Central Street Farmhouse: the Brew Shop at the Heart of Central Maine's Craft Beer Scene

Over the last five years, it has been widely reported that the homebrewing industry’s success has been its own downfall. Home brewers, who took up the hobby en masse 20 years ago because they were unsatisfied with the lager selection at the local store, went on to open thousands of craft breweries across America. As they went commercial, they ceased being loyal customers at homebrew stores and began providing more diverse beers to the public, dissuading others from taking up the hobby. This story is common across the country, but lacks a personal touch. Looking deeper at how the homebrew shop can sire craft breweries explains how necessary these establishments have been for beer lovers.

The story of beer in Bangor, Maine is one such example. In the mid 2000s, craft beer was beginning to debut in local beer stores (and gas stations), but Central Maine’s brewery scene was non-existent. Then in late October 2010, a homebrewing supply store opened in downtown Bangor called Central Street Farmhouse. It was the first dedicated homebrew store in the area, and had an eco baby boutique upstairs under the same ownership.

The Farmhouse would become the mecca of homebrewing in Central Maine, with passionate homebrewers coming from other counties to get supplies, exchange notes, and join the Farmhouse’s homebrewing club. Talking to some craft brewers in the area today, it seems that at least six legitimate breweries emerged from this homebrewing community.

In Central Maine, the market was already primed for a store focused exclusively on homebrewing. Interest in craft beer clashed with a dearth of supply at beer stores. Beer-lovers turned to homebrewing, but there was also limited homebrewing supplies. The Natural Living Center in Bangor stocked a shelf with homebrewing equipment. John Edwards Market in nearby Ellsworth had limited supplies. So, when the Farmhouse opened its doors as a one-stop homebrew shop, customers came from far and wide.

Joel Mahaffey, co-founder and head brewer at Foundation Brewing, had extensive homebrewing experience prior to 2010, but when the Farmhouse opened he says, “I was excited to see a business that was really focused on home brewing.” He would meet his business partner through the shop, a connection which otherwise would never have occurred.

Asa Marsh-Sachs had moved to Bangor with Farmhouse’s original owners with the goal of opening the store. He recalls the first days of the homebrew shop, “I squatted in the building when we renovated it. Lived in a back closer behind the eco baby store.” Marsh-Sachs found himself managing the brew shop, brewing at least three times a week to test the product himself, and running classes and community engagements.

Marsh-Sachs and the owner of Farmhouse initiated a homebrewer’s club for their customers and friends to share beer, knowledge, and camaraderie. In the early days, living above the store became an asset–customers could always rely on the Farmhouse for what Marsh-Sachs calls “ethical and emotional support.” He explains, “Homebrewers are very emotional. People would call up and cry, “It’s not bubbling, what do I do?!”

The meetings were largely informal, cultivating a casual sense of community and friendship more than professionalism and purpose. Marsh-Sachs recalls, “We weren’t trying to jam information down their throats.” Mahaffey remembers the meetings as drinking events, “Farmhouse often would have a keg of something they had brewed to share. There was always way too much beer there, but we also grilled each other on how the beer was made.”

But those who attended these early club meetings were not just in it for play. “That group was really passionate about beer. The people who were serious about it were really serious,” says Marsh-Sachs. While Mahaffey adds, “The club was primarily attended by people who were overzealous in the hobby. There were people who came from as far away as Belfast. It was a pretty nerdy bunch of people.” The interest was there, homebrewers were just waiting for a chance to share their passion.

Before long, the store began hosting homebrewing competitions. The Farmhouse started the Maine Homebrewers Competition. They invited homebrewers from all over to bring some beer to be judged by local beer buffs. Hobbyists who were not directly involved in the club came out to brew and compete. Some entrants came from as far as Fort Kent on the Canadian border to submit their beers. The competitions expanded the scope of the Farmhouse’s influence.

