Orono Brewing Company, a local brewery in Orono nicknamed OBC, reopened its doors on Thursday, March 25 at 4 p.m. The pandemic forced the facility to shut the doors of its typically festive taproom last year, remaining open only to sell beer to-go. With limited indoor and outdoor seating now available, Orono Brewing Company plans to remain open through the summer months.
Despite this change, OBC has still set safety measures in place that patrons and staff alike must follow. Abe Furth, a co-founder at Orono Brewing Company, shared some of the guidelines customers and staff will be following in the coming months.
“We will be following all Maine CDC guidelines. Face coverings required when not seated at your table. Maintain six-foot social distance standards when not seated at your table, stay seated at your table unless using the restrooms, ordering or picking up food/drink. Children must remain at the table at all times,” Furth said.
Unfortunately, out of respect for CDC guidelines, no live music will be allowed at the venue, but Furth shared that Orono Brewing Company looks forward to the day when it can welcome bands again.
In preparation for the reopening, Furth shared that Orono Brewing Company has updated its food menu and is working to collaborate with Vitamin Sea brewing out of Massachusetts on a new IPA. Classic brews that have become popular around Orono, like the Tubular IPA, are also still available and draw customers in. Orono Brewing Company has its best available at a lot of local restaurants such as Orono House of Pizza and Paddy Murphy’s, and they attribute part of their success through the pandemic to local networking and support.
“We are very fortunate to have a strong distribution network, and we focused heavily on canning during the pandemic so we could still brew to capacity,” Furth shared.
Orono Brewing Company owns Woodman’s Brew Pub and a tasting room in downtown Bangor as well as the brewery location. Furth shared that Woodman’s is the next location they would like to open and their goal is to do so this spring. As for the tasting room in downtown Bangor, because the space is smaller and more enclosed, OBC intends to reopen it during the summer months.
UMaine students are looking forward to another open local business where they can again indulge in some summer fun. Jared Flight is a third-year mechanical engineering technology student who turned 21 in February. He is looking forward to trying a new place to have a few drinks.
“I’m excited to experience the atmosphere and support a local business that is so close with the UMaine community,” Flight said.
Orono Brewing Company will be open from 4-9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday nights, from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday and from 12-7 p.m. on Sundays. Orono Brewing Company will remain open through the summer months. For more information, please visit oronobrewing.com.
