Bangor, Maine – home to Steven King, Paul Bunyan and Maine’s only Division 1 University in nearby Orono, but also one of the best beer cities in New England with half a dozen breweries.

Today, we’ll trek across the Queen City of the East on foot, 2 feet even, to explore some of the best breweries the city has to offer and take in the sights along the way.

Originally, we were supposed to be camping up in Baxter State Park, but due to the weather forecast calling for torrential downpours, we shifted our plans for a weekend getaway in Bangor instead. 

Be on a look out for a future video covering our non-beer adventures in the city.

We decided to dedicate a day to brewery hopping and exploring the best Bangor has to offer.

Brewery Crawl Tips

Here’s some tips for a successful brewery crawl:

• Pace yourself – You don’t want to burn out after visiting your second brewery. Have a glass of water in between flights and pints.
• Eat Food – Try ordering an appetizer at each brewery to share. Not only is this a good way to pace yourself, sometimes the food at breweries can be even better than the beer. Appetizer crawls are apparently a thing too now.
• Stay Safe – Have a designated driver or use rideshares or taxis to get to your destinations. We took ubers to and from downtown Bangor and walked between breweries.
• Have fun: This is about trying new beer, food and experiences. Relax and have a good time.

We stayed at a hotel near the airport and originally were worried about the availability of Ubers, but that proved to be unfounded as we had no difficulty catching Ubers in Bangor.

We took an Uber to our first destination on the trip – Geaghans Pub and Craft Brewery right across the Hollywood Casino Hotel and near the Paul Bunyon statue.

Geaghans Pub and Craft Brewery

Geaghans is an unapologetic Irish Pub, with the decor to match. The restaurant has been around since 1975 with beer being brewed commencing in 2011.

We sat at a table and ordered their famed wings which came out crispy and delicious.

I got a flight of beer:

• The Refueler was a typical Hefeweisen, light and yeasty.
• Next up was their Italian Pilsner which was light and refreshing with a bready body.
• The Irish Red was smooth and tasty.
• Last I tried the Bangor Brown, which was smooth with a nice malty finish.

First Brewery down and we’re already going strong out of the gate. I checked off Geaghans as my 82nd brewery I’ve been to along the Maine Brewery Trail. For more information on the trail organized by the Maine Brewers Guild, check out the link in the comments below.

The Bangor Riverwalk

After leaving we paid our respects to Paul Bunyon.

We then headed down Dutton Street around the back of the Hollywood Casino until we met up with the waterfront trail.

The trail offers gorgeous views of the Penobscot River, Mason on the other shore and the Veterans Remembrance Bridge.

We took this the 0.8 miles to downtown Bangor Proper.

Good to note, here you’ll pass by Seadog Brewing right on the waterfront with an amazing patio overlooking the water.

We’ve already been to Seadog in both Brunswick, Maine and North Conway, New Hampshire so we didn’t make the stop as part of this crawl. However, feel free to add it to your brewery crawl if you haven’t been.

Orono Brewing

We continued along the trail that follows the Kenduskeag Stream and took a right onto Hammond Street until we got to Orono’s Bangor Taproom – my 83rd brewery on the Maine Craft Beer Trail.

While the main brewery is in nearby Orono, their Bangor outpost offers a modern cozy space with nice wood trim and some funky modern art. There was also a small patio, but it was actually getting pretty warm by that point so we opted for the indoor bar area.

We ordered a flight.

First on deck was the AOK Kolshe which was refreshing, light and delightful.

This was followed by the Wicked Maine Blueberry which was wheaty and sweet, but the real shocker was the fruity smell that wouldn’t be out of place in a candle store. Should Orono start making candles? Comment your thoughts below!

Next up was the Fruitful Kettle Sour which had peach and raspberry notes that managed to be on the smoother side rather than tart as you’d might expect.

Last came the Woodsman Red Ale which offered bold upfront flavor but had a smooth fruity finish.

We would have loved to stay longer, but we still had two breweries left as part of our crawl.