Suddenly, in the mid 2010s, members of the original Central Street Farmhouse homebrewer’s club began opening legitimate breweries. The list of Farmhouse connections is impressive:

2013:

-The Franciscan Friars, although not part of the club or competition, opened a brewpub out of their Bangor bakery with the assistance of the Farmhouse. They moved to Bucksport in 2018 closer to their monastery. Their website now advertises them as, “Franciscans of Bucksport formerly ‘Francisans of Bangor.’”

2014:

-Joel Mahaffey and John Bonney who met at the Farmhouse club opened Foundation Brewing down in Portland.

-Marsh-Sachs left his position managing the Farmhouse to become part owner and head brewer at Orono Brewing Company on New Year’s Eve 2014.

2015:

-Marsh Island Brewing opened with Maine Homebrewers Competition winner, Clay Randall (whom Marsh-Sachs signed up for his first home brewing competition before he agreed to it), as head brewer and homebrewers’ club member, Richard England, as Brewery Manager.

2016:

-Cory Ricker, a Farmhouse club member, opened 2 Feet Brewing in 2016 where his wife Nit-Noi sells a cake of the day.

-Mason’s Brewing Company opens and has since employed several brewers who were involved in the club.

2017:

-Bangor Beer Company opens and Jared Lambert, who was involved in the club and competitions, becomes head brewer.

2019:

-The Community Supported Agriculture brewery Frosty Bottom Brewing opened thanks, in part, to the efforts of another Farmhouse club member.

These businesses, although in slight competition with one another, often still share the camaraderie of the early days of homebrewing. Lending each other a bag of malt, hops, or some technical advice, should the other ask.

Josh Parda, who was introduced to the Farmhouse as a customer, has now worked there nine years. He bought the business several years ago from the original owners, and now runs the store. Reflecting on the homebrew to brewery phenomenon, he says that the community didn’t just share brewing tips. From a business perspective, Parda explains, “They share information and experience all the time. ‘Do I need a lawyer for this and what’s it like to get that license?’”

But the homebrew club of a decade ago is no more. There have been several renditions of a local homebrewers’ club over the years, but Parda makes it clear, brew shops are a dying breed. “ Five years ago there were five to eight homebrew stores in Maine. Today, it’s just me and Portland.” He has seen sales move online, the hobby lose interest, and even new homebrew clubs circumventing his business to purchase wholesale.

The motive for so many who got into homebrewing over a decade ago–to bring good beer to Maine–is no longer a strong motivator. The beer has arrived. Parda explains, “Homebrewing as a hobby has sort of fallen off. You can go to Walmart and get good beer.” Mahaffey, a contributor to the good beer himself, agrees, “It does not surprise me, as disappointing as it is to hear that homebrewing is on the decline, because that reality has changed. The impetus to put all the work in is gone.”

But what role did the Central Street Farmhouse play in pushing Bangor into the world of craft beer? It depends on who you ask, but there seems to be a broad consensus that it was fundamental. When asked about the Farmhouse’s influence, Bangor’s Nocturnem Draft Haus owner, Gene Beck simply says, “It’s nuts!” Parda labels it “a cultural hub” for the beer community. While Marsh Island’s Clay Randall says, “It was a big incubator for all of the breweries up here.”

Craft beer emerged decades ago, but it took a while to get to Central Maine. It is only logical that beer lovers who caught wind of interesting beer from afar wanted to bring it home. The Farmhouse, at the very least, united the most passionate of the homebrewers in Central Maine. It magnified passions, built connections, and inspired competition. Now with nearly a dozen craft breweries in the area, the head brewers can look at each other and remember a time when they exchanged beer at a club meeting or competition.

Down in Portland at Foundation Brewing, Mahaffey sits at his draft room bar. He knows that his business would not have come to be without the Farmhouse. It’s where he met his business partner. The Farmhouse homebrew community in his words: “It was a highly valued social opportunity in Central Maine.”

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Central Street Farmhouse: the Brew Shop at the Heart of Central Maine's Craft Beer Scene

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