Barreled Souls, Geary's Work on Tasting Rooms; Oxbow too?

1) Saco: Already brewing beer and set to open soon, Barreled Souls Brewing Company, co-owned by Matt Mills and head brewer Chris Schofield, is fleshing out a space that's nearly two-thirds tasting room. See some pictures of the developing interior on the company's Facebook page. Mills and Schofield want to serve other breweries' beer alongside their own, in part because their small system will preclude the availability of much back stock. The legality of their plan seems to occupy a gray area, and it's not yet clear to the duo whether the state will allow it.

2) East Bayside: Newcastle seems an unlikely place to have a busy tasting room. But in addition to the renowned beer, the rural farmhouse charm is part of what makes it such an attractive destination for beer lovers seeking out Oxbow Brewing Company. Still, with much of the thirsty population south of them, it should come as little surprise that Oxbow is developing a warehouse space in Maine's largest city. According to the June issue of BeerAdvocate Magazine, the company will be shifting barrels to the peninsula, freeing up space for more fermentors, bigger bottling runs, and even the addition of a coolship for spontaneously fermented beers in Newcastle. One can only hope that the Portland location might also offer a taste of the final products.

3) Industrial Way: Sounds like even Maine's oldest brewery is looking to get in on the tasting room game. D.L. Geary Brewing Company, or Geary's, which brewed its first beer in 1986, is rumored to be working on a space for visitors to hang out and sip some beers. This is in contrast to the current situation, which allows only for infrequent (and informal) scheduled tours of the production facility with a glass of beer along the way.
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Barreled Souls Brewing Company tasting room. [Photo: Barreled Souls]