Baxter Brewing To Begin Massachuetts Distribution

Baxter Brewing Company of Lewiston, Maine, providers of Pamola Xtra Pale Ale and Stowaway IPA, and the first brewery in New England to package all its beer in kegs and cans, shipped the first truckload of its beer out-of-state this week.

“Our beer has been available on Amtrak’s Downeaster train for some time, now,” said brewery founder and president, Luke Livingston, “but this is the first full shipment to leave Maine.” Until a recently completed increase in production capacity, Baxter had been barely able to meet demand in Maine, where it has been described as among the fastest growing craft beers ever introduced in the state.

As part of a new alliance between Baxter Brewing Co. and Burke and Merrimack Valley Distributors, of Randolph and Danvers respectively, Baxter’s beers will soon be available throughout the Boston area and North Shore of Massachusetts (with distributing throughout the remainder of Massachusetts slated for early 2012).

Located in a renovated corner of Lewiston’s historic Bates Mill, Baxter is the first new manufacturer in that space in more than 100 years. Other shipments from the mill included textiles used to outfit General Grant’s Grand Army of the Potomac, as well as the world-renowned Bates bedspreads.

Baxter shipped its first beer in January of this year and the brewery itself has become a destination for visitors to Maine, attracting fans from 44 states and more than a dozen foreign countries for tours and tastings. Many of those guests have been asking when the beer would be available closer to home.

“We had been shipping the equivalent of about 4,500 cases a month,” Livingston said, “and demand, just here in Maine, has been growing well beyond that. In fact, we’ve just learned that in addition to our existing strong network of hundreds of retailers, bars and restaurants statewide, some 70 Rite Aid stores have been authorized to stock our beer beginning this fall. But,” Livingston added, “our new capacity will enable us to meet the demand here at home, and begin shipping to Boston. We are also on-track to introduce a third variety of beer, coming this fall.”

While the list of locations where Baxter beer will be available in the Boston area is still being assembled by the distributors, Livingston explained that “Our Website includes a button labeled Can Finder that lists retail and on-premise locations by zip code and town. We’ll be adding the Massachusetts locations as soon as they are established. Or, even better, our friends in Massachusetts can simply ask for Baxter anyplace great beer is sold or served!”