Lubec’s only year-round watering hole held its final last call in mid-August after 11 years of serving draft beer and live music to residents and visitors of the country’s easternmost town.
Lubec Brewing Company shut down on Aug. 18, when its owners ran out of beer. It’s been listed on the market for $699,000 for roughly a year. Gale White, who owns and operates the brewery with his wife, McGinley Jones, cited health issues as their reason for the closure.
The popular microbrewery was the only watering hole in Lubec that was open year-round, though its winter hours were reduced to weekends only. The closure comes as another high-profile Lubec business, the nine-room Cohills Inn down the road from the brewery, is listed for sale for $1.2 million, according to the property’s website.
White, who opened the brewery and tap room in 2015 as a retirement project, said the closure is bittersweet because his business provides the town’s only space to congregate, drink and sing over the cold and isolating winter months. White has shoveled his way into the pub during a snowstorm to ensure his patrons can share a drink, no matter the weather.
“The hardest part will be being closed in wintertime because we really do serve a real community purpose,” White said.
White, who moved to Washington County from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 2012, decided over the winter he would sell the brewery after a back injury raised concerns about his ability to continue overseeing bar operations.
“I feel like the brewery has so much more potential than what I’ve been able to give it in my retirement,” White said. “We’re trying to find someone that will keep it going as is. We just feel like this is such a big part of the community, we’re not looking for somebody to buy the real estate and turn it into a house or something else.”
Multiple parties have expressed interest in purchasing the brewery, but the couple is searching for an owner who will manage the business themselves, rather than an investor.
“We’ve had multiple people/groups interested but so far each time they say we have a ‘winning formula, all organic Maine grown ingredients, great recipes, awesome vibe…’ [but] each time it turns out to be investors, not owner-operators,” Jones said. “The reason this community brewery has worked is because it’s owner-operator, as is the case with most small rural businesses in Maine, so we’ve been holding out for the right buyers who will be a family or cooperative group who will all work and earn their living through their work at the brewery.”
The brewery served a range of Maine-made beers and hosted live music throughout the year. A seasonal kitchen with rotating menus offered hand-tossed sourdough pizza and homemade bread, both of which White baked himself.
The bar is also open for community gatherings. In May, former gubernatorial candidate Nirav Shah held an impromptu town hall meeting on the brewery’s couches and, three days later, the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance convened at the Water Street pub. Last month, Lubec High School’s class of 1976 hosted its 50th reunion at the bar.
A Facebook post announcing the brewery’s final day received dozens of comments and hundreds of likes from locals and visitors. One longtime customer drove 12 hours in a day to attend the brewery’s “last call” celebration, Jones said.
“You created the most magical community at the brewery,” one Facebook commenter wrote. “There is no place like it. Spending time there on our trips to Lubec will always be in my treasure chest of best memories. I hope your next chapters are filled with just as many people who appreciate and care about you and with good health. Thank you for providing a welcoming place to meet wonderful people and really really great beer.”
Facebook users from Maine, Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio recalled fond memories and acts of kindness they’d experienced at the brewery.
“Years ago my husband and I pulled into town late after a long drive and were starving,” another patron wrote. “We found this little gem and even though the kitchen was closed, you straight up gave us your dinner. It was one of the kindest acts that will always hold a special place in my heart.”
A third former patron wrote, “Oh what a sad day for Lubec. You have been a beacon and a warm inviting place to be. It has actually made me want to like beer. Farewell.”