Orono Brewing Company opened the doors of their new downtown Bangor tasting room at 26 State St. on Aug. 25. This is the craft brewery's second location their primary brewing operation (as well as a tasting room) is located at 20 Main St. in Orono.

'We're excited to be more accessible to the greater Bangor area and to be a part of this thriving Downtown Bangor community,' said OBC co-owner Abe Furth.

In addition to the tasting room, the new location will feature facilities for OBC Brewmaster Asa Marsh-Sachs to try his hand at some different, smaller-scale offerings. Marsh-Sachs will operate a pilot brewery out of the space, experimenting with small batches. The Bangor location features space for a barreling room as well; Marsh-Sachs also intends to create a wild beer program.

Furth co-owns OBC along with his wife Heather and business partner Mark Horton. They have spent the past few months renovating and redeveloping the building, home to a tobacco factory for the first half of the 20th century. While the first floor has been given over to OBC operations, the upper floors have been converted into high-end apartments that take advantage of features left over from the building's past.

As for the tasting room itself, the Furths and company have created a beautiful space, one that nicely carries through the aesthetic of their Orono location. That should come as no surprise to anyone who has visited the couple's other dual-location business; they did a fantastic job maintaining an overall look while still allowing each space a unique vibe.

So it is with OBC Bangor. The State St. spot shares plenty of design elements with its predecessor raw wood, exposed brick, a copper bar yet still manages to create a feel all of its own. Small tables line one wall, while the bar extends most of the length of the other. The biggest difference between the old location and the new is size with more seating and higher ceilings, this new spot feels significantly bigger.

And of course, there's the beer.

OBC Bangor offers all of the beers available at the Orono location; on my recent visit, there were over a dozen options. You can have a pint or get a growler filled; if you're looking for a little more variety, sample paddles are available as well.

It's remarkable to consider the rapidity with which the craft beer scene has exploded in the area. While OBC has been a presence in the region since their opening in January of last year, this new tasting room is a welcome addition to a downtown that continues to grow as a food and drink destination.

'The community has been amazing,' said Abe. 'We are so happy with the response. It's been very busy and the customers are awesome; a lot of them have relayed that they love being able to walk to OBC now!

'Downtown Bangor is the home to a lot of great people.'

A lot of great people indeed and we can count the folks from OBC among them.