Run of the Mill Public House and Brewery
100 Main St. (Saco Island), Saco
571-9648
What’s good for most is not always good for some.
The Run of the Mill Public House and Brewery on Saco Island certainly has a lot of folks excited, and they are visiting in droves. For those living in the Biddeford-Saco area, the new pub offers a large bar with plenty of seating and an atmosphere local diners and drinkers haven’t experienced around there before. But for some of us big-city slickers to the north who are well accustomed to the brewpub concept, a trip to Run of the Mill is less intriguing. It’s downright, well, run of the mill.
Since brewpubs started popping up everywhere in the 1990s, the concept has grown tired and homogenized. Exposed wood here, a mug club there; throw in a couple of televisions and a menu filled with burgers and pasta and you have damn near every brewpub in the states. Though this formula works, I cannot help but be disappointed by such lackluster design. Some people choose not to shop at big-box stores for reasons like this. I hold bars to the same standard.
Run of the Mill is fairly new, and bureaucratic hassles prevented its owners (a group led by Geoff Houghton, proprietor of The Liberal Cup in Hallowell) from serving their own brews until September, nearly two months after the doors opened.
On a visit last month, they were only serving five of their own beers, with two guest handles. Most of the beers on their menu were unavailable, which caused some confusion among the staff, some of whom were unsure what was on offer and at what cost. There was some lack of education about the beers they did have. While I take situations like this into consideration, it’s still very important that bartenders know the beers they’re serving in a brewpub.
The beers themselves were a fairly mixed lot. An IPA, a red, an ale, a stout and a lager (as well as the two guest beers) arrived on a very modestly priced tasting paddle. For $5, tasters get seven 3 oz. glasses of their choosing. For those who prefer one beer at a time, Run of the Mill serves all their house brews in wonderfully full 20 oz. glasses for only $3.75. That’s some brilliant economics for the beer lover. Once they have all their taps pouring, you’ve got the makings of a fun night of beer-drinking without hurting your wallet.
The first beer on the menu was the Tarbox Cream Stout. This beer did not come off so much as a cream stout; more like a straight-up stout. I found it slightly smoky, with a sharp, bitter aftertaste. It’s a good stout and very drinkable, but lacks any sweetness or smoothness — qualities typical of a cream stout. Still, no stout lover would turn up their nose at this beer.
Our next beer was the Bug Lager. The choice of American macro-brew drinkers, this lager is about what you would expect. Virtually clear, with very little body, it drinks as light as it looks. There’s a hint of lavender in its flavor, setting it apart from normal lager blandness. If nothing else, Bug Lager should keep the frat boys from ordering another Miller.
Third up was the Alewife Ale. One of my favorites, this ale has a deep flavor with a medium body that is crisp and dry. This is the sort of beer you could sit and drink for a good long while — it never gets old. A bit of tartness and a hoppy bite put this brew well above your typical ale. Watch out, though: it has a strong, bitter finish that may put some people off. For lovers of the IPA style, this is a great second choice.
The fourth beer on the menu was the State Budget Red. I’m not a big fan of reds, but I have to love this beer for its name alone. There are not nearly enough beers with snarky, politically charged names. This one was a bit on the strong side for reds, with a slight bitterness. The alcohol was more detectable than it probably should have been, but otherwise it tasted well-rounded. State Budget Red holds up against the lager, but is still fairly typical.
The fifth beer on tap was Impact IPA. IPA’s are a very popular style with a large following these days, and for good reason. Impact IPA had a lot going on inside the glass. It was, of course, hoppy, but not so much as to drive away novices. The taste was malty and came with a hint of orange that rounded it out very well. This IPA is not top of the game, but great for its style and my favorite beer of the night.
Run of the Mill offers a little something for everyone. A brown ale is on its way (and may already have arrived), to be closely followed by an as-yet-unnamed cask selection. Aficionados may find these beers lack character, and brewpub barflies may find the bar unremarkable. But Run of the Mill has plenty of room to prove you can’t judge a brewpub by its name.
— Christopher Seavey
