(LEWISTON, MAINE – APRIL 19, 2010)
PRESS RELEASE

Plans were announced today to develop a new craft brewery, located in the historic Bates Mill complex in downtown Lewiston, Maine, which will begin shipping beer in September of this year. Baxter Brewing Co will be the first craft brewery in northern New England to combine high quality, hand-crafted beer with the unparalleled convenience and environmentally-friendly technology of aluminum cans.

“The state of Maine is aching for full-flavored, American-style ales and the environmentally-friendly, beer-friendly and highly portable can,” says Baxter’s founder and president, Luke Livingston. “We are here to combine the two and reward the thirsty residents of Maine with the beer they want in the packaging they need.”

The Baxter brewery will feature a 30 barrel brewhouse manufactured by Newlands Systems Inc of Abbotsford, B.C., Canada and a state-of-the-art canning line – capable of filling thirty cans a minute – from Cask Brewing Systems of Calgary, Alberta, CA. The facility, which promises to be like no other in the state, will be open daily for brewery tours, tastings and special events, as well as a fully-stocked retail shop featuring both beer and Baxter schwag.

“We want our brewery itself to be a fun and vibrant place that people not only want to visit, but want to keep coming back to,” adds Livingston. “The brewery itself will truly be a destination, like no other production brewery in the state.”

Baxter Brewing Co is the brainchild of Luke Livingston who moved to Auburn, Maine at the age of seven and now resides in Portland. He is a graduate of Edward Little High School (Auburn, ME) and has a BA in communications and film from Clark University (Worcester, MA). He is the author of BlogAboutBeer.com and a co-founder of the Maine Beer Writers Guild. Joining him is veteran Head Brewer Michael LaCharite.

LaCharite is a world-class Brewmaster and Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) certified judge who brings with him more than 15 years of brewing experience. Before coming to Baxter, LaCharite was a founding partner and brewer for Casco Bay Brewing Co. (Portland, ME) in 1994.

A groundbreaking ceremony commemorating the adaptive re-use of one of Lewiston-Auburn’s most iconic venues and demonstrating innovative construction design is expected within the next couple of weeks.

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