THE HISTORY OF MAST LANDING BREWING COMPANY
Mast Landing Brewing Company was founded in the spirit of innovation, collaboration, and creativity. Since opening in 2016, we have showcased our beers at festivals across the country and internationally, shared them with new fans here in the Northeast, and poured them for countless locals and visitors at our taprooms in Maine.
We focus on brewing the highest quality beers while also using our independence and socially conscious mindset to support our local community and industry. Our goal is to make sure that each Mast Landing beer that you drink is amazing, whether you’re visiting us in Maine or enjoying a pour at your favorite bar or restaurant with family & friends.
The Mast Landing tasting room in Westbrook first opened to the public in 2016, but the history of the brewery stretches back years before, as Ian & Kelly Dorsey homebrewed with their friend Neil Fredrick in their Freeport garage. While their excitement for homebrewing grew, they shared an interest for craft beer with their friends Mike & Sarah Capen - who were stationed in San Diego. After immersing themselves in the San Diego craft beer scene for a year, the Capens returned to Maine with a wide array of new beers for the rest to try. The whole group used this jumping off point to take the garage explorations to the next level. Like many of their peers, the hobby turned into an obsession, especially as the beers got more adventurous and consistent. The idea of taking the project to the next level started as a kernel, and grew thanks to the support of friends & family, as well as the guidance of local industry professionals.
Along with planning and brewing, came the creative side of things. The name of the brewery is inspired by the historic Mast Landing region of Maine, where the King of England would source trees for the masts of his ships in pre-colonial times. A strong sense of history, of place, and of community is core to the company’s mission, and evoking the stories of the past gives us inspiration to build forwards into Maine’s future. Beers like Dash, Saccarappa, and DDH Tell Tale channel these themes and invite beer drinkers into the story of the brewery. Bringing these concepts to the public was a job for Parker Olen, the design and branding expert that helped take the momentum from the taproom out into the public. Parker, who is now the company’s VP of Brand Strategy, worked with the founders to create the vision that so many beer fans are familiar with today.
Our first tasting room and production facility at 920 Main St. in Westbrook was not just a great fit for Mast Landing’s needs and scope at the start, it also presented a unique opportunity to immediately impact the local community. With business and growth picking up in the area, and a strong throughline from Portland towards Westbrook, it seemed hard to believe that the city was still without a brewery. From the get go the success of the brewery and Mast Landing’s investment in the local community were intertwined. A yearly scholarship at the local high school, a collaboration with the Westbrook Fire Department, and events with community organizations are just a few of the ways that the brewery and the city have connected over the years. Especially in the early years, local support was the engine that fueled Mast Landing’s forward motion. The symbiotic relationship at home inspired the ML team to bring the same collaborative energy out into the beer industry both at home and across the country.
Although it wasn’t necessarily planned to be the brewery’s flagship beer, our Gunner’s Daughter Milk Stout was a huge hit once word started getting out about it. Brewed without nuts, but with a flavor profile reminiscent of peanut butter and chocolate, this 5.5% dark beer reached glass after glass introducing new folks to Mast Landing. The feedback led us to continue growing the beer’s profile in our portfolio, and to this day it’s still our most well known offering. Gunner’s Daughter showcases our spirit of innovation, and has opened doors for us to showcase our full lineup near and far. It’s still a favorite of many staff members and long time supporters.
By 2019, we couldn’t produce enough beer at our original production facility for all the thirsty folks who wanted to drink it. An opportunity to scale way up presented itself, and we jumped at it - adding a second, production-only facility just down the street in Westbrook. This expansion not only allowed us to scale up to meet demand but also gave our production team more resources to focus on innovation, packaging, and quality control. To Mast Landing, growth has never been just about making more beer, it’s about making each pour as unique and excellent as we can - building trust with our fans through consistent and exciting beer.
2020 brought challenges, but our team banded together and learned to adapt on our feet. Home deliveries, online ordering, and more helped us stay connected with the local community. Throughout the history of the brewery we have kept an eye on Freeport, where the Mast Landing concept originated. As time went on, the search began for a second tasting room to share the story further. Our tasting room at Freeport Crossing - located just off the exit from Rt. 295 - represents both a literal and figurative welcome to the town of Freeport. Hospitality and accessibility is the main focus of the tasting room, with indoor and outdoor seating, plus event space and food service from our next door neighbors, Nighthawk’s Kitchen. As visitors and locals head to town we hope the Mast Landing Freeport tasting room will be a comfortable and enjoyable stop on their journey.
In early 2022, Mast Landing will open our third taproom in South Portland, Maine. As the company continues to grow, our goal has always been to do so in a smart & patient way. The SoPo tasting room will follow through on that vision by giving us a chance to get closer to folks who have long supported us. The space is great, and is well suited for us to jump in & make it our own - the vibrant neighborhood will allow us to connect with the community, and hopefully grow with it. This tasting room will be a hub of Mast Landing activity that helps expand the brewery’s reach while representing everything we’ve worked hard to create in Westbrook and Freeport.
The years have continued to see Mast Landing adding wonderful new team members, while innovating on the production side and building new connections in the beer community. Though much has changed since the inception of the brewery, Mast Landing remains a group of motivated, passionate, and creative people who are proud and excited to get to work each day.
