Craft beer is a booming business in Maine, and now Biddeford is the latest community to welcome a microbrewery.
The Banded Horn Brewing Co. will open in late summer or early fall in the Pepperell Mills in downtown. Owned and operated by Ian McConnell, a Maine native who learned the brewing trade from the ground up, the brewery will offer a variety of beer, from a German-style pilsner to Belgian ales to English porters to American pale ales.
McConnell has been learning the brewing business for the past six years while working at the Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn, N.Y. He began as an unpaid intern and worked his way up to the position of head brewer, where he managed a team of brewers, as well as the day-to-day operation.
McConnell said Banded Horn is “the fulfillment of my vision of what a small, regional brewery should be. I am a native Mainer (from Etna) and though my experience in New York was incredible I had always envisioned moving back to my home state to start a brewery.”
He said that as Maine has “become more and more of a craft beer haven, I decided that now is the time to open a brewery here. The vision behind Banded Horn is to have a world-class, regional brewery that only distributes to the northeastern states, and therefore, can retain better quality control.”
According to the Maine Brewers’ Guild, there are more than 35 micro-
breweries operating throughout the state. Some have become well-known brand names locally, such as Sea Dog, Sebago and Shipyard, while others, such as Oak Pond in Skowhegan, are lesser known.
The guild is a nonprofit, membership organization of Maine breweries that began in the mid 1980s and is still operated by a volunteer board of directors. The guild’s mission is “to promote and preserve the craft beer industry in our state,” according to its website.
McConnell said it would be his goal to “make the best beer we possibly can. We will brew a wide range of cutting-edge beers, as well as (provide) solid representations of traditional beer styles from around the world.”
He also said that Banded Horn would benefit from Maine’s thriving brewing community, which he described as close-knit.
“Every brewery brings a little something different to the table and adds to the richness and diversity of the beerscape here,” McConnell said. “Locally, we want to be Biddeford’s brewery, but we also want to shine throughout the (larger) community. We will focus on creating beers that will satisfy every beer drinker’s cravings.”
While Banded Horn may be the first brewery to call Biddeford home, the Run of the Mill brewpub and restaurant is located just across the Saco River. People sitting on the deck at the Run of the Mill can view the back of the Pepperell Mills.
Although McConnell’s plan was always to start his own brewery, he initially began looking for space in Portland. However, that was before he got introduced to the Pepperell Mills Campus in Biddeford and its owner, Doug Sanford. In fact, he said, deciding to locate the brewery in Biddeford “was the easiest business decision I’ve made yet.”
McConnell said when he saw the Pepperell Mills and what it had to offer, including the other light industrial businesses already located there, “it was a true no-brainer” to open his brewery in the former mill space.
In addition, when McConnell became more familiar with Biddeford he began to see “how many great things are happening and (its) sheer potential. Biddeford is a gem.”
He also said that working with Sanford “has been wonderful. When other perspective landlords weren’t willing to take a startup brewery seriously, Doug stepped up, saw our potential, and offered Banded Horn a great opportunity in an amazing location.”
McConnell’s plan is open the brewery, which will mostly focus on production, in September or October. There will also be a small retail operation where people could come to sample the beers being made, get tours of the brewery, buy “growlers” – 64-ounce bottles of beer that can be re-filled – and purchase merchandise like T-shirts and glassware.
“(During) the first year we will focus on providing the entire state with amazing beer, then slowly expand our territory while growing organically and maintaining complete control over our beer and its production,” he said.
Scott Joslin, the general manager of the Pepperell Mills Campus, said this week that he and Sanford are thrilled to have a brewery join the other businesses now operating in Building 13. He said McConnell would be leasing a nearly 6,000-square-foot space on the first floor, adjacent to the Saco River Dyehouse.
“This is our first brewery and we think it’s a great fit with the other light industrial businesses in the mill. They will really complement each other,” Joslin said.
Although the Pepperell Mills Campus includes hundreds of thousands of square feet of space, Joslin said, “We’re seeing a lot of action and more and more interest (in the mills).”
One way he and Sanford are hoping to create even more interest is with a total redevelopment of the fac?ade on Building 13, which faces Main Street. That work will be done during the late summer, as well, and Joslin anticipates it would be completed sometime in September.
In addition to the new brewery, Joslin said, he and Sanford are working with a restaurant interested in possibly coming into the mills.
“Things are happening (here),” he said.
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