Oyster Shooters at Oxbow Brewery

After our heartening breakfast, we bid Mama Joan farewell and head out for Oxbow Brewery. Just down the road from Wabi Sabi Cottage (4.5 miles to be exact), Oxbow sits amid a thicket of trees, seeming to await our arrival.

Oxbow Brewery is an American Farmhouse Brewery located in, well, a farmhouse. Incorporating a farmhouse yeast strain commonly used in France and Belgium, Oxbow elevates its profile beyond the big & bold flavors that have come to characterize American craft brewing. The result is their signature Farmhouse Pale Ale, a swashbuckling love child between a Saison and a hoppy Pale Ale.

Oxbow’s a relative newcomer to the scene, but like most places intent on delivering extraordinary experiences, it feels like it’s been around forever. Its commitment to its craft borders on obsession and on this crisp afternoon, we are the lucky recipients.

AN AFTERNOON AT OXBOW BREWERY. NEWCASTLE, MAINE.

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

When we arrive, we are greeted by Mike Fava, fellow Philadelphian and recent transplant to the brewery. Fava’s a veteran of Nodding Head as well as Dock Street so we have many friends in common. Ever the gracious host, Fava takes us under his wing for a tour of the grounds. We begin in the tasting room:

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

Oxbow has made quite an entrance to the scene, locally and beyond. Word of this “loud beer from a quiet place” has spread completely by mouth, inspiring pilgrimages from Portland (about an hour to the south) and glowing coverage from the press, thirsty for a vibrant newcomer. Devotees have eulogized the delightful nuance to its taste—earning it much acclaim throughout the local culinary world, where it is served in 25+ cherry-picked restaurants, and online, where it enjoys high ratings on BeerAdvocate.

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

A saison for all Saisons. Seasonal beers reflect the character of Maine’s distinct seasons, no two of which are said to be the same. In keeping with this rhythm, a sour ale like Oxtoberfest evolves accordingly—it’s a blend of a 2011 batch (which spent a year in a Riesling barrel) and a fresh batch from 2012:

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Breweryv

Into the scene of the sublime. Fava takes us into the heart of the operation. Tim (Head Brewer and Co-Founder) tends to business in the background.

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

We are greeted by heaps upon heaps of special malts:

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

They taste deliciously like GrapeNuts (yes, we sampled them raw):

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

These hops, by contrast, scream earth and citrus (think your favorite herb meets Mom’s favorite dishsoap). We decline to sample these, preferring instead to enjoy their pleasant waft:

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

Fava is kind enough to let Jen sprinkle some in:

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

And then we wait around for Tim to come take out the mash:

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

Unaware of the surprise that awaits:

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

We are greeted by a row of four samples from the tasting room. These little fellows taste just like the memories we have since formed of our adventure here. Talk about capturing a sense of place!

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

But the Oxbow boys have another trick up their sleeve…

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

…Oyster shooters!

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

Tim initiates us into the School of Shuck…

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

But we prefer to watch…

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

And receive the royal treatment:

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

…thank you, Imperial Stout!

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

But thank you especially, Fava! Until next time.

HyLo Boutiques Oxbow Brewery

Words. Jennifer Green

Images. Lendl Tellington

Ambience. Oxbow Brewing Company | 274 Jones Woods Road, Newcastle, ME 04553