As people get ready to raise their eyes for Monday’s once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse, they can also raise a rare glass thanks to some northern Maine beverage makers.
With distinctively Maine-sounding names like Toadally Dahk and Shiretown Blackout, brewers and winemakers in the Aroostook County region have focused on specialty eclipse sips with regional flair to commemorate the April 8 event.
In Houlton, the epicenter of The County’s eclipse activity, Kent Good owns The Thirsty Dawg beverage store. He worked with Fort Kent’s First Mile Brewery to create a limited-edition ale.
Shiretown Blackout New England pale ale debuted Friday. The name is a nod to the midday blackout of the eclipse and to Houlton’s nickname of the Shiretown.
“I was very happy with how it came out,” he said. “First Mile thinks it’s the best collaboration they’ve ever brewed for me. We’ll find out.”
Good described the beverage as a hoppy pale ale that will debut at his store and at Houlton’s Black Fly Brewfest this weekend. Only 100 four-packs were created and there’s a limit of one per person, he said Thursday.
Good came up with the name and some ideas for the label, while First Mile crafted the brew and finalized the artwork.
In Fort Kent, First Mile announced Friday that a limited supply of the brew would be available in their taproom.
“First Mile Brewing was thrilled to collaborate with The Thirsty Dawg on another special brew,” said head brewer Nate Boynton. “The eclipse is a once-in-a-generation event.”
It’s the third time the brewery and store owner have worked together. Past products were Shiretown, a pale ale, and the Boy and the Boot Session Ale. They will issue another new product this summer that’s still under wraps, Good said.
Just across the Aroostook County line in Patten, Katahdin Brew Works created Toadally Dahk in honor of the eclipse. Assistant Brewer Matt Heath said as soon as the business learned a huge turnout was expected, they wanted to craft something special.
“We wanted to do something that we hadn’t created yet,” Heath said. “It’s an extra pale ale, a little bit bitter on the end and not too fruity.”
The name, of course, has a story. The brewery makes a pale ale called Gnarly Toad, complete with a logo designed by the daughter of owners Joel and Jona Fitzpatrick. The toad has become kind of a mascot for the taproom, Heath said.
He and the Fitzpatricks wanted to build on the toad theme. After hearing the words “total eclipse” and “totality” so many times, a play on words with a Maine flair resulted in Toadally Dahk, he said.
Wine drinkers shouldn’t feel left out, because Hodgdon’s Hidden Spring Winery also made a special eclipse variety.
Owners Jean and Richard Sloat came up with Total Eclipse, a wine that has drawn so many positive comments that they intend to add it to their permanent selection.
“It’s made out of honeyberries that we grow on our farm, and it’s a sweet wine,” Jean Sloat said Friday. “We just thought it would make a good souvenir or something special to celebrate the day with.”
She described honeyberries as like a cross between blueberries and raspberries, with a texture similar to blueberries and the tart finish of raspberries. The berries thrive in cold weather so are perfect for The County’s climate.
Their daughter-in-law drew the label, which features a dark outdoors scene similar to what people will see during the eclipse, she said.
Hidden Springs will be at Saturday’s Black Fly Brewfest in Houlton and the wine was also to be part of a Friday evening eclipse tasting event at Merchants on the Corner in Presque Isle.
