GORHAM, Maine — Sebago Brewing Co. (SBC), announced today the sale of its 13,000-square-foot installed brewery in Gorham to Portland-based Lone Pine Brewing Company. The additional brewing equipment, packaging and warehouse space included in the sale will quadruple the size of the young brewery from 5-barrel to 20-barrel capacity.
SBC has been brewing and packaging their beer in the Gorham industrial park since 2005. Since then, co-founders Kai Adams, Brad Monarch and Tim Haines have experienced amazing growth leading to their recent news of the construction of a new 31,000-square-foot destination brewery on Lower Main Street in Gorham, which is schedule to open in mid-February.
“It was always our intent to sell the brewery installed and in place to a Maine brewer who was growing and needed the capacity or a new start-up looking to find a home,” said Adams. “We know what it takes to start up a brewery and the costs and planning it takes to install all the equipment. John, Tom and the team at Lone Pine worked hard in a short timeframe to make this happen, and we’re really excited to see what they will create here.”
Lone Pine, which started brewing at its Anderson Street location in March 2016, is already brewing its well-known Portland Pale Ale at the new location. Co-owners Tom Madden and John Paul will keep the tasting room location in Portland open and plan to enhance the draft list there, using the location as more experimental space.
“Diverting our core brands to a larger facility will allow us to expand our product line with our current small batch system,” said Madden. “Moving into a turnkey facility will allow us to focus almost exclusively on product quality and consistency, while positively contributing to the legacy of Maine breweries.”
Paul and Madden credit their success not only to hard work and dedication, but to the local support they’ve received from their SBA lender Northeast Bank and Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI).
“Growing over 400 percent in 20 months, our proof of concept has encouraged our financial partners to move forward with us in this venture,” said Paul.
Lone Pine expects to add at least seven new hires to their 10-person team once they take over the lease from Sebago in February.
“When Tim, Brad and I opened this brewery, we had help from people in the industry locally who wanted nothing in return but to see us brew great beer,” said Adams. “We want to do the same for someone else, while creating a hub in Gorham for more great craft beer.”
About Sebago Brewing Company
Sebago Brewing Company is a Maine-owned and -operated company firmly rooted at the crossroads of food and beer. Since opening in 1998, Sebago has become Maine’s premier contemporary American brewpub and one of the fastest growing craft breweries in the state. Sebago offers a full line of year-round beers, five seasonal beers and several highly anticipated, limited-edition Single Batch Series beers. Sebago Brewing Company has a reputation for creative, high quality, unique beers that tempt and satisfy the palates of beer lovers.
For more information on Sebago Brewing Company’s events and beers, visit www.sebagobrewing.com.
About Lone Pine Brewing Company
Lone Pine Brewing Company is a Portland based brewery focusing on American ales and small batch specialty beers that feature unique, local ingredients. Founded in 2016, Lone Pine currently operates its production and tasting room facilities on Anderson Street in the East Bayside neighborhood of Portland. Lone Pine is one of the fastest growing breweries in Maine, having increased from 400 bbls per year in 2016 to a projected 6,500 bbls in 2018.
Learn more at www.lonepinebrewery.com