stonecoast [dot] com In the Beginning…
There was beer and there was music and there was passion. Lots of love there, but could we make a living at it?
In 1992, Grant Wilson conceived and built Sunday River Brewing Co., a homey brewpub nestled at the base of Sunday River ski area in Bethel, Maine. We quickly became known for tasty beer, friendly anything-you-need service and great live music. Loyal local mug club members and visitors alike fell in love.
Due to popular demand, in 1995 we built Stone Coast Brewing Co. in Portland Maine. The legend of our incredible hoppy 420 IPA grew with each pint served. Hounded with requests, we asked our friends at Casco Bay Brewing to start bottling a few of our brews. In 2003, we got serious and built our own state-of-the-art production brewery right in Portland, complete with a beautiful stainless-steel bottling line. In 2004, we added a one-of-a-kind canning machine and became one of the first microbreweries in the country to can beer. Yes, I said cans.
We are Family…
Along this long and winding road, the Stone Coast team became a tight-knit family. Our long-time head brewer and all-around good guy Tom Kostovick recently left to raise his two boys (we miss him and wish him well!), but his recipes live on. Stew Mason, most of the reason that Sunday River is so popular, is an incredibly gifted brewer and has been with us since ’97. Kevin Watson from the hallowed Seattle craft brewing scene joined the team this fall as our new head brewer. He has a number of exciting new brews in the works and is already starting to act like a good rootsy Mainer. (Can we trade you beer for that?)
It’s all about the music…
We’re obsessed with great beer but have never left our musical roots. In the summer of 2006, Grant hooked up with long-time friend Jaik Miller. Together they created “Yama Bandit”, an intelligent rock band currently touring the north east. The 4-piece band features Jaik at lead vocals and guitar, Max Tucker on drums, Marco Ferrero on bass and Garth MacAleavey on lead guitar. Check them out on the jukebox above.
And the band played on…
Our beer has been served at Madison Square Garden, featured in a movie and several TV series including the wildly popular “Trailer Park Boys”. The 420 enjoys a cult following, often imitated but never duplicated. The hearty Black Bear Porter and the crisp Knuckleball Bock currently vie for favorite beer in our house. These and the rest of the Stone Coast line are now proudly available at your better stores and drinking establishments in ME, MA, NY, VT,CT and RI and soon in NH and CA.
Brewery Picture:
