VISIT MAINE - UPDATED TRAVEL POLICIES IN EFFECT! Visit our Health and Safety page for more details
After nine years of being known as The Maine Brew Bus, we have aligned our craft beverage tour and activity operations with that of the national company we acquired last year. Please welcome Maine Brews Cruise! It is now official: our Portland-based companies are now truly recognized as part of the Brews Cruise brand. It signals…
Changes in Maine’s policies now allow for guests from all New England states to visit Maine without any test or quarantine requirements. Guests from any state that have been fully vaccinated or have previously been infected are also exempt from those requirements.
Please review our updated Health and Safety policies that are in place to protect our guests, our staff, and our partners.
Join your guide in the Old Port and travel on foot with us to learn about the extraordinary history of beer brewing in Portland.
Get outside and enjoy the fresh air while visiting great beverage producers on our Bike and Brews tours in Portland, Maine.
Recent changes in Maine’s policies now allow for guests from all New England states to visit Maine without any test or quarantine requirements. Guests from any state that have been fully vaccinated or have previously been infected are also exempt from those requirements, effective immediately. Great timing, as we have tours currently available for booking…
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Fun and safe way to visit many local breweries and enjoy a bit of Portland’s rich history. Had a blast!
– Heather C., Tripadvisor ReviewThis tour was a highlight of our trip! We did the East Bayside Tour on a Saturday afternoon. Victoria was awesome! She was knowledgeable and made the information easy to understand and fun. And added bonus was getting to go right into the breweries and drink when every place we went seemed to have long lines and waits for everyone else. I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Portland!
– Kara H., Tripadvisor ReviewWe booked a private tour and it was well worth it! It was so much fun and our tour guide Don was so knowledgeable and really made it that much more enjoyable. We had booked the tour in June for late October for a 30th birthday surprise, hoping the corona virus would be a distant memory but unfortunately had not eased up yet. The Maine Brew Bus took all the precautions in keeping us and those around us safe, while also making sure it did not effect the experience we had. We really had a great time and I would highly recommend doing one of their many tours.
– Bryanna B., Tripadvisor ReviewWe had a great time on this tour! We walked to 3 breweries while getting a history lesson of Portland on our way to each brewery. Because of Covid, masks must be worn the whole time(besides when you are drinking). I felt like they did a very respectful job of mandating the pandemic rules while still having a fun time. I would definitely recommend this for beer drinkers and history fans. Also we only walked about 1.5 miles, it was very comfortable.
– Kataharine R., Tripadvisor ReviewMy wife and I did the Old Port Walk, Talk, and Taste for our anniversary with the man himself, Don. Don is exactly the type of person you want to lead this tour. He's a Portland local who's super easygoing and down to earth. He can paint a full picture of the history of Portland and he can also give you the rundown on every beer you taste (with the single exception of Shipyard's cucumber beer, we all tried that for the first time together!). He's got great relationships with the breweries so you always feel super welcome everywhere you go. I was very glad we got Don for our tour. I learned a lot about Portland and I really enjoyed the tastings. Thanks, Don!
– Matt from BK, Tripadvisor ReviewWe were in Portland for the day and decided to try this out. We took the Old Port walking tour. Shea, our guide, arrived on time and was really great! She's funny and informative. She gave us lots of history of the city, we got to see some very interesting buildings, and she also works in the beer industry so she could give us a lot of cool information about beer, how it's made, and the history of the local craft beer industry. We visited three craft beer venues and got to try samplers of many of their beers. Each person got to pick four samples (at the first two -- the last place we each got two bigger pours). It helps if you travel with someone so you can share samples and get to try eight! We definitely got our money's worth and really enjoyed it. The area is not too big so walking around is pretty easy and doesn't take very long.
– 0 Levins, Google ReviewWe visited in early October 2020 for a beer tour around East Bayside and had a great tour! Victoria was so cool and knowledgeable, and a complete pleasure to chat with. We were glad to be able to tour safely due to covid and would recommend any/all tours with them!
– Hannah, Tripadvisor ReviewTraveling through New England and decided to try this tour. Had a great time walking around downtown, learning some city and brewing history with Don, and trying some new beers. Nice way to spend our afternoon and stretch our limbs a little. Tour was very friendly, polite, on time, and we felt safer with our masks and spacing. All spaces were distanced when trying our beers.
– Claudia L., Google ReviewMy husband I love doing food / drink tours when traveling to get a good sense for a city and after discovering what a robust craft beer scene there was in Portland, signed up for the Old Port Brewery Walking Tour. The bus is not currently operating due to COVID but we were happy to see Portland on foot. Zach was our tour guide and extremely knowledgeable about the beer scene in Portland and we had a fun afternoon. They are keeping the walking groups small (6) and you need to have a mask on while on the tour (except while seated at the breweries) which was no issue at all. We visited Shipyard, Sebago and Gritty McDuff's on our tour with flights at two of the breweries and a snack at one as well which helped to soak up some of the brews :) I look forward to returning to Portland when we can take the bus tour. Thank you for a fun afternoon!
