Latest reviews from Newcastle

“iN ThE wOOOOOdS“

marsara 1944 days ago

“Very small Brewery, located in the middle of nowhere. We went here for the release of their first spontaneous ale. The service was friendly, and there was a flight available, as well as some bottles. It's as small as a tree house, almost, and a very wooden interior. the beers were allright, with the exception of their spontaneous ale, which was truly amazing. worth passing by, for sure !“

kraddel 2426 days ago

“What a great find in a fairly off the beaten track location (although not far from Rt.1 and Pemaquid peninsula...not to mention "Cowshit Corners"...lol!...check it out...it really exists just north of the brewery.). So glad I took the trouble to visit this location vs their blending taproom in Portland. Just a great reward for the drive...really loved the beers...especially the Farmhouse Pale and the Grizacca. The place is very rural/woodsy..and we loved the bartender. Definitely a must visit if anywhere in the Portland or further north area.“

PRBeer 2885 days ago

“Quite a departure from the Portland location. Quite a ways from anywhere, the tasting room is small and rustic, but very warm and inviting. Basically all wood, it smells great. 5 beers on tap, $2 5 ounce samples. Beer quality excellent. Growler fills reasonable, bottles a little pricy. While I was the only customer, the bartender was very friendly, we had a great conversation and she was easily able to answer all of my questions about the beers and the brewery. Probably easier to get to the Portland location, but this is a nice drive and a nice place.“

Drake 3123 days ago

“this is a farmhouse brewery for sure..out in the middle of nowhere in newcaslte maine..literally down the road from Cowshit Corner..seems like it was more off the beaten path coming from east to west as I did, eastern approach from the coast seems like a more direct, less bumpy, windy ride...picnic tables out front, port a john off to the side and the main focus is the tasting room, which is one of the best usages of such a small space that one can imagine. They had 5 drafts on tap to sample in addition to several limited bottles to purchase. Growler fills are limited to Oxbow growlers only that they sell there. All the offerings are delicious spins on farmhouse ales and everything is fresh and enjoyable. Flights are available..5 oz pours are 2 bucks, 12 oz pours are 5 bucks. Sampler comes in a nice wooden serving vessel. They have local cheese, which was terrific and some other nibles like pickles for sale. However, the food is limited, one can easily bring your own food if necessary. Selection of Oxbow gear/stuff in tasting room for sale and they even had card games...peg boards to keep the kids occupied. Certainly requires a trip off the beaten path, but well worth it. They recently started renting out the hillside house perched above the brewery, which looks quite nice. I believe Publick House in town has solid draft list and food if so inclined, but didn’t have time. Well done Oxbow in creating a unique place and very well crafted offerings that is indeed loud beer from a quiet place.“

HeadyDE 3210 days ago

“One of the best breweries I ever visited. Literally in the middle of nowhere, take your car have a wonderful drive through Maine countryside, and when you think you took the wrong way you will find the oxbow logo at the side of the street. The small cozy taproom is wonderful, the girls at the bar run the place amazingly, beers are awesome and fresh, cheese are made from local farmers, what else you can ask?! In my opinion worth the trip, and I could pass days and days over there! Simply AMAZING!!“

iacopino_IpA 3300 days ago

“I stopped in here for the first time last weekend with Festero for the goods from the woods gathering. This place is off the beaten path, you’re not going to bump into this by mistake, but that adds to the charm. Wooded compound for lack of a better word serving up some great rustic ales. There’s a tasting room with many a dozen seats and a handful of taps for samples, growlers or glasses. Building to the left of the tasting room houses a somewhat cramped brewhouse and fermentorium. I’m not sure what the food situation is or the level of service, but I had a hell of a time last weekend and wouldn’t hesitate to stop by if in the area.“

johnnnniee 3461 days ago

“Wow, what a place. We rolled up at 11am on a Saturday. Dorothy came to the front door of the house, then told us to meet her around back where the entrance to the shop/ their basement is. She took us through a tasting of five meads (four of their standards plus one prototype) with very generous pours - and it was free. Eventually Sean, the mead-maker, came down to join us. Dorothy had informed us he was sleeping after a long night shift at the local jail. She also informed us that at the jail he’s known as ’Big Nasty’, but that she thinks ’Big Nasty Creampuff’ is more appropriate.

