Gardiner’s Swine & Stein Brewfest Returns to Downtown

Gardiner Main Street is excited to return to a live Swine and Stein Brewfest event for 2021! After a pandemic hiatus, our beer festival in the streets of historic downtown Gardiner will be on Saturday, October 9th from 12 to 5pm with all day tasting of craft beverages, a full line up of great music, tasty food vendors and entertainment all day long. 

Swine and Stein Brewfest, presented by Camden National Bank and Burke’s Roofing & Masonry celebrates the diversity of craft beverage producers from across the state. Gardiner’s most popular event of the year returns with all day samples from over 20 of Maine’s best breweries, wineries and distilleries in an open air beer festival along historic downtown Water Street. 

An array of food trucks and local restaurants will be serving up incredible pork varieties, including a pig roast from the Blind Pig Tavern, along with other creative dishes to tantalize your taste buds. Maine bands will entertain throughout the day, and an array of unconventional games and activities encourage mingling and merriment. To keep this a safe event, we’re extending the event area to allow for more opportunities for distancing and to host even more vendors and entertainers.

From barrel aged beers to award winning rum, you’ll enjoy brews and blends not always found at the store, for a true handcrafted, small batch experience. To tantalize all taste buds, hard cider, wine and craft spirits will also be on tap. Enjoy local favorites like Bateau Brewing, Jokers and Rogues Brewing and Sebago Lake Distillery, as well as brewers from across the state – from Waterville Brewing to Portland’s Definitive Brewing. Taste the day away with all day sampling – no beer tickets needed! General admission begins at 1pm, or come early for the exclusive VIP tasting hour at 12pm.

We’re partnering with Johnson Hall to create an outstanding music lineup of Maine’s best and emerging bands, including the always entertaining Half Moon Jug Band and Pat Colwell and the Soul Sensations to get you dancing in the street. For every event ticket sold, Gardiner Main Street will donate $1 to support their capital campaign for a fully restored 400 seat theater. Construction on this exciting project begins in April 2022 and donations will be matched thanks to Peter and Sandra Prescott and EJ Prescott Inc. 

Crowd pleasing quirky games will include favorites and new additions. For the seventh year, men will groom, style, and dress their facial hair in the hope of being named “best in show” in the Beard and Mustache Competition. The intense Rock Paper Scissors Championship, Corn Hole, Giant Jenga and a Frozen T-shirt Race are joined by newcomer Pass The Pigs tournament!

Enjoy all-day tastings from: Bateau Brewing, Bath Ale Works, Baxter Brewing, Black Pug Brewing, Blank Canvas Brewery, Chadwicks Craft Spirits, Definitive Brewing Company, Flight Deck Brewing, Freedom’s Edge Cider, Jokers & Rogues Brewing, The Liberal Cup, Maniac Hard Cider, Outland Farm Brewery, Sheepscot Valley Brewing, Sebago Lake Distillery, Solar Rock Winery, Threshers Brewing, van der Brew, Waterville Brewing and more. Beer samples will be 4oz, spirits will be 0.5oz samples and wine will be 1.5 oz samples for responsible enjoyment throughout the event. A complimentary tasting glass is included with admission.

All-day sampling of beers, wines and spirits. Succulent pork. Epic bands. Quirky games. All in Gardiner’s historic downtown! Purchase your all-inclusive tasting tickets at gardinermainstreet.org and support Gardiner Main Street’s annual fundraiser. General Admission tickets are $40 through October 8 and $45 the day of the event. Access the premier VIP tasting hour from 12 to 1pm for $50 through October 8 or $55 the day of the event. Thanks to designated driver sponsor Janet Slade State Farm Insurance, non-drinking tickets online and at the gate are $10 and include unlimited soda and water.

Proceeds from the event support Gardiner Main Street’s mission to grow and sustain our historic downtown while celebrating our unique cultural heritage. Swine and Stein Brewfest would not be possible without the generous support of its community businesses. Thank you to our presenting sponsors Burke’s Roofing & Masonry and Camden National Bank. Other supporters include Janet Slade State Farm Insurance, The Blind Pig Tavern, Domino’s, Renys, Hannaford, Hashtag Leatherworks and Healthy Communities of the Capital Area.

For more information contact Melissa Lindley, Executive Director, Gardiner Main Street, 207-582-3100 or melissa@gardinermainstreet.org.