For Roy Curtis, the 45-year-old owner of the new community-supported brewery, the story began 20 years ago, when he received a brew kit for Christmas. He enjoyed it, and kept on brewing as a small-scale hobby for years. Then, in 2014, he joined forces with his friend Aaron Bauman to purchase a larger brewing system, which they set up in Bauman’s garage on Frost Hill in Swanville.
They have created what they believe is the first community-supported brewery in Maine. Akin to buying a farm share, those who purchase a beer share will be able to pick up two half-gallon growlers a month from the brewery. They will drink whatever Curtis and the rest of the group are brewing, which can be anything from Frosty Bottom’s flagship Old Man Time IPA to more unusual beers such as a porter brewed with chaga mushrooms or scotch ale made with roasted long pie pumpkins. The next signup will open on Sept. 1, and Curtis hopes to get 40 shareholders in 2020.