It wouldn’t even have mattered if the mead was any good, so entertaining were Dorothy and Sean. But I’m glad to say that the meads were all pretty decent (though the chili-laced one was quite spicy). We bought a few to take away. If you’re in the area you should definitely try to visit this place. It’s literally just down the street from Oxbow, so you could take in both on the same journey. A mus-visit meadery.“

Leighton 3508 days ago

“A great little brewery and taproom. The location is somewhat remote, but since I went to a wedding that was only 15 minutes away it wasn’t a long detour for me. The taproom is nice and rustic, in a woodsy setting, with seating for perhaps 15 inside and a further 10-20 outside.They had four draft beers available during my visit, for either full pour, as part of a sample flight or for takeaway. There were also two bottled beers available (a bit on the pricey side, I might add). The beers were all quite good. The staff was friendly and quick to serve, though it wasn’t very busy on my visit. They have simple food options, like cheese. Outside they’ve got two cornhold courts set up. Definitely worth a visit if you’re within a reasonable distance, but I probably wouldn’t travel more than an hour to come here unless they had specific beers available that interested me.“

Leighton 3508 days ago

“Oxbow's tasting room is little more than a bar in the woods--which is completely appropriate, considering their awesome styling of beer and their progressive attitude on brewing. Go and enjoy!“

andrewdeci 3755 days ago

“Endroit visité le vendredi 11 octobre vers 15h00. Ambiance: Beau salon de dégustation tout en bois rustique. Tourne-disque qui jouait un vieux Fleetwood Mac. Le fûts de chêne sont sur place. Service: Hyper sympathique. Elle nous à parlé de sa brasserie, des bières disponible en fût en bouteille. Ensuite on a jasé micro du Vermont et du Québec. Sélection: 4 bières en fût disponible pour apporter. 2 bières en bouteilles disponible pour apporter. 7 bières en fûts maison. (226e rating d’établissement)“

TaktikMTL 3845 days ago

“Bel endroit simple et rustique où règne un ambiance familiale. Le salon de dégustation est habité par une odeur de bariques et un service sympathique. C’est pas très compliqué pour le choix, quelques excellentes saison/pale ale brassées sur place sont offerte. Je suis très content d’avoir eu la chance mettre la main sur quelques bouteilles de leur BA farmhouse pale ale.“

Marheb 3863 days ago

“Brad tells the story very well. This was really a serendipitous treat. It’s really just someone’s house, with a tiny tasting area setnup in an entrance foyer, and a few bar tables and chairs set up on a covered back porch. The meads were tasty, but the wife explained that they ran out of fresh peppers for the Capsumel, so used pepper flakes in the same ratio. Holy cow! Too hot to handle. Worth a visit.“

Travlr 3878 days ago

“This place was Ristic with a capital R. Very cozy and inviting tasting room just in front of the brewery and just down the hill from someone’s house. Odd bird-like creatures wandering near the house, but they didn’t go for our throats or anything. A brewer’s event had just drank them almost completely dry, but I’m betting the selection is normally solid enough to easily justify going a bit out of your way to see this place. Food is tasty cheese and bread/crackers.“

Travlr 3917 days ago

“So, we were leaving Oxbow and heading back to Portland when we noticed a sign for the meadery. They are located in the ground/basement level of their home, and the wife does a wonderful job describing and serving their mead. The mead is good and well-priced, so stop by since you are already up here visiting Oxbow.“

BeerandBlues2 3957 days ago

“Oxbow gets higher marks just for being a shed in someone’s yard. This place is out of town, away from it all, and is making some fantastic beers. There are cheeses for purchase to go along with your beer as you sit peacefully enjoying a fine beer or three.“

BeerandBlues2 3958 days ago

“NPH provides a much needed alternative to King Eider’s. The food is better and the beer selection on tap is much better though I think that Eider’s has a better selection in the bottle. The music and/or TV sometimes get in the way. If I can carry on a conversation I forget about my drinking problem. I’ve eaten at NPH several times and the service was friendly and fairly quick. The food is worth the price but the beer is over the top with some that they carry - Ox Bow in particular. I had a very satisfying Rasputin Stout when some of us used the publik house as a meeting house and was distracted by the beer. Probably the best place in the two villages for a relaxing beer if you discount The Library. “

boats1021 4431 days ago

“This place is right in my own backyard but I hadn’t checked it out until recently. It was the Oxbow beer that lured me in. The Newcastle Square location offers a nice setting for them but it may be a bit cramped, maybe that’s why I hear they’re moving. Selection of beers is not spectacular - a standard Rogue, a Liberal Cup, Geary’s, Shipyard, etc. but they did have the Oxbow - which was nice. They served it in a shaker however - get some stemware! I liked the food - try the pulled-pork nachos and oyster po’ boy. Service was friendly but food slow in coming out in our case. update 8/12/16: beer list greatly expanded since my first review - it’s not a bad beer list (20 rotating taps), always a few interesting ones, and I’ve always liked the food here“

porterhouse 4605 days ago