Closed for the Season?

A couple of weeks ago was my favorite day of the year here on Deer Isle: The day after Labor Day. This is the first Day-after-Labor-Day that I have been here since I moved away in 1992, and it was just as wonderful as I remembered. Why has it become my favorite? Because that's the time the year 'rounders "take back the island." The summer traffic drops precipitously and suddenly there are social invitations from people who have been so busy working or entertaining visitors or both that you haven't seen or heard from them in months. You can actually make it through the Burnt Cove Market without stumbling over crates of food waiting to be shelved or addled looking summer people looking for their favorite city food. And the weather? Oh my. Cool, clear and crisp. Think colored leaves, apples and cider.

(One Friday morning just before Labor Day, the Burnt Cove Market was strangely quiet and I whipped through my shopping list. The cashier said "Farmers' Market Day" -- that's where everyone was, getting their croissants from Tinderhearth, their Mason jar of 44 coffee, and their organic meats and cheeses. Not to be found at Burnt Cove, for sure.)

What I hadn't remembered, at least with such a sense of finality, was how fast things closed down for the season, or maybe for good. Just a few days later, I headed off to Blue Hill with the goal of trying out Seas the Day, a breakfast and lunch place across from Tradewinds I had heard good things about. Seas the Day had the unfortunate bad luck of opening the same summer as the new turn-about construction in their front yard that halted traffic for sometimes as much as a half-hour, and as if that wasn't bad enough, a Dunkin' Donuts opened right next door. (Dunkin' Donuts in Blue Hill??? That in itself seemed an abomination.)

Well, poor Seas the Day. Here's what I was greeted with:

That sign in front of the ramp/door says: "Closed Thank You," and outside the picture frame on the left is a "For Sale" sign. Only open a couple of months, and the round-about just got finished so traffic is moving just fine. I guess they couldn't take the reduction in the summer traffic.

Drew and I went to the Bagaduce Lunch for a fish sandwich and the sign in the window said they were closing on Saturday September 7th. (Did you know that the Bagaduce won the James Beard Award as an American Classic?) Madeline's on Deer Isle closes for the season on September 29.

Then my friend Christine invited me to a fancy tea at the lovely Pentagoet in Castine -- but the day of it, she called and said it was cancelled -- we were the only ones to sign up!

Sigh.

And in the Island AdVantages last week, there was an article that THREE businesses in Deer Isle village will be closing after this season: Neva Beck of the The Periwinkle is retiring (47 years in business);The Lester Gallery; and (maybe) Harbor Ice Cream. Since there are only about six business IN Deer Isle village, these closings will certainly have an impact.

Even the summer people who have stayed past Labor Day mostly seem to be leaving in September or in early October.

But then, I have been getting notices from the Opera House about the Winter AtlMovie Series. They are trying to get 90 folks to sign up at $45 each to make the series a "go." We'd do it, but will only be here for two of the seven scheduled films (we are heading south in early November). I heard they were within 15 of the goal. We've been to two movies there in the last week, first-run films and well attended. I see a notice for an eight week swing and waltz lessons in Blue Hill. Colloquy Downeast has ardent fans. And the Ukulele School is gearing up. I just heard about an active crafts group that meets Tuesday mornings in Brooklin. Book groups florish.

And summer people ask "What do you do here in the winter?"  Stick around past Labor Day to find out.

Strong Beer for Strong Men ... and Women

A few weeks ago, I noticed a classified ad in the Island Advantages that was sure to capture Drew's interest: a beer tasting at a fledgeling brewery in Sedgwick. We had no idea where we were headed, but typed the address into our trusty GPS and set off. Imagine our surprise when we ended up directly across from the stop sign at the end of the Mines Road (Route 15 from Blue Hill, where you take a left towards Deer Isle): set back from the road is a chicken and duck pen, then a modest raised ranch house. In the last week, a rather swank sign has popped up:

Al and Mia Strong moved to Maine from New Jersey, largely drawn and inspired by the growing micro brewery activity here. The Strongs are starting what they call a nanobrewery, in their basement garage.

Tiny and modest though it is, Strong Brewing has a real professional flair. The tiny garage cum brewery is tidy and spotless. I've been in a few, so I know.

Al and Mia have worked this past year or so to raise money to get the brewery going. According to Kickstarter, they raised $8,385 by April 16, 2013, and continued their fundraising efforts using a model called Community Supported Brewing, similar to the more familiar Community Supported Agriculture, where people buy shares in a farm's produce, to come later in the season. Same with CSB: you buy a share or half share that then entitles you to fill a 32 or 64 oz. growler a certain number of times (48 or 24 -- see the Strong Brewing website for details).

Drew has been waiting anxiously for the word from Strong Brewery that all was in place (they had recently gotten licensed by the State of Maine), the necessary plumbing needed completing, and the first big batches brewed and ready for dispensing. The word came last week: It was a "Go!" and Strong Brewery was hosting Open House tastings over the weekend. We visited Saturday when  music and food would add to the delights.

Red hot dogs! My father loved them, and the beer would have put him in seventh heaven.

Brewmaster Al mixed with the guests and talked about his favorite topics, Beer and Strong Brewery:

Mia was in the tap room, dispensing the day's four varieties:

And Drew finally got to take home his growlers of Strong Brewery beer:

Here's what Strong Brewery had on tap:

We tend to be dark beer fans, and the Soulpatch Porter was decidedly yummy. The Localmotive, with a bright, clear taste, was a very nice summery beer. The Blue Barren, a lovely pink with a light frothy head, was fruity without being sweet -- flavored with blueberries, of course. They are looking for help peeling peaches this weekend, so sounds like a peach beer is coming down the pike.

Strong Brewery is definitely a home-grown effort, similar to Tinderhearth and Millcreek, with a rustic appearance and appeal. All are putting out a quality product at a fair price, with no golden arches or big corporations backing them up. Let's support them, and buy local! And, btw, eat and drink fabulously.