Canaan (near Skowhegan) to stock up for the next month or so. Although Swish is their favorite, it’s not available until October. They spent about $250. on beer today. The couple had to wait about 1 l/2 hours in line, but said it was well worth the wait. (See above right photo.)
According to the facility manager, they expected to sell 400 cases of beer today – and running out of the precious gold liquid by 5:00 pm today – even though the event would last until 8:00 pm tonight.
For wine lovers, next door the “Cellardoor Winery Maine” opened previously. A distillery, Stroudwater, is scheduled to open next month nearby.