Two Feet Brewing

We headed back down Hammond Street, past Main Street and then took a left down Columbia.

After a short block, we made it to our 3rd brewery on the trip – Two Feet Brewing.

Two Feet is in an extremely cozy space – welcoming and eclectic – and there was a band playing on the patio just outside.

In terms of ambiance, this was my favorite stop. Two Feet has the vibe of a great neighborhood bar – that also so happens to serve up great beer and food.

I ordered a flight of 3. The Barn Burner had a pleasant mild spiciness with an impressively smooth finish. All too often spicy beers can have a pretty raunchy aftertaste, but the Barn Burner went down smooth.

Next up was the Dreamsycle, which as advertised was every bit sweet, creamy and smooth as described.

Finally was the Pulp Track IPA, made by Marsh Island in nearby Orono. This juicy New England IPA was smooth with a nice subtle hoppiness. We didn’t get to Marsh Island Brewing on this trip, but it is definitely on my radar now.

We also got some appetizers to share. We ordered the legendary Siamese Devils – curried deviled eggs topped with ginger which are a must try, we loved them. Additionally, we ordered the Main Lobster Rangoon Dip, served with pita chips. This was a great dish, essentially a deconstructed lobster rangoon with an Asian twist.

As much as we would have stayed here all day, we had one last brewery to head off to.

Mason’s Brewing

Good to note, that right downtown Blaze Brewing has a tap room. We have a Blaze Brewing back home in Biddeford where they produce the beer, so we didn’t go to the Bangor location on this trip, but we’ve never been disappointed by their beer, pizza and wings which we enjoy often back home. Definitely a worthy addition or alternative to your own brewery crawl.

We climbed the hill to Union Street and posed with the Welcome to Bangor Sign before heading across the Union Street Bridge across the Penobscot River into Brewer, Maine. What a great name for a town!

The view from the top of the bridge was absolutely stunning. Not only did you get amazing views of the Penobscot, but also some of the best views of downtown Bangor. After crossing, we followed the Brewer Riverwalk along the shore.

The Riverwalk was a delight in itself as we passed by sculptures and parks overlooking the river. After about a quarter mile, we made it to our final brewery Mason’s.

Now I’ve actually already been to Mason’s on a previous trip visiting Acadia National Park and was really excited to visit again. Not only is the beer great, but the view of the river is spectacular and the food is very good. Mason’s manages to pull off the trifecta of having good beer, with good ambiance and good food.

It was a very busy Saturday, but we were sat almost immediately since there were only two in our party. We were able to sit right on the patio overlooking the river.

I got my final flight of the night, starting off with the Lite Lager which is your typical lager crisp and refreshing. 

Next up was the Cream Ale which was creamy with a hint of hoppiness and a smooth finish – delicious.

The Buzz McCallister is actually mead! Smooth and sweet with honey apple notes with a little fizz – perfect for drinking when Home Alone.

Finally, I tasted Mason’s Red Ale, my third Red Ale of the day! Light and malty, everything I was hoping for.

We also ordered food for dinner. We felt we needed to be healthy after a day of drinking so we ordered the Ahi Tuna Salad which featured pickled kelp and carrots, sesame marinated cucumbers, delectable tuna and dressed with a spicy poke dressing – superb!

In addition, we also ordered the shrimp tacos featuring shrimp ceviche with a mango salsa and by the end we were completely stuffed. Mason’s became my 85th brewery along the Maine Brewery Trail.

Conclusion

After we finished up our remaining beers, we sat along the water, taking in the gorgeous sunset as it dropped across the horizon, while listening to Bret Micheals who was playing the Maine Savings Amphitheatre across the water.

If you want to extend your brewery adventure, there’s several options, but none will be within walking distance.

There’s Bangor Beer Co out towards the Mall, and then out in Orono you could do a whole second day of brewery crawling with Marsh Island Brewing, Black Bear Brewing and Orono Brewing’s Tasting Room and Kitchen.

We hope you found this brewery crawl guide helpful. Bangor is often overlooked compared to Southern Maine, but it’s brewery scene certainly holds its own.