– fablifeforever, Tripadvisor ReviewMajor Tom was a great tour guide with an abundance of local knowledge. Breweries offered a great selection and Maine Brew Bus took care of us with a nice pretzel basket at one of our stops. Would highly recommend for anyone who wants to sample a few places while being entertained with relevant history on Portland and the brewing industry.
– Thomas B., Google ReviewWe had an amazing brew walk & talk tour with Zach! It was a great experience learning the history of Maine, the different breweries and trying Portland's top brews. The tour practiced social distancing and went above and beyond to create a unique experience. Recommending to all of my friends!
– Sarah S., Google ReviewOutstanding host, great mix of beers, architecture and Portland History. Our host Don was knowledgeable, engaging and a great leader. I did the Old Port City Tour with three friends and we visited 3 Breweries, stopped at landmarks and had a wonderful time. All guests and host were masked and distanced when not seated enjoying beers.
– Katie O, Tripadvisor ReviewI attended three of their tours (two of the brew bus tours back in January and a walking tour in August). I highly recommend the Maine Brew Bus tours to anyone interested in learning about the brewing history in Portland and getting a taste of Portland's beer industry! The tour guides are friendly, knowledgable, and personable! On a tour, you can talk to the brewers about their experiences opening their brewery, their process of brewing, and ask them questions! This is the perfect way to try different beers from local breweries and connect to the brewers, tour guide, and other individuals on the tour!
– Alyssa B., Google ReviewWe had an awesome time drinking our way around Portland with wonderful tour guides and fun facts about the local history and architecture! Thank you to Don and Alan for a fun afternoon!!!
– Amy R., Yelp ReviewVisited Portland and decided to do a Brew walk tour du etc COVID 19 restrictions the Brew Bus wasn't running. Definitely a must do!! Don our guide was the best ! Beer was Awesome ! And learned a lot about the City Of Portland! Great tour to do at this time of the pandemic.
– Josh B., Google ReviewLooking for something great to do in Portland? Take the Walk, Talk and Brew tour. Don was fantastic! Gave us a bit of history about Portland, went to some great Breweries we would't have seen before, tasted and ate samples of Portland and had great time! Went with my husband, 3 kids, ages 26,24, and 21. Highly recommend!
– Renee B., Tripadvisor ReviewHad a great time with our small group (4) doing the bike & brews tour last week! Don, our guide, was super knowledgeable and friendly. The bike ride wasn't difficult. The beers and breweries were great too! Would definitely recommend it!
– Amy R., Google ReviewWe visited Portland for the first time a week ago and were looking for a way to get a local’s perspective of the city. We found the Maine Brew Bus Company through a google search and were pleasantly surprised to find that they were offering a walking tour during the current COVID pandemic. Our tour guide was Don, a local with extensive knowledge of Portland and how beer/spirits fit into the historical context of the city. He was very personable, and was respectful of both our time and safety concerns with respect to the pandemic. We visited 3 great breweries and had the opportunity to speak with owners as well as staff about the beer industry in Portland. There was something to fit everyone’s taste on the tour — we tried a number of interesting beers, meads, ciders, and kombucha. We were very happy with the experience; not only was it in of itself enjoyable, but Don’s advice helped us get the most out of the remainder of our trip. We strongly recommend building this tour into your schedule.
– Kevin G., Tripadvisor ReviewCovid-19 changed our honeymoon plans drastically but luckily for us, it ended up working out for the best in many ways. Nowhere was this more evident than it was in our finding our way to the Brew Bus. We booked the "Walk Talk and Taste" tour and while we knew it was different than their typical offerings, we figured if nothing else it would be a good way to drink some of the many amazing beers Portland has to offer. We ended up getting that and so so much more. The beers were great and the locations visited were carefully selected. We stopped at some awesome places and were given enough time and (more than) enough beer to really get a feel for the different breweries. We drank everything from porters to IPAs to seltzers to tea infused concoctions. We came away fired up, not only about the beers themselves but also about the city of Portland.
– Stephen B., Yelp ReviewMaine Brews Cruise was initially founded as The Maine Brew Bus in September 2012 by husband-and-wife Zach and Allison Poole.
The all-inclusive tours and experiences provide guests a behind-the-scenes look at Maine’s craft breweries, distilleries, wineries, and more. Over 35,000 people have been connected to Maine’s craft alcohol producers since tours began almost 10 years ago.
In early 2020, they announced they had acquired a majority share of Brews Cruise, Inc., a company that licenses and supports craft beverage tour operators around the United States. In April 2021, Maine Brews Cruise aligned its company with the national Brews Cruise brand.
Our guests enjoy having an expert guide and often a dedicated driver to lead them to both established and up-and-coming producers. This allows them an opportunity to learn much more about the craft alcohol business than they could learn on their own.
Since June 30, 2019, we have donated $3,848 to Feed Kids!
The Maine Brew Bus joins other Maine businesses in a new marketing initiative benefitting the work of Full Plates Full Potential – a Maine-based non-profit organization whose mission is to end child hunger in all sixteen counties.
