What do milk, clay and yogurt have to do with beer? Well, normally, nothing. But if you are Scott Bendtson and Ethan Evangelos, and you’re building a brewery on a tight budget, you get creative. Really creative.

Brand new brewery in sweet Searsmont

At their new craft brewery in Searsmont, Maine, Scott and Ethan, long-time friends and co-workers, are using a former milk tank from a dairy farm in Topsham as their mash tun. The boil kettle was once used to mix clay for a potter, and the fermenters once fermented yogurt. If containers had feelings, I’m sure they’d be relieved at their new, elevated, cool-dude status.I mean milk, clay and yogurt are so yesterday (they’d think.)

Scott Bendtson and Ethan Evangelos stand in front of their boil kettle and mash tun at Threshers Brewing Company

And to kick off their new careers as brewers (both Scott and Ethan are accomplished finish carpenters), the guys invite you with open arms to their Grand Opening on August 6, 2016, which is this Saturday. Say you’ll make it.

Be there! Grand opening coming right up. Make it a road trip.

I visited Threshers on a blistering hot day in late July, and the drive to Searsmont is among the most quintessentially country-summer drives I’ve ever taken. Hills, dales, meadows, rivers, and finally, the old lumber mill-turned-brewery and tasting room sit waiting. Inside, it’s dark and cool. The bar is made out of trees that just didn’t make it: an old elm downed by Dutch elm disease and apple trees blown down in a storm. Ethan milled them out and pieced out a beautiful mosaic, creating his inviting bar.

Hand made with love by Ethan: apple and elm are given new life in the bar.

It was there we talked about how Threshers came about, an origin story not unlike that of many other brewers: high-school pals, worked together as carpenters, home-brewed together. Now they make beer on a bigger scale, to offer to thirsty drinkers.

Scott and Ethan

Firefly, APA, Citra and Brown are the current offerings. There will be more, rest assured.

The four styles they’re beginning with follow, with the brewers’ descriptions:

Our Citra IPA is dry hopped with Citra hops which gives off tropical/ grapefruit flavors, balanced out with bittering hops;

The Firefly Wheat is our take on a saison style wheat ale, perfect for a hot summer day;

The Pale ale is an American pale ale that is brewed not to be as bitter as a traditional IPA. This ale has a nice balance of bitterness to flavoring hops that produces a woodsy/earthy flavor

Our Brown ale is barley based, and has a nice nutty flavor balanced with a malty profile. The hop flavor produces a slightly bitter taste.

My husband and I got taste all four, and I highly recommend. No hop bombs here, and that’s intentional. Just great, drinkable, tasty brews in a family-friendly place.

Come over and support another Maine craft brewery! Cheers!

Details:

Threshers Grand Opening

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Time: TBA (email them for details)

Live Music by Gold Rose and Colin Nelson

BBQ by The Grinning Dog (raved about by Zest Magazine) and Seafood by Hot Fat, both visiting food trucks

Address:

22 Main St, building 3B

Searsmont, ME

Important detail from their website: You can easily find us on 131 (also known as Main St.)in Searsmont, ME located a few lots down from the Fraternity Village Store in the old Sprowl Block. Just pull in between the two red buildings and come on back!

(207) 975-3225

email: threshersbrewing@gmail.com

website: www.threshersbrewingco.com

Check out their Facebook and Instagram feeds for more details as they come.

Can’t make it? Wahhh. But regular hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 12 noon to 8 p.m.