The Maine Dream Team-up Project: James Sanborn

I’m James Sanborn; I live in Hebron, Maine with my wife and three children. I have been drinking craft beer since college but really started to pay attention to what I was drinking about 3 years ago. Since then I have reviewed more than 600 beers on my blog and spent countless hours at breweries throughout the Northeast. If there is a beer release, brew fest or a new brewery opening chances are good I will be there.

I currently have three different sites that I manage;

Insurance Guy Beer Blog – Beer reviews, brewery visits and lots of info on where to find and drink great beer.

Breweries in Planning – This site is still a bit of a work in progress but it is getting there. The goal is to track the 100s of breweries in the planning stages across the US. It will also become a resource for these breweries to find information on vendors that support the craft beer industry.

New England Beer Insurance – Yes I sell insurance for a living but I have made that job much more fun by focusing on the craft beer industry. Breweries, beer bars, wholesalers, retailers, hop farms, tour buses if it is related to the craft beer industry I want to insure it.

 

Question 1: What is your all Maine brewery dream team-up? And why?

Tim Gallon (Black Bear Brewery – Orono, ME) and Nathan Sanborn (Rising Tide Brewing – Portland, ME). I would love to see Tim from Black Bear spend some time in Southern Maine and make a beer with Rising Tide. Tim is a very talented brewer but I’m not sure many people south of Bangor are aware of Black Bear Brewery even though he has been around longer than many of the breweries in Southern Maine.

Question 2: What would your Maine + U.S Brewery Team-up look like?

Tod Mott (Tributary Brewing Company – Kittery, ME) and Shaun Hill (Hill Farmstead – Greensboro, VT). I know Tod’s brewery is not yet open in Kittery but he has been doing a lot of collaborating while his brewery is under construction. I can only assume that once his brewery is open he will bring some of the best brewers in the nation to Maine to collaborate with him. I have had beer with both Tod and Shaun and they are two of the most passionate brewers I know. A Tod Mott / Shaun Hill collaboration would be beer geek dream beer. Brew something, throw it in a couple of barrels and see what comes out.

Question 3: What would your Maine + International Brewery team up look like?

Eric Michaud/Greg Abbot (In’finiti – Portland, ME) and Jerry Vietz (Unibroue – Chambly Quebec). I do not drink a lot of international beers so I had to do a little research on this one. I have tried a few from Unibroue and because we are so close to Canada it seems like we should embrace our neighbors to the north and invite them down to Maine to brew some beer. Jerry from Unibroue describes himself as a “real fanatic of fermentation”. Seems like a perfect fit for In’finiti since they are brewing and distilling at their location on Commercial Street in Portland.

Question 4: Free for all! Anything goes here as long as there is 1 Maine brewery involved.

Rob Tod (Allagash Brewing – Portland, ME) and Jim Koch (Boston Beer/Sam Adams – Boston, MA) Rob Tod and Jim Koch are the faces of their respective breweries however I’m not sure how much brewing they actually do these days. It would be a lot of fun to have two of the biggest names in beer get together for a brewday. Would love to hang out with them and hear the stories of the early years before craft beer exploded.

 

The Maine Dream Team-up Project Participants:

Day 1: Chad Lothian – If My Coaster Could Talk

Day 2: Mark Stevens – Maine Beer Tours

Day 3: Shahin Khojastehzad – Novare Res Bier Café

Day 4: Eric Mihan – Bangor Wine and Cheese

Day 5: James Sanborn – Insurance Guys Beer Blog

Day 6: Ben Lizzotte/Ryan Poland/ Tony C – Drink’n Think’n Podcast

Day 7: Tom Madden – Madden Beverage

Day 8: Gene Beck – Nocturnem Draft Haus

Day 9: Josh Christie – Maine Beer Author

Day 10: Greg Norton – Bier Cellar

Day 11: Matt Delamater – Local Brew TV

Day 12: Benjamin Moore – Active Beer Geek

Day 13: Richard England – Hogan Road Deli

Day 14: Carla Companion – The Beer Babe

Day 15: Adam Callaghan – The Maine Brew Bus

 

Chad Lothian

About Chad Lothian

Chad Lothian lives in Old Town, Maine. He is a craft beer enthusiast and homebrewer. Chad has travelled to brewpubs, breweries and brewfests all over New England.