Today we’re doing that, but we’re also producing a lot of one-offs. Back then, there was a focus on your core beers, the ones that anchored your portfolio. “When we started, there were maybe thirty breweries in the state, and now we have 130. “In the grand scheme of the third wave of craft, we’re Old School,” he says. That sounds quaint, or like something that every brewer should say, but Sanborn and his brewery walk the walk, and it’s one reason that as Maine’s beer industry has grown, they’ve managed to grow and thrive in a crowded, often-focused-on-flash-in-the-pan market. Throughout it all, the founder, co-owner, and director of brewing operations at Rising Tide Brewing Company in Portland, Maine, has focused on quality about all else. Grew on my through the glass with the unique hop character.In less than a decade in business, Nathan Sanborn has modified, disregarded, or completely shredded his business plan, all while trying to keep up with the whipsaw machinations that have been craft beer of late. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example.

Very vibrant, dank, earthy, and juicy balanced hop complexity nice bready malt backbone, with minimal residual sweetness from crisp resin dryness. Nice Cascade, Centennial, Calypso profile. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate bready malt flavors very smooth, easy, and fairly crisp to drink with the moderately bitter/resinous/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Medium carbonation and body with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy, sticky/resinous/rindy, and fairly crisp balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate bready malt flavors with a great malt/bitterness balance, and minimal lingering hop astringency after the finish. Lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, cherry, red apple, mango, watermelon, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, peppercorn, pine, toasted biscuit, light honey, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, cherry, red apple, mango, watermelon, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, peppercorn, pine, toasted biscuit, light honey, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and moderate bready malt notes with solid strength. Aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, cherry, red apple, mango, watermelon, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, peppercorn, pine, toasted biscuit, light honey, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Nice dense foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Pours fairly hazy/cloudy deep golden amber color with a 2 finger fairly dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. 16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on.

Rising tide beer can