(Full Disclosure: The writer is a founder, co-owner and director of Marketing at Gneiss Brewing Company. Heavy bias and personal feelings definitely contributed to the writing of this article.)

Normally, I try to reserve this space for news and information about breweries in the Greater Bangor area, but since my fearless editorial leader Allen Adams asked for some words about Gneiss Brewing Company's forthcoming 3rd Anniversary Celebration, I had no choice but to oblige.

The days are growing shorter and the night air has an unmistakable nip. Another summer soon will depart, leaving behind tan lines, empty cans and lots of great memories. As the tops of the trees start to turn orange and everything begins to smell of pumpkin spice, we say farewell to the beers of summer and welcome in the flavors of fall.

The dust (and severe thunderstorms!) have settled and another Summer Session Brew Festival is in the books. The 2016 version brought more breweries and attendees to the event than ever. Really, the one thing the event ran short on was time.

It seems there are always new breweries opening in Maine, but lately, we have seen a trend of breweries relocating, opening new spots and former brewers getting back into the game.

Salty beer? Sounds gross, doesn't it? What if I told you it is actually delicious? You would think I'm a crazy person. Well, I am most likely not a crazy person (jury is still out on that one) but I can tell you for certain that Gose, a lightly-salted, sort-of-sour, coriander-laden beer that originated from Germany is, in fact, delicious.

In the summer of 1995, Rob Tod sold his first kegs of Allagash White to the Great Lost Bear. Now, 21 years later, Allagash White is literally old enough to drink itself (I realize how weird that sounds).

'Tis the season for saison

Summer has arrived, and the best way to beat the heat is to go down into the basement and bring up the saison that you have been storing all Winter/Spring.

Brewfest DOs and DON'Ts

With Bangor's premiere brew festival Tap Into Summer! - right around the corner, I figured I would discuss some strategies for making the most of your next brew festival adventure.

You gotta be fresh

Ever crack open a bottle or can of your favorite beer and noticed something was off? Maybe the malty notes taste a bit muddled, perhaps the hop flavor wasn't quite as bright as you remember it, or you even taste a cardboard or metallic flavor in the beer. Chances are, if you look around the container you will find a date stamp, and this is usually the culprit as to why your beer isn't all it can be - staleness.