One thing the U.S. is renowned for – at least, when it comes to adult beverages – has been a hub for craft beer breweries. Around the country, many states their very own beer trails and breweries, some of which have gained worldwide recognition due to their unique flavors and seasonal offerings. The beer culture in the U.S. is continuing to grow exponentially during the last many years, as has the following behind it.
Thus, brewery trails have arisen. Many people take to the road each year to follow along with the trails of the best brewery in each state, and something of the most well-known is Maine's. It's the longest beer trail in the united states and seems almost an insurmountable feat, were it not for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-place prizes that await each brew fan at the conclusion.
Everything You Need To Know of the Maine Beer Trail
New England is known for its nationally recognized breweries, and those who are fans of the drink visit great lengths to go to its most beloved taprooms. While upstate New York and Vermont might steal the spotlight when it comes to the most coveted IPAs, lagers, and porters, Maine is a state that has the most breweries on its beer trail. Once the trail was first founded in 2009, there were only a total of 25 on the entire length of it. While this doesn't seem like that small of a number, it pales as compared to the sheer number of breweries on the trail now – totaling over 100.
All of those breweries are dispersed throughout the state of Maine which makes it impossible to visit them all in one trip (as well as, somewhat unsafe – that is a lot of hops to drink). However, the Maine Brewers' Guild makes it simple for beer-seeking road trippers to check on each brewery business list gradually, while not having to hit a certain number in a certain time frame or even in any specific order. Fans of those hoppy breweries can begin anywhere they wish and stick to the trail to whichever breweries they choose the best of this? You will find prizes for each bracket, from 25 breweries, 50 breweries, and, finally, every brewery on the Maine Beer Trail.
The Prizes Fans Can get For Closing Up Each Bracket
In order to get rewarded for visiting each brewery, there are some hard and fast facts that fans should know before heading out for his or her flight samples.
- Trail followers will have to download the beertrail.me app to be able to digitally 'stamp' their beer trail passports.
- When visiting each brewery, there must be a poster somewhere inside that includes a four-digit code that can be entered into the app. This can correspond with the brewery and can confirm that visitors have, in fact, visited. If the post can not be found, you shouldn't be shy about asking the beertender exactly what the code is!
- Keep track of how many breweries happen to be visited, and see when you should submit passes, based on which prize bracket one is aiming for.
So, do you know the prizes for each bracket? It was only just recently that the third and final prize was (somewhat) revealed with a Reddit user. However, this hasn't stopped the fun of following Maine's long beer trail nor has it ruined the joy to get rewarded for experiencing the state's best hoppy drinks.
- 1st Prize: For visiting 25 breweries, visitors will receive a Maine Brewers' hat.
- 2nd Prize: For visiting 50 breweries, visitors will receive a Maine Brewers' t-shirt.
- 3rd Prize: For visiting 100 or even more breweries, visitors will get the coveted 'Prize Pack' which is said to include cozies, specific merch, and other items from breweries all over the state.
Specific Rules For Following The Beer Trail
Bearing all of this in your mind, trail-followers will need to remember some rules before venturing out on their brewery tours. For starters, no brewery that has not been checked into will count toward the final tally of breweries. This means that if your guest goes to a brewery but forgets to register and go into the four-digit code on the Maine Beer Trail app, it will not count – no exceptions.
While many people probably think that they can submit their entry for 25 breweries after which build on that in order to reach the second prize for 50 breweries, they'd be wrong. The Maine Brewers' Guild only recognizes breweries visited for the first time; therefore, a brewery which was entered into a submittal for that first prize bracket can not be used a second time to be able to submit for any second-prize bracket. So choose wisely!
