Downeast Beverage Co.

6/25/2008 12:38:36 PM, wednesday, june 25, 2008
Tiny little corner store that has some beer coolers tucked in the back. They do sell singles(but a small amount) and you can find some local micros there including Allagash for a very good price.

6/21/2008 11:43:44 PM, saturday, june 21, 2008
Great surprise. Wasn’t expecting the caliber of selection, even if the quantity is relatively small. the latest focus seems to be Italian wacko beers and Cantillon. Good Maine micros, including an Allagash that was not available at the brewery. The store itself is tiny and sells wine too, so considering what they have this is an ideal, friendly beer store in the middle of Portland.

6/1/2008 10:41:58 AM, sunday, june 01, 2008
Visited over the Memorial Day weekend. Although a small store, these folks consistently have one of the best selections of high quality beers in the area. Their staff are friendly and some are quite knowledgeable about what they sell and offer suggestions to customers about their favorites. Prices are pretty consistent with other high quality beer stores. I spent way too much here!

1/2/2008 11:24:57 AM, wednesday, january 02, 2008
Small, cozy store. Feels just right for the Old Port. Maine doesn’t have the best distribution, but they do pretty well for what is available. Good variety of imports and lots of local stuff, which really is the way it goes in Maine. Selection isn’t huge, but is big enough and you never know what you’ll find. Parking does suck though, so be prepared to shop quickly and get out before you get a ticket for your illegal parking job.

8/5/2007 7:12:18 PM, sunday, august 05, 2007
Parking is a bitch in this area, so you may have to park far away, which kind of sucks because you will be leaving this place carrying lots of beer - classy interior, with hardwood shelving displaying all the beer - prices are about what you’d expect based on the atmosphere (slightly above what you might pay elsewhere, but you won’t get the same selection elsewhere) - all the NE micros, loads of belgian and other imports (I got their last bottle of Beer Geek Breakfast, nice!) - Cantillon, Fantome, and other quality imports are well represented - they get a fair amount of micros, but not nearly as many as you’d find in the Boston area - in a city that seems to stock mostly local beer, this place has a great selection.

4/9/2007 4:57:52 PM, monday, april 09, 2007 [ Updated monday, april 09, 2007 ]
Great beer store located in Portland’s Old Port. Went in a few days ago and was blown away by the selection here! Had a few questions about some local breweries and some imported beers. Staff was very knowledgable and knew about all I was asking about. Nice Mix and match section that included craft brews as well as all the local stuff. I have been to a few other stores in Portland, their selection wasn’t even close. If it is in Maine Downeast caries it. Great store nice staff, must stop if you are in Portland......

3/11/2007 6:19:07 PM, sunday, march 11, 2007
a decent beer place. not tooo overpriced... great selection for maine ALTHOUGH IS NOT RSVP so maybe comes in 2nd.

9/27/2006 8:23:45 PM, wednesday, september 27, 2006
Nice ambiance is somewhat the product of the location in the waterfront area of downtown Portland. The staff was plesant and helpful and their beer guy was happy to casually chat about beer. The selection wasn’t amazing compared to some places I’ve been, but they do have a very nice choice of Maine and New England craft beer and a good list of Belgian beer. This place seems to cater more to the fine wine, but it is worth a visit if you are in the area, and is the best beer selection I’ve seen in the several places I’ve been to in Maine.

12/18/2005 10:01:57 PM, sunday, december 18, 2005
small, i liked how this was not like alot of wearhouse like liquore stores, this place is small and cozy. fairly nice large selection, but i have seen bigger out of state. the upside is that they do always have a few jems. the downside is that they are a little more expencive than some other liquor stores. plsu it can be hard to find parking

11/7/2005 9:48:43 AM, monday, november 07, 2005
Got there bright and early on Saturday. Cool store, wood floors and such. Bit cramped in the back, but has a warmer feeling to it than the supermarket like auras of some other places I have been. Selection is mostly Maine micros which is kind of the point. Big finds for me: Curieux, DFH Raison D’Extra, Midas Touch (they had a couple of other DFH as well that I had already had.) some stuff from Vermont and New Hampshire like Magic Hat and Long Trail. Import selection was weak by beer geek standards - The usual belgians like Orval, Lindemans etc. with some rarities that are not as well rated. I picked up an Old Nick and a Pinkus Hefeweisen. Staff were super friendly, helping us find stuff and looking over my Ratebeer factored "want list" and recognised us when we came back from lunch for more! We learned that yes you do get parking tickets on a Satuday - BUT the first ticket is automatically waived! Nice! Give yourself time to walk around the old port down there, and don’t be afraid to duck down some back alleys. We got some great photos of fishing gear, and that’s how we found Gritty’s! Staff was honest enough to wave us off of some of the more questionable choices.