(Lewiston, ME) – With all its equipment, licensing and permitting in place, the last remaining impediment to production for Baxter Brewing Co., in the historic Bates Mill, Lewiston, Maine, was federal approval of its labels. That approval was issued by the Alcohol and Tobacco Taxation and Trade Bureau (TTB) today, clearing the way for the innovative new venture to start brewing beer.

“Since all our beer will go into cans – and kegs – and not bottles, we will not be using paper labels. So having the content of our labels receive federal approval is really, really significant,” explained Baxter founder and President, Luke Livingston. “Our labels will be imprinted directly on our cans, so we couldn’t have our cans fabricated until the content was approved. And we have to order cans by the truckload, so there’s considerable lead time,” he added. Cans will be supplied by Ball Corporation, and will be filled and packaged on state-of-the-art equipment provided by Cask Brewing Systems of Calgary, Alberta, CN; it is the only such equipment in use in New England.

“This ensures that we will have full distribution throughout Maine in January (2011),” Livingston said. The brewery plans to release its two flagship varieties – Pamola Xtra Pale Ale and Stowaway IPA – in January. Distribution will be provided by Pinestate Beverage of Gardiner, ME and Nappi Distributors of Gorham.

Pomola Xtra Pale Ale, named for the Abenkai god of weather on Mt. Katahdin, features subtle, sophisticated flavors from choice barley and select hops combined with cold conditioning that give this beer its exceptional drinkability.

Technical Specifications: 4.9% ABV / 27.5 IBU’s

5 different premium malts including 1 from Aroostook County, Maine
4 different hops, 2 from small Willamette Valley, Oregon growers
Pure, soft water from Lake Auburn, Maine
Stowaway IPA is an agressively hopped, west coast-styled IPA, unique among IPA varieties brewed in New England. Its bold, complex flavors with a solid malt backbone and assertive hop profile, along with cold conditioning give this beer its crisp, clean finish.

Technical Specifications: 6.9% ABV / 69 IBU’s

5 different premium malts including 1 from Aroostook County, Maine
6 different hops, 2 from small Willamette Valley, Oregon growers
Aggressively dry hopped during conditioning
Pure, soft water from Lake Auburn, Maine