Tap Handle #250: Gritty's - Vacationland Summer Ale
Gritty McDuff's, frequently called Gritty's for short, was founded as a brewpub in Portland, Maine in 1988 by Ed Stebbins and Richard Pfeffer. The two men wanted to create a true, English-style pub serving fresh ales and great food, and to have fun doing it. The brewpub was designed and manufactured in 1988 by Peter Austin & Partners in Ringwood, Hampshire, England, and was built in a part of town known as Old Port. All subsequent renovations and expansions remained true to the original, classic style of the English pub brewery. The pub produces the five classic ales (Sebago Light, Portland Headlight Pale Ale, McDuff's Best Bitter, Red Claws Ale Ale, Black Fly Stout) and many seasonal ales depending on the time of year. From its inception, production has grown at a rate of 30% per year. They used only the finest hops, English barley malt, and a special English ale yeast and water to produce hand-crafted ales that quickly become popular with the locals.
In 1995, a second location with a larger microbrewery facility was opened in Freeport. That facility uses custom-designed and fabricated fourteen-barrel system based on traditional English models. A third brewpub was opened in Auburn in 2005 and was modeled after the original Portland brewery: a classic Peter Austin style pub brewery handcrafted by local artisans in Maine. Their five flagship ales are brewed there, along with seasonal brews and the occasional small batch, pub-exclusive brews.
Vacationland is a summer seasonal Extra Special Golden Ale that's light in color but full-bodied, with a snappy hop finish. A bit of extra time in the conditioning tank rounds out and mellows the ale. They use generous portions of pale malt with just a touch of wheat malt to give it a unique flavor that's richer than most summer brews. Cascade leaf hops add a delicate and forward hop character as well. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 2.81 out of 5.
Gritty's Official Website
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