Maine Beer Company brought back Red Wheelbarrow on Friday, Nov. 13. The 7% red IPA is on draft and in bottles, but only at the brewery’s tasting room in Freeport, Maine. The brewery lists it as an occasional release, and this run is not being sold anywhere else.
In its release note, Maine Beer Company says it is excited “to welcome the return of Red Wheelbarrow, our 7% Red IPA.” It ends with thanks to two groups: “Cheers to our local farmers, and to Dan Roberts for originally creating this beautiful beer.”
How Red Wheelbarrow tastes
The brewery calls Red Wheelbarrow a malt-forward ale, so the hops are not the main event. The grain bill uses seven malts: American 2-Row, Munich, Victory, Special-B, Carapils, Caramel 80L and Monastique. The beer page lists Amarillo and Falconer’s Flight as the hops.
Maine Beer Company lists aromas of pine and sweet malt with caramel. It also notes citrus, black currant, cherry, raisin, fig and berries, with “underlying burnt toast.” Brewers often use Special-B and Caramel 80L for raisin, dark fruit and caramel notes, and Amarillo and Falconer’s Flight are known for citrus and pine. That fits the profile the brewery describes. Hop lovers can look up both varieties in our Hop Directory.
A beer for the farmers
The brewery says the beer is inspired by the farmers who play a crucial role in brewing. They grow the grain that forms the base of the beer and the hops that flavor and preserve it. They also put brewing’s byproducts back to work as feed and fertilizer. Maine’s farm-to-glass supply chain has come up on BeerAlien before, including in our look at Blue Ox Malthouse’s 2023 year in review.
Maine Beer Company’s motto is “Do what’s right,” and the Red Wheelbarrow page highlights Freeport Wood Bank. The brewery describes the Wood Bank’s goal as making sure no family in the community “faces winter without heat.” Volunteers and partners source, split and deliver free firewood to Maine families all year. The page does not say how the beer supports the group, so ask in the tasting room if you want details.
Where to get it
Red Wheelbarrow is available on draft and in bottles only at the Maine Beer Company tasting room in Freeport. Plan around these details from the brewery’s site:
- Address: 525 US Route 1, Freeport, Maine
- Tasting room hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday
- Bottle shop: Opens at 10 a.m. daily
- Format: Draft and bottles, tasting room only
The brewery has not said how many bottles there are or how long the release will last. Because it is a tasting-room-only beer, a trip to Freeport is the only way to get one. If Maine is on your winter beer route, we have also covered a Maine brewery and chocolatier’s collaboration. For another malt-forward seasonal, try Dovetail’s Winter Hopfenlager.
Red IPA is one of the defined types in the BJCP’s Specialty IPA category (21B). Most red IPAs put the hops first. By the brewery’s own description, Red Wheelbarrow leans toward the malt, with caramel, dark fruit and toast doing much of the work. We picked up the release signal from orbit, and the bottles are on our list.
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