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Maine Brews Cruise

Maine Brews Cruise

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Maine Brews Cruise
5
#2 of 47 Food & Drink in Portland
Beer Tastings & ToursSightseeing ToursFood Tours
10:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
10:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
10:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
10:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Full view
About
Maine Brews Cruise was initially founded as The Maine Brew Bus in September 2012 by husband-and-wife Zach and Allison Poole. Our all-inclusive tours and experiences provide guests a behind-the-scenes look at Maine’s craft breweries, distilleries, wineries, and more. Tour guests enjoy having an expert guide, and often a dedicated driver, to lead them to both established and up-and-coming producers. This offers an opportunity to learn much more about the craft alcohol business than they could learn on their own. Over 35,000 people have been connected to Maine’s craft alcohol producers since our tours began almost 10 years ago. In early 2020, we announced that we had acquired a majority share of Brews Cruise, Inc., a company that licenses and supports craft beverage tour operators around the United States. In April 2021, the brand-new Maine Brews Cruise brand aligned our company with the national Brews Cruise presence.
Portland, Maine
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Tours and Tickets by Maine Brews Cruise
Travelers talk about

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions
5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles1,365 reviews
Excellent
1,272
Very good
75
Average
10
Poor
6
Terrible
2
Kevin G
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Walking tour a great way to discover hidden gems of Portland
Aug 2020 • Couples
We visited Portland for the first time a week ago and were looking for a way to get a local’s perspective of the city. We found the Maine Brew Bus Company through a google search and were pleasantly surprised to find that they were offering a walking tour during the current COVID pandemic. Our tour guide was Don, a local with extensive knowledge of Portland and how beer/spirits fit into the historical context of the city. He was very personable, and was respectful of both our time and safety concerns with respect to the pandemic. We visited 3 great breweries and had the opportunity to speak with owners as well as staff about the beer industry in Portland. There was something to fit everyone’s taste on the tour — we tried a number of interesting beers, meads, ciders, and kombucha. We were very happy with the experience; not only was it in of itself enjoyable, but Don’s advice helped us get the most out of the remainder of our trip. We strongly recommend building this tour into your schedule.
Written August 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Maine Brew Bus
Thank you for the wonderful review. We pride ourselves on putting our guests and brewery partners safety and health first but hope that we've been able to bring our usual informative, fun, and tasty brewery tour experience to our walking tours. Thank you again and we hope to see you again soon!
Written August 18, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
thefablife
Buffalo, NY46 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Fun Brewery Tour in Old Port
Sep 2020
My husband I love doing food / drink tours when traveling to get a good sense for a city and after discovering what a robust craft beer scene there was in Portland, signed up for the Old Port Brewery Walking Tour. The bus is not currently operating due to COVID but we were happy to see Portland on foot. Zach was our tour guide and extremely knowledgeable about the beer scene in Portland and we had a fun afternoon. They are keeping the walking groups small (6) and you need to have a mask on while on the tour (except while seated at the breweries) which was no issue at all. We visited Shipyard, Sebago and Gritty McDuff's on our tour with flights at two of the breweries and a snack at one as well which helped to soak up some of the brews :) I look forward to returning to Portland when we can take the bus tour. Thank you for a fun afternoon!
Written September 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Maine Brew Bus
Thank you for coming out on a tour with us and for the kind review. It sounds like Portland's breweries and our walking tour lived up to your hopes for an awesome way to learn about the city and our food and alcohol scene. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your visit as well and can't wait to have you on another tour the next time you are in town. Thank you again, Cheers!
Written September 14, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Bryanna B
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
10/10 would recommend
Oct 2020 • Friends
We booked a private tour and it was well worth it! It was so much fun and our tour guide Don was so knowledgeable and really made it that much more enjoyable. We had booked the tour in June for late October for a 30th birthday surprise, hoping the corona virus would be a distant memory but unfortunately had not eased up yet. The Maine Brew Bus took all the precautions in keeping us and those around us safe, while also making sure it did not effect the experience we had. We really had a great time and I would highly recommend doing one of their many tours.
Written October 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Maine Brew Bus
Thank you for coming on tour with us and Happy Birthday once again. We are so happy to still be able to offer a great tour experience while adjusting to the current Covid-19 pandemic and necessary safety guidelines. We try to make sure all our guests safety is prioritized without impacting the quality experience we provide on our tours. Thank you again for choosing to spend part of your visit to Portland with us. Cheers!
Written October 28, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Teri-sue L
1 contribution
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Overpriced but it was fun
Dec 2019
We went to a brewery first, then to a fermentory and finally a distillery. Each place was nice and the people were great (from Maine Brew Bus and the tour guides for each business). We just thought that for $80/person we would have more to drink at each stop. We had 4 samples at the brewery, which equals about one pint. We had 4 samples at the fermentory too. At the distillery we had a delicious craft cocktail and then a tiny sip of each of 2 different rums. It’s definitely less expensive to pick a place o go, sample their products and use a ride-share. I could have seen spending $40-50 but $80 was too much for what we experienced.
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Maine Brew Bus
Thank you for coming on tour with us. It sounds like you had a great time on our tour and enjoyed our guide and drivers services as well as each of the stops. We understand folks can visit breweries on their own but we always try to offer something beyond just a tasting with a behind the scenes look of each stop, special attention from their staff so guests can ask more detailed questions, some stories on Portland's historical relationship with alcohol, and snacks and a gift bag as well. Thank you again for coming on tour with us and we are glad to know you enjoyed the experience. Cheers!
Written January 28, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Matt from BK
New York City, NY1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Old Port Walk, Talk, and Taste for our Anniversary
Oct 2020
My wife and I did the Old Port Walk, Talk, and Taste for our anniversary with the man himself, Don.

