Ebenezer's Pub, Lovell, Maine

by Ashley Cotter-Cairns
(UNOB Towers)

A meeting with Beer Destiny: from left to right, VT Delegate Mattias Dahlstrom, Secretary General Ashley Cotter-Cairns and Chris Lively, owner of the legendary Ebenezer's Pub in Lovell, Maine

Sometimes, an experience is so rewarding, so beyond your expectations, that it's almost divine. My visit to Ebenezer's Pub in Lovell, Maine, was one of those experiences. And it could all have been so different!

Vermont Beer Delegate Mattias Dahlstrom was delayed leaving Burlington and consequently we did not arrive at Ebenezer's Pub until nearly 11pm. We sat down and began admiring the amazing list of beers available on tap or bottled, only to be told that the bar was closing and we had just time for one beer each. The legendary Chris Lively wasn't even in the bar.

But as luck would have it, his wife Jen sat down and began chatting (there were only three of us in the bar, Matti, myself and a local who described himself as "a total redneck") and the United Nations of Beer was mentioned. Jen got on the phone to Chris, who was sleeping off an earlier session, but promised to come down and see us after all.

Oh fickle Fate! I could have had my one beer and left the place, disappointed, but with my expectations for beer intact. But, like the older, more experienced girlfriend who was so good she spoiled sex for you in college, Chris has virtually ruined ordinary beer for me with his incredible selections. 9th May, 2008: Ashley's taste in everyday beer, RIP.

This man defines enthusiasm. His passion for beer leaves you in no doubt that he's not in it for the money: when his bar was voted Best in the World on another website, wealthy beer geeks flocked there in an attempt to purchase the gems of his collection.

"I told them straight, my beer is not for the benefit of a few," Chris recalled. "I want as many people as possible to try the best beer in the world. If I sell it all to the first person who waves a check at me, then the other visitors who make the trip here will be disappointed. There's a certain pressure there now. People have expectations when they come here and I have to ensure we can meet those expectations."

Chris talked for three hours about the best beers in the world, his relationship with various brewmasters and distributors and without batting an eyelid, opened beer after beer from his cellar for us to try. I shudder to think what the tab ought to have been: he refused to accept a penny from us. We couldn't even buy a T-shirt (there weren't any left!).

I won't attempt to review each beer in detail here, but I'll summarise our evening so you can get an idea of the world-class lineup he inflicted on our unsuspecting palates.

De Struise Pannepot 2006
Gouden Carolus Easter ale
Russian River Temptation
Russian River Redemption
Russian River Damnation

I also ordered a pint of some Californian beer I can't recall right now (some kind of OSB?) and a Goliath Blond with my meal, which I tried to enjoy while my baby sons attempted to trash the table! (This was earlier in the evening, in my former life, when I thought I liked "beer".)

The night ended with a tour of the half million dollars' worth of beer in Chris' incredible basement, with brews so rare that people have begged him in vain to sell parts of the stock to them, while his flatulent German shepherd scampered about at our heels. If Indiana Jones were into beer instead of ancient artifacts, then his fourth movie would have featured a daring raid on the cellars of Ebenezer's Pub.

Lovell, Maine has become a beer Mecca, as the hundreds of online reviews of this pub can attest to. I'll be doing my damndest to get down there again for the Belgian beer fest in August. Chris, thank you for ruining beer for me forever, and thank you again for your hospitality and generosity.