In a few short years, Bissell Brothers Brewing Co. has become a staple in the Maine beer scene. Just shy of its two-year anniversary in January 2016, the company had already moved to a larger Portland, Maine, location to accommodate its growth, and soon it will be opening a second location in Milo, Maine.
According to a recent email from the company, there have been some delays along the way, but that facility should be ready to open in time for anniversary No. 4.
Much like the consistent routine found in the dynamic change of the seasons, we are realizing consistency and embracing change. One hand rooted firmly in our operation in Portland, the other cautiously extended north to our new facility in Milo, Maine.
In these last few months, we’ve re-invested in our home in Portland: we brought on two new employees, veterans of the industry. We’ve installed two 40 bbl horizontal tanks that yielded this year’s Seed and our new Lagerbier, tanks that we are now bringing on-line full time for lagers and other projects. We’ve invested in our packaging line and our lab. We’ve begun employee wellness initiatives—all of this in the effort to provide the highest quality beer and the best possible customer experience. It is your endearing support that has allowed this all to come to fruition in Portland. Thank you.
If Portland, in a sense, represents the warmth and familiarity of summer, our new home in Milo is the fresh canvas of the winter months ahead. So much promise in a world anew, with so much left still unknown. Our old 10 bbl brewhouse is installed, awaiting the inaugural Milo brewday. We’ve installed eight foeders, vessels that will bring wood-aged beers to light, along with our established and growing barrel-aging program that will call Milo its home. We’ve installed a coolship, custom engineered by Forest J. Stone, our friend and metal fabricator based right here out of Portland. Milo will be wild.
There’s no definitive timeline on Milo, and like all good stories, there is no rush to get to the end. We hope to be brewing there in the coming weeks, beers that will age and evolve in time. We will continue to build out and develop the space, and hope to be open to the public sometime next year. Meanwhile in Portland, we’ll hold onto the spirit of summer throughout the coming months and continue business as usual.