Don is exactly the type of person you want to lead this tour. He's a Portland local who's super easygoing and down to earth. He can paint a full picture of the history of Portland and he can also give you the rundown on every beer you taste (with the single exception of Shipyard's cucumber beer, we all tried that for the first time together!). He's got great relationships with the breweries so you always feel super welcome everywhere you go. I was very glad we got Don for our tour. I learned a lot about Portland and I really enjoyed the tastings. Thanks, Don!
Written October 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Maine Brew Bus
Thank you for such a wonderful review. We really appreciate our guests feedback on the tour and Don certainly appreciates the kind words. We do our best to ensure our guests get an inside look into the brewing industry on our tours and Don being a long-time Portland local definitely helps as well as the warm relationships we have with our brewery partners. We hope to have you out on another tour soon to explore even more neighborhoods and breweries Portland has to offer. Cheers!
Written October 14, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Katie O
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Highly Recommend
Aug 2020
Outstanding host, great mix of beers, architecture and Portland History. Our host Don was knowledgeable, engaging and a great leader. I did the Old Port City Tour with three friends and we visited 3 Breweries, stopped at landmarks and had a wonderful time. All guests and host were masked and distanced when not seated enjoying beers.
Written August 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Maine Brew Bus
Thank you for coming out on tour with us and for your kind review. We have been working hard to ensure our guests safety while not loosing out on the opportunity to teach everyone about Portland's rich history and enjoy a guided tasting. It's great to hear that the experience hit the mark for your group! We hope to see you on another tour soon. Cheers!
Written August 12, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Gabriella_1018
New York City, NY12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Beer walking tour
Oct 2020 • Couples
I can’t say enough good things about this tour. Victoria our tour guide was beyond knowledgeable about beer, the history, and the area of Portland, she was awesome and did such a good job. Also the breweries we went to were awesome, they did a great job choosing and even under these circumstances it was awesome to walk around to our destinations. The beers were awesome and we felt safe the entire time. Victoria really made us feel good making it known everyone needed a mask unless drinking and sitting and it was awesome.

This was an awesome activity and it was nice to have a level of normalcy given the times. You were distant from everyone and again masks were required even while
Walking in the group.

Loved this tour! Great job guys!!
Written October 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Maine Brew Bus
Thank you for coming on tour with us. We always prioritize our guests, our staff, and our brewery partners safety on the tour while still making sure everyone has a great time and gets to try some great beer. We are so glad to be able to offer our walking tours as a safe and fun option for guests who want to visit breweries on a tour with the right precautions in place. We hope to have you out on another tour soon. Thank you again and Cheers!
Written October 14, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Holli B
Des Moines, IA5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Great tour for anyone wanting to learn more about the craft brewery industry
Jun 2022
We highly recommend taking the Maine Brews Cruise if you have interest in learning about the local craft beer scene. We toured three breweries during this tour. At each location we learned about their history, brewing process, and how they set themselves apart. One of our stops, Belleflower Brewing Company, one of the owners spent time with us to provide these details. It was great to have this inside look and the passion behind the product. We went away with so much knowledge and understanding of the passion leading to a growing craft brewery industry. We also of course enjoyed many delicious brews.
Written July 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John B
14 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Fun, Delicious and Safe
Sep 2020
My wife and I visited three breweries with our guide, Victoria. No bus was involved, this was more of a walking tour as we were in an area packed with breweries. We were given 2 half pours at two breweries and 3 tasters at the last, all complementary. This was enough for my wife and I, apparently we can't hang as much as we used to. But if you can hold more you are encouraged drink more (on your own dime though).

Throughout the tour Victoria gave us a run down on the history of each brewery and explained the beer brewing process, as well as why we might enjoy some beers while being turned off by others.

We loved every brewery and bought a lot of merch to show support.

We were required to wear masks while traveling between each brewery. For the most part Victoria kept her mask on the entire time except to take a drink. Every thing felt very safe and responsible.
Written September 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Maine Brew Bus
Thank you for the kind review John! We do our best to prioritize everyones health and safety on our tours while also ensuring you learn about some Portland history and beer along the way. We appreciate guests purchasing additional items at breweries, tasting glasses, t-shirts/hats, and beer-to-go to support our brewery partners. We always hope our guests will find a new favorite brewery on the tour and we are so glad to know you enjoyed every stop. We hope to have you out on another tour in the future, maybe on one of our bus-based tours to explore even more breweries in the Greater Portland area! Cheers!
Written September 8, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
SRivers39
Lebanon, NH8 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Great time was had by all except for me when the bill came
Nov 2023
Booked a private tour for a surprise birthday. The people that booked the cruise were helpful and pretty relaxed about the process. The tour guide and driver were great. Just make sure you have exactly what you’ll be charged for however many guests in writing beforehand. Even if the staff says it’s not a problem to book extra people last minute get what you’ll be charged in writing before you leave for the tour. Had I known I was supposed to have my final count in a week prior or what their billing policies were I never would have added anyone else last minute. I worked it out with management after several emails back and forth but it was a very different interaction from the rest of their laid back company: 3/5 for management, everyone else from the company and the breweries 5/5.
Written November 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Maine Brews Cruise - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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