The Colby Echo

Issue date: 2/9/07 Section: News & Features

Media Credit: John DeBruicker OPB in Skowhegan

Media Credit: John DeBruicker

It is no secret that Colby students enjoy the occasional drink. Favorites at most Colby functions, however, include the most affordable domestic brews available from major conglomerate distributors. For your next beer run, why not try something local that will put you closer in touch with the ingredients and the people that are responsible for your beer?

Oak Pond Brewery, a half hour north in Skowhegan, has been brewing ales and aged lagers in a converted chicken barn since 1996. Their signature growlers (half gallon bottles) can be found all across campus as mementos of weekend trips to the quality mom and pop style establishment.

Our trip on a lazy Saturday in Jan Plan included a tour of OPB's facility and an explanation of the painstaking processes behind creating each handcrafted beer. Nancy Chandler of Canaan, Maine, who runs OPB with her husband Don, showed us the barley silo, the fermenters, the aging tanks and everything in between. We learned how the malted grain, hops, yeast and water (the only four ingredients) come together to make the six available varieties. Nancy even explained how, after every brew, she has to climb all the way inside the brew kettle and clean it from within. "At one time or another we're in all of our tanks," Don Chandler said.

We saw, touched and smelled each ingredient in several stages of preparation. The hops OPB uses are grown in such far flung regions as Germany and the Czech Republic. One particular variety of hop, grown in Yakima Valley, Washington, was harder to come by recently because of the combination of a poor harvest and increased demand. Larger companies had contracted buying the hop to the extent that the Chandlers could not find it anywhere in the country. India Pale Ales, for which the hop is used, are becoming more popular in the U.S., according to Don. "It hit us right at the end of the season, but we were able to get by until the new crop came in," he said.

At the end of the tour it was time to decide. We sampled the Nut Brown, White Fox, DoorYard and Pale ales, the Oktoberfest lager, and the seasonal Storyteller Droppelbock. Each are hearty, delicious brews and well within the typical Colby student budget- bring back your growler from a past visit and save on the refill price. We each took home a growler of our favorite brews. I decided on refilling my growler with the Droppelbock, which was too popular around my apartment to last even a day. OPB does about a third of its business from walk-in traffic, a significant portion of which is Colby students, Don said. The rest comes from sales to local distributors and taverns.

The drives to and from the brewery are major parts of the OPB experience. From campus, take I 95 North to exit 133. Take Route 201 North for 6.4 miles, then make a right onto Route 23 North. The scenery at this point in the drive is something to behold. Rural Maine is at its finest here with run down barns, quaint neighborhoods and wide open spaces. Make a left on Route 2 West, then make a left on Oak Pond Road. The Brewery is a half mile down the road on the right.

The Skowhegan area is full of rustic charm. The pawn shop on the corner of Oak Pond Road and Route 2 is worth peeking into for its extensive collection of old trinkets. The Kennebec River twists through downtown Skowhegan, which features beautiful brick architecture reminiscent of Waterville's older buildings. The Sappi Paper mill on 201 also provides a Willy Wonkaesque experience in industrial mass production.

OPB is available at nearby Joka's discount beverages, but the real treat is making the trip and getting to know Don and Nancy. Expect to be charmed, educated and hydrated, but also expect to be carded. Tours are available during all open hours, Monday to Friday 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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