Ebenezer’s Pub Review: A Maine Must for Beer Lovers

There have been many an Ebenezer's Pub review written over the years. This one is mine, and it's short and sweet.

For starters, I'm no beer guru, so let me air that out straightaway. I'm usually one to leave pub reviews and such to the professionals at outlets like BeerAdvocate. But it's a new year, and I like beer, so I figured I'd belly up to the keyboard and pour out a few paragraphs about this not-so-hidden gem in Western Maine that's become a beer lover's mecca. Especially Belgian beer lovers.

Before we tip a few back, though, a tip of the hat to my folks. They've owned a home in Western Maine for two decades now, and discovered Ebenezer's in Lovell awhile back. For years, we've been waiting for the stars to align in a way that would allow the two of them, myself, and my brother to pay a visit to the Pub. That finally happened over the holidays.

My brother Nate and I are big beer drinkers. And we're equal opportunity. From domestic to import, commercial to craft, we celebrate the entire catalog. Knowing this, our folks had hyped us up quite a bit. Let me just say this: expectations met. The selection of Belgian beers was as advertised: wide-ranging and international. But even the non-Belgian brews were eclectic, with a bit of local flair.

I started with the De Halve Maan Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel, straight from Brugge. It was dark and fruity; the perfect winter pour. I followed that up with Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde. You see, I was having a bowl of poutine for my supper, so I figured a Quebec brewery's take on a Belgian beer would be a nice pairing. And it was: just hoppy enough and crisp enough to balance the cheese curds and dark gravy.

A fine winter evening meal, two pints and poutine from Ebenezer's. If you're a hardcore beer geek, well, you've probably visited already. But if you haven't, make the trek. The beer selection lives up to its award-winning reputation, the menu and vibe are warm and comfortable, as is the service. You can find Ebenezer's Pub in Lovell, ME here.

Some of us are doing the Dry January thing. Some of us are not. For the latter group, here are 10 beers to try in the new year.

Ironically, I'm not actually in that latter group. I'm in the former. Which kinda makes sense, in a way. I imbibed quite a bit over the holiday season. That's how I was able to come up with this list of 10 beers. And that's why I'm taking a month off. I'm in my mid-40s now, and that beer belly is getting harder and harder to shed when it gets to a point where it's uncomfortable and I need to shrink it down a bit.

So while I teetotal for the next 31 days or so, you can indulge. As we head into 2024, we continue to live in a beer drinker's utopia. If you're lucky enough to live in the Boston metro, you're likely a stone's throw from a craft brewery. And even if you're in a pocket of New England where that brewery density is lower, distribution is at an all-time high of both craft an commercial beers. What a time to be alive.

Some thanks are in order, first of all. My pal Jon and my brother Nate gifted me a lot of the beer I tried over the holidays and that I'm sharing below. And my folks took me on my first-ever visit to Ebenezer's Pub in Lovell, ME, which is a beer-lovers Mecca. So thanks to both of them. And thanks also to Mineral Spring Liquor in North Providence, RI for having a four-pack of beer on hand that I didn't even know existed and was able to pick up back in November. That's the first one you'll find on my list below. Cheers!