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Maine (ME)
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Maine Brews Cruise
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Maine Brews Cruise

See all things to do
See all things to do
Maine Brews Cruise
5
#2 of 48 Food & Drink in Portland
Beer Tastings & ToursSightseeing ToursFood Tours
10:30 AM - 8:00 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
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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 bubbles1,363 reviews
Excellent
1,271
Very good
74
Average
10
Poor
6
Terrible
2
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.
Lillian M
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Great beer tour!
Nov 2021 • Solo
Don and Chris were great! Very knowledgeable. Lots of beer, only a little snack at one of the places but ultimately very good. We got rained on And they adjusted plans to keep us inside as much as possible while still giving us all the information we could want.
Written November 14, 2021
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.
Mateohas
Altoona, WI1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Wonderful!
Mar 2022
We had a great time on the Maine Brews Cruise. The team made a great effort to get the individual groups mingling with one another, and at no time did I ever feel thirsty! A great first day in Maine, and we even ended up taking some of the beers that we got on the tour down to the wharf with another group on the tour. We ended up on a lobster boat with our new found friends and had a blast getting to know each other. All of this possible because of the relationships fostered on the tour by the Brews Cruise team. Highly recommend, and would love to come back and try to boat tour!
Written March 28, 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.
Hollie G
Missoula, MT18 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Tons of Fun
May 2021
My friends and I had a great time. We learned a lot and enjoyed all that the breweries and distilleries had to offer. Nathan, our guide, was amazing. One of the other guests on the tour lost a pearl out of her ring and he personally rode back to where she thought she lost it and actually found it! What a guy. Would definitely recommend.
Written June 8, 2021
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.
Don L
Hollie, Thank you for taking the tour with the group and for sharing your thoughts here about the tour and about Nathan. We hope to see you again when your "thirst for knowledge" strikes you in a future visit to Portland. Cheers!
Written June 28, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
TONeill142
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Really entertaining and very good beer!
Oct 2021
Spencer was our very engaged, prepared and interesting guide. We chose a cold and very rainy day to take a walking beer tour of downtown Portland and quickly the weather became a non issue. Spencer was very knowledgeable of Portland's beer history and the beer scene generally in Maine and New England It's an easy walk to three brewery/pubs and each location was waiting with reserved tables and staff. Two stops offered a list of beers and you can choose 4 generous pours to taste, or one place brought out pitchers based on your taste. Have a hearty breakfast before your tour if you do the early one since there is only light snacks at the second stop. I highly recommend this tour and will be doing a boat cruise with this company when the weather warms in the spring!
Written November 9, 2021
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.
ahhhrealmonsters
Pittsburgh, PA1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Informative and Fun
Jul 2021
Major Tom to ground control. Early in the trip, a person from the outside tried to disrupt, and he was able to handle that person in a very calm manner where the dude walked off thinking we were meeting up later.
Very much a beer guy and can easily talk you through any questions dealing with the brewery's history and the brewing process. It was friendly with the rest of the group, too.
Written August 2, 2021
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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