‘Home Brewers of Greater Bangor’ has been around since 2009 as a bouncing-off spot for those interested in the craft.

BANGOR, Maine — Many Mainers have their favorite brewery to enjoy a craft beer every once in a while. But for those looking to take it a step further, The Home Brewers of Greater Bangor have been open arms to anyone interested. 

It started way back in 2009, with a group of like-minded folks looking to find a space to share some common ground. Over the years the passion has grown, with over two hundred members joining in on its Facebook page.

“We kind of all just started a conversation; we knew each other from home brewing and such and we decided hey it would be fun to start an actual club,” President Steven Johnson said. 

This Saturday, folks joined at Bangor Brewing Co. for the annual beer swap. Folks bottled and brought in their own brews to share and try at home from other members. 

After taking the brews home, members often bounce ideas, compliments, or critiques off of each other on the group’s Facebook page.

“We tend to be fairly critical and honest with the feedback, we’ll say you know, ‘Who made this?’ because we’re not always super well-labeled cause it’s home brewing,” member Devon Brooks said. 

Brooks has been a member since 2018 and said his favorite part about taking brewing into your own hands is the creative side along with it. 

“I like to try to, you know, express myself,” Brooks said. “And try and make something you might not get commercially.”

From dark or blonde ales, lagers, IPAs, and even cider, any brew can be brought to the table:

“We had a barley wine, we had a Dunkel, we had a west-coast IPA, we had a sour,” Brooks said. 

According to Johnson, the group welcomes new members regardless of if you are already homebrewing. The meetings are monthly.