Doing What’s Right: The Story of Maine Beer Company

Instantly recognizable on shelves, Maine Beer Company has earned a reputation over the last 15 years as a brewery of quality, caring, and integrity. From its earliest beginnings on Industrial Way in Portland – where other notable brewers began their journey – to its production facility now in Freeport, the brewery remains celebrated for its hop-forward ales and other recognizable offerings.

Why does Maine Beer Company endure? What is it about a brewery that has never canned, values minimalistic labels, and eschews fads and tricks, that has captured the attention of beer drinkers along the east coast? The answer is more than the liquid itself; it’s the ethos that brothers Daniel and David Kleban prescribed to the business at its start in 2009: Do What’s Right.

While other breweries of their size and ago might be struggling in the changing marketplace the brewery’s CEO Steve Mills says Maine Beer Co. closed out 2024 by having another good year.

“Our core business, our existing business, is up double digits in the middle teens, and it looks like we’re on a trajectory to grow double digits in same market sales again next year,” he says.  “We’re having a hard time keeping up.”

Mills notes that the brewery is working on its systems and processes and that the team working out of the brewery, just a stone’s throw from another Maine institution L.L. Bean, is happily working on producing clean, hop-forward beers.

“We just keep trying to get better at our craft and fulfilling our purpose, which is to do good through great beer, that is the reason why we exist,” he says.

Those beers include its flagship Lunch IPA and other standouts like Dinner Double IPA and Peeper Pale Ale.

Maine Beer Company has taken a steady approach to the marketplace. While it opened just before the most recent craft brewery boom and rode the wave, its commitment to quality never wavered. The positivity coming out of the brewery inspires others, including customers.

The good goes beyond the brewery’s walls and bottles. Maine Beer Co. is part of 1% for the Planet, a non-profit that helps companies donate least one percent of annual sales directly to environmental organizations. 

“That’s what gives me hope for future growth, I think we have a unique value proposition, because there’s not enough do-gooders in the world, right,” asks Mills. “So, there’s plenty of room for anybody who wants to jump on board. But we were fortunate that Dave and Dan really set the business up to behave a very specific way and so we just try to get better at fulfilling that purpose every single day.”

Standing Strong on Shelves

There is no shortage on hoppy beers available to consumers these days. Nearly every conceivable combination is available in cans of all sizes from breweries around the country. So how does Maine Beer Co. continue to stand out?

So much has to do with the format. There are few 500ml bottles available these days, making Maine Beer releases, elegantly wrapped in white labels with easy-to-read black lettering, easy to stand out. The single bottle format is also an advantage, says Mills.

“Very few people are going to walk in and buy 18 bottles of Lunch,” he says. “They’re going to buy something else, be it a bottle of wine or a bottle of whiskey or a 12 pack of another beer, and then they might grab a couple of our beers.”

For retailers that is an advantage. It can be a reliable impulse buy for those looking for a little something extra. Another advantage that Maine Beer has is its price point. Mills explains how beer prices are set internally with a formula.

“We look at our volume, and then we look at how much taxes we’re going to pay. Then the next line is our commitment to local and environmental nonprofits. We look at total compensation for our team, and then we look at what we have left,” says Mills.

He then points the finger to freshness. The hop-forward beers have a 90-day shelf life, he says, “and I don’t think there are very many breweries out there that put 90 or less on there. I think that plays in our favor, the promise of a good beer, and the promise that someone is going to do good because you bought that beer. I think that resonates with consumers.”

By clearly printing the date it was bottled on the label, the brewery ensures that there is no confusion on freshness. During a recent expansion the brewery added a bottle filler that significantly reduced the total package oxygen (TPO).

“We didn’t change the 90-day window even though at expiration, the beer would be significantly better than it was prior to on the old filler,” says Mills. “We asked ourselves why we’d push the days, just so people can stack it higher?  We just created a better experience towards the end of the shelf life of the beer, and that’s a better that’s better for the consumer.”

The ground support staff includes a director of sales and two territory managers, meaning partners like 31st and Wharton play a big role in the brewery’s success. The brewery doesn’t do a lot of marketing, but reputation of quality, and brining in new fans one bottle at a time has resonated with customers that want to enjoy a beer but also do some good.

The Enduring Bottle

While once ubiquitous in the craft space, it’s more and more difficult to find brown glass bottles – especially in 500 ml – in the craft space. The question Mills and the Maine Beer Co. team gets most often is about canning, and if the beers will ever make it into aluminum.

The short answer is: don’t hold your breath.

“We’re very comfortable in the format that we’re in,” he says. “I’m not an always or never guy, but we’re very much committed to that package. It continues to serve us well. And I just don’t see that changing anytime in the near future.”

The minimalistic labels also help the brand standout among a sea of colorful, sometimes wild labels. Mills says that sometimes the quietest voice speaks the loudest, and that instant recognizability from both labels and bottles helps keep Maine Beer Co. visually top of mind

Looking Forward

There are many beloved brands from Maine Beer Co. like the stout Mean Old Tom and Zoe, an amber ale. Mills says that the brewery likes to stick to the beers it knows, while also working to keep new beers in the pipeline.

“We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing right with the brands that we have,” he said.

In the new year, the brewery is going to use one UPC for what they are calling a rotating “Conservation Series” featuring beers that many consumers will already recognize. Sales of those beers will go to support good causes and organizations. One of the beers, Wolfe’s Neck, a 6.5% abv IPA, will benefit sustainable farming. 

By streamlining the releases, the brewery believes it will be a little easier on retailers and distributors. Then, for the consumers that want to dig a little deeper they will be able to see the story behind the beers and the causes.

Ultimately, Mills says that the brewery is confidant on the trail it is walking.

“We’re making the same beers but they’re growing and we’re trying to make them better,” he says. “We’re working on expanding our capacity and our ability to package more bottles and draft that we can responsibly sell.”

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This article first appeared in Heady Times, published by Origlio Beverage.