Best friends Jon Stein and Ian Heyse opened Fogtown Brewery on Pine Street in Ellsworth in 2017. At the time, it was Ellsworth’s first brewery and sported a salvaged-wood temporary bar top, a couple of brews on tap, and free popcorn as the only snack option for patrons. Stein hails from Philadelphia and Heyes is an Ellsworth native, and despite the already crowded industry in Maine, they decided to pursue the goal of creating more than just a craft brewery, but a hub where people could gather for art, music, and high-quality food and drink. Together, the two enlisted the help of friends to renovate the original space, but did most of the work themselves. The rustic brewery features reclaimed wood everywhere you look, including the handmade bar and taproom tables.
With an uncompromising commitment to quality, Fogtown brews award-winning, small batch craft beer, cider, and wine, sourcing the finest local ingredients to capture the essence of Maine’s rich flavor. Jon and Ian have been passionate about prioritizing sustainable practices and contributing to Ellsworth’s community & culture from the start. The Brewery and Beer Garden has become a hub for local art, live music (they host weekly open mics and live music events) as well as trivia nights and other community events. Their farm-to-table menu is powered by Maine’s farmers and growers, and they have continued to explore and responsibly use the wild and foraged flavors of coastal Maine. Joe and Nancy Segari’s “Eat at Joe’s” food truck took up residence in the corner of the Fogtown Beer Garden soon after the grand opening and provided customers with sustainable, local and responsibly farmed & raised food until 2020. In 2020, the brewery commissioned local masons to build our brick, wood-fired pizza oven in their beer garden. Fogtown’s menu currently features build-your-own-pie options, as well as 8 varieties of Neapolitan style wood-fired pizzas, salads, cheesy bread, soft pretzels, hummus plates, mac n’cheese and other seasonal dishes that celebrate the region’s diverse harvest. Customers have the option to relax in the warm and welcoming taproom or savor their pints in the dog-friendly beer garden— which is an ideal setting for gathering with friends, enjoying live music, and embracing the rhythm of the seasons.
Fogtown’s commitment to sustainable practices has extended beyond supporting local food systems by sourcing local ingredients to investing in clean energy initiatives by installing a 57 panel solar array on their roof in 2019. Their rooftop photovoltaic panels supply the brewery with renewable energy and meet 73% of their total electricity needs. They work to reduce waste wherever possible and utilize as much of the byproducts from their brewing process as they can by participating in the “Spent Grain Program.” Every time they brew, Fogtown generates several hundred pounds of spent grain, which equates to over 25 tons of nutrients and energy a year that then goes to local farm animals (the Maine-grown barley, wheat, oats and rye provide a great source of protein and carbohydrates), compost facilities, and into Fogtown’s pizza dough. Additionally, Fogtown’s hogs (pasture-raised at local Half-Ash Farm in Orland, ME) are fed a mix of spent grain from our flagship brews, and finished on spent apple pomace from their hard cider program. The result has been responsibly-raised and flavorful pork featured in pizza toppings and Fogtown brand sausages. Fogtown also hosts one of Chickadee Compost’s “Community Drop-Off Sheds” for Downtown Ellsworth.
The brewery is located on 25 Pine Street in Ellsworth and is open Tuesday thru Sunday. They offer over 20 varieties of draft beers, ciders and wines, as well as non-alcoholic beverage options. Their event schedule can be found on their website, as can their online shop, where fans can purchase Fogtown glasses, t-shirts, caps and hats, baby onesies, sweaters, socks, coasters, totes, backpacks, beanies, and gift cards. The Blue Hill Co-op is proud to carry over a dozen of Fogtown’s most popular beers, hard seltzers, hard cider and wines. Be sure to seek them out in our Beer and Wine section!
