Last week I ventured to the middle-of-nowhere Maine in search of good beer. Two gentlemen I met at the Bock Fest/Goat Race told me about a Belgian beer bar that I absolutely needed to try. Unfortunately, the bar was hiding in the woods in Lovell, Maine, home of little except for trees and well…more trees.
Normally when told of far-off places, I would scribble down the name and hope one day to try the place out. Something about these guys told me I should actively search this place out; the two were running around the festival with high-tech recording equipment documenting the Goat Race. After a few heats, I started chatting with the fellow holding the boom mic.
“Jonathan,” he told me when I inquired his name. “We’re filming for a website we just started called Beers of Legend.”
After chatting for a bit I told the BOL guys about my cross-country trip and they immediately started naming must-try bars and breweries. Since I was staying in Maine for a few days, the Belgian beer haven in Lovell would be perfect.
The bar is called Ebenezer’s Pub. You wouldn’t think anything of it from the outside but Ebenezer’s is considered the top Belgian beer bar in the country. Beer Advocate has crowned Ebenezer’s the best in 2007 and 2008 and after my experience there, I just might agree with them.
From the outside the bar isn’t pretty. It is next to a golf course and located on a small, gravel road. The owners, Chris and Jen, live in the adjacent house and although they weren’t there when I visited (I needed to get an interview with Chris for BOL) everyone I met had glowing compliments for them. I wouldn’t deny them either; Ebenezer’s Pub seems like a labor of love and no one except for the most faithful beer evangelists could keep a place like that running.
After introducing myself to Hanna—quite possibly the friendliest bartender I’ve ever met—I began to peruse the menu. Page after page was full of delicious, rare and hard-to-find brews. The 35-tap draft system was about 90% Belgian beer and the four-door fridge stocked everything from Trappist masterpieces to eclectic Belgian Gueuze. I cannot say how far my eyes popped out of their sockets but I probably studied the menu for a good twenty-minutes. Luckily, Hanna was more than willing to answer any questions.
I started the evening with a 2006 Cantillon Kriek. Cantillon is one of the most admired Gueuze/Lambic producers in Belgian and while some of the best bars in the country might have one Cantillon beer on tap, Ebenezer’s has six, not to mention about ten different varieties in bottles. The Kriek was a rosy creation the color of mashed berries, tart and dry as a desert. It was only a sample of what was in store.
Without going on and on about the delicious brews I tried—and there were many—I’ll skip straight to the claim to fame: De Struise Black Albert.
De Stuise is a small brewery started by two brothers in Belgium in 2003. The brewers have amassed many credentials in a short time and although the do not export much to the US, they decided to brew a specialty beer for Chris and Ebenezer’s in honor of a Belgian Beer Festival he invited them too. The result: Black Albert, a Belgian Royal Stout that some say is the best beer in America.
After the meal Hanna brought out two glasses of Black Albert and the appearance of the drink alone is enough to make a beer-lover’s eyes misty; Black Albert is darker than black, with a viscosity rivaled only by motor oil and a dense, tan head. The aroma is strong, with all the expected caramel and roasted espresso notes. The taste, however, is anything but ordinary. For all of its brawn, Black Albert is extremely light on the palate. The beer is incredibly smooth, with a pleasant tinge of alcohol and a toasted, slightly bitter aftertaste that refuses to quit. Without dragging on, it was a knock out.
After a few more samples, Hanna introduced us to Frank, the bar manager, who gave us a tour of the place. After questioning him about some of his favorite brews, Frank agreed to show us Chris and Jen’s basement, a frigid, stone room that doubled as the beer cellar.
Although the bar itself was impressive, the cellar was like walking into a Smithsonian-museum of fine beer. Wall to wall were stacked kegs of the finest American brews, crowded next to storied Belgians. Shelves were stocked with cases of hard-to-find Americans, sometimes with several cases from different years.
Frank showed us some of his favorite stashes while I stumbled around bewildered, dumbstruck by the rarity of some of the bottles before me. Despite the reverence Frank held for the beers, I had to laugh when I saw the modest futon he sleeps in after working late shifts. On the floor next to his makeshift bed were a few half emptied chalices of delicious Belgian brews.
“I should really clean that up,” Frank said as I motioned to his collection of nightcaps.
After the tour we bid farewell and made our way back to civilization. Hanna promised Chris would get in touch with me for the interview when he could; he is currently opening up a Belgian café in Brunswick, Maine with the De Struise brewers. The place will be a fully functioning brewpub with a selection akin to Ebenezer’s but with the added bonus of fresh De Struise brewed beer.
The lure of the Pannepot café was almost enough to keep me on the East Coast for a while but I figure I can find some more gems hidden throughout the country. As I digested my mussels and savored the last sips of Black Albert, I made a mental note to follow up on any out of the way suggestions. You never know where some of the best beer in the country will show up.
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