USA, ME: Sebago Brewing Co. to close its Portland brewpub

Sebago Brewing Co. is selling its Fore Street, Portland building and will close the brewpub later this month, the Press Herald reported on January 3.

The company said it plans to put the money into upgrading its three other brewpubs and improve the canning line at its Gorham brewery.

The company said its workers in Portland were notified of the decision and the company is looking to relocate them to the other locations or other positions with the company. The Portland location will close Jan. 29.

Kai Adams, vice president of Sebago Brewing, said one reason for the decision to sell is the drop-off in foot traffic in downtown Portland, with many office workers switching to working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic.

“You kind of feel that in the lunch business,” he said. Another factor, Adams said, were the high real estate prices that drew an attractive offer for the site.

“Our property is beautiful and that’s why (selling) it is so bittersweet,” he said.

Adams declined to offer specifics on the price and the identity of the buyer.

Sebago Brewing said it will renovate its brewpub and tasting room in Gorham in the spring, adding a new kitchen, larger bar and 20 tap lines. Upgrades at the company’s Scarborough brewpub also are planned, the company said, along with the addition of a higher-capacity canning line at the brewery in Gorham.

The company also has a brewpub in Kennebunk. Sebago Brewing said it plans to have all its locations open six or seven days a week by this spring.

The company said the need to upgrade the canning line is driven by growth in sales of packaged beer. The new equipment, which is being built in Italy, will package 200 cans of beer a minute, allowing Sebago Brewing to bring more beer to the market and add different styles of beer to its product line.

Sebago Brewing currently has five year-round beers, five seasonal beers and several limited-edition, single-batch beers.

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