November 1, 2009
My favourite beer store in Portland. Downtown in front of the harbour the parking can be a little problematic during busy hours. Small and cosy. Nice display, pleasant to shop at. Staff is very knowledgeable. The small selection is dwarfed by RSVP Discount (the biggest beer store in town) but Downeast has all the right stuff. The best Maine brews are there as well as the good American micros available in Maine, including a few that I didn’t see at RSVP. A limited but good import selection. About 1/4th the number of beer that RSVP has but overall there were more bottles that I wanted from this small store than from RSVP. A nice little beer-geek store. My second favourite beer store in Maine after Tully’s Beer and Wine.

October 29, 2009
Établissement visité le jeudi 15 octobre vers 16h30. Ambiance: Petit magasin à la décoration rustique. Service: Sympathique et connaisseur. Sélection: Pas mal toutes les microbrasseries du Maine ainsi que quelques unes d’autres états. Bière belge et scandinave. (139e rating d’établissement)

August 27, 2009
Nice atmosphere and decent selection, a sales table where I got some deals, a little less available in a smaller shop but a good number of beers were there that were not up the road.

July 10, 2009
Went in here on a rainy Saturday on a quick trip to Portland. There was a decent selection, but not as good as I expected considering a lot of the positive comments I’ve heard about this store. Additionally, there were quite a few older bottles on display...especially in the German and Belgian selections. Still, it’s a decent selection. I have to ding service on this note, though. I asked the guy at the register if they had any Cadillac Mountain Stout, and he responded, "Cadillac Mountain Stout...ummm...who makes it?" Are you $#!+ting me? If you’re holding yourself out as a solid beer store in Maine, every service person, owner, manager, janitor or carrier pigeon in the place better know about the most sought-after beer in Maine (OK, that was before Gargamel). He may have been new, but that didn’t help. Still, it has a pretty decent selection save for potential freshness issues. I do prefer Tully’s in Wells by a significant margin, however, but when in downtown Portland by the wharf Downeast is the best place I saw. And the bakery next door is awesome.

March 21, 2009
Great beer shop. Big selection with deals. Nice atmosphere and surroundings.

October 10, 2008
really loved this place has a great number of great beers and good people to help out. great location in the heart of downtown

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.

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.

June 1, 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!

January 2, 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.