photos from mainehomeandlifestyle.com

Portland Harbor Hotel’s famed Ice Bar is making its grand return in just a few short days, so get ready to try out all types of specialty martinis, wines, and beers in a unique setting!

With bars sculpted completely of ice, the Portland Harbor Hotel invites you to celebrate winter in a new way!

Inside the hotel, there will be complimentary hors d’oeuvres and live entertainment for guests to enjoy.

Tickets available through Brown Paper Tickets

This event is only open to ticket holders, so be sure to get yours early. The event runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., January 26-28.

Don’t miss out on this creative and fun celebration!

And be sure to check out these videos of previous Ice Bars!

Ice Bar 2010
Ice Bar 2009

According to DrinkingMadeEasy.com, the visit to Portland Maine features visits to some area favorites; Grace, Allagash Brewery Company, Urban Farm Fermentory, Sonny’s, The Great Lost Bear, and Vignola

A quick glance at the Television Guide notes that tonight is the night…. The show will air Wednesday, December 28th, at 8pm and again at 11:30pm, as well as Thursday, December 29th, at 8:30pm. The show repeats throughout the season on HDNet channel 306.

If you wish to visit these establishments yourself, here’s the information….

Grace – 15 Chestnut Street, Portland, Maine (207) 828-4422
Allagash Brewing Company – 50 Industrial Way  Portland, ME 04103-1270 (207) 878-5385
Urban Farm Fermentory – 200 Anderson St. – Bay 4 Portland, ME 04101 207.653.7406
Sonny’s – 83 Exchange, Street, Portland, Maine 207.772.7774
The Great Lost Bear – 540 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 772-0300
Vignola – 10 Dana Street  Portland, ME 04101-4087 (207) 772-1330

Many of your favorite local brews will be available along with exhibitors for supplies, home brewing clubs, and more! Sounds like an all-around perfect event for beer lovers and connoisseurs. Tickets are available in advance through EventBrite online at http://portlandbrewfestival.eventbrite.com/. Tickets are approximately $30 and are sure to move quickly as this event fast approaches, and we know there are many of us in and around Greater Portland who love our beer!

Be sure to enter “EARLYBIRD” when checking out for a 10% discount on your ticket, while supplies and the code lasts!

Also, be sure to follow them on Twitter @MEBrewFest for up to date information, as well as features on their sponsors and featured brewers. Enjoy!

This event is not to be confused with the ever popular Maine Brewer’s Festival which will mark its 18th Annual Maine Brewer’s Festival on November 4-5, 2011, once again at the Portland Expo on Park Avenue.

Fans of the show are familiar with Zane Lamprey, co-host, who along with his drinking companion Steve visit various drinking establishments and restaurants across the country in sort of a road trip style approach, experiencing a variety of special drinks, local customs, and just have a heck of time doing what we all wish we could get paid to do for a living, drink and have a good time.

In following the crew, we understand they filmed at some well-known bars and restaurants, and even took in a brewery…..it is an educational show after all, right? This Thursday and Friday they made appearances at local favorite, The Great Lost Bear, which coupled with it’s 69 beers on tap and great atmosphere will represent Portland well on the show set to air this season. We will keep our eyes open here at ILovePortlandMaine.com on the Drinking Made Easy episode guide as to when the Portland, Maine episode will air.

Keeping a close eye on Twitter and Facebook, we discovered that filming also took place at Allagash Brewing Company, where they likely took a brewery tour of the facility and perhaps “sampled” Allagash Curieux that is aged in aged in bourbon barrels. Man, I think I need a beer now. After the trip to Allagash, Zane Lamprey and the crew visited Sonny’s on Exchange Street, Vignola on Dana Street, and Grace on Chestnut Street.

While I can understand making the visit to Allagash Brewery for the show, and stopping at Grace due to the character, charm, and fascination with drinking in a renovated and restored former church, I wonder about the details of the filming at Vignola. Don’t get me wrong, and my apologies to those employees, owners, and patrons of Vignola, but I pictured from my knowledge of the show that Drinking Made Easy would have preferred and made for better television a visit to Novare Res, Gritty’s, or Three Dollar Dewey’s….all great establishments, well-frequented by the locals who appreciate their beer, and would be your typical followers of the show.

Either way, we greatly appreciate Zane’s visit to Portland, Maine, and look forward to viewing the episode when it airs later this year. We’ll keep you posted. Until then, have a nice cold one to cool off this summer, it appears it will be a warm one again in Portland.

The new Sebago Brewing Company location will open Friday, May 27, at 11am. Again, come out and celebrate! That day, Sebago will be releasing their brand new Single Batch Series beer, Trekker Pale Ale, which is a “classic American pale ale. It is light bronze in color, with a moderate malt character up front that gives way to an increasing hop aroma with a clean dry finish”. Enjoy!

Courtesy of apexembdesigns.com

Join the Irish American Club of Maine this weekend for their Annual Traditional Irish Dinner this Saturday evening, March 12, 2011, at St. Dominic’s Church on the corner of State Street and Gray Street in Portland. Fill up on great food while enjoying the company of great people.

On Sunday, head down to Commercial Street in Portland for the Annual St. Patricks Parade beginning at noon, at Becky’s Diner, which will proceed down Commercial Street and end with a Ceili Dance at RiRa Irish Pub, 72 Commercial Street, Portland, from 2:30pm-4:30pm with live music. Not that the celebration will ever end…even though it’s Sunday.  There will be pipe bands, flags, marchers, music and fun.

Great! We don’t have to wait until Thursday, when St. Patrick’s Day is officially recognized to celebrate. Not that any other day stopped us before. Portland has always been a buzz on St. Patrick’s Day. Wake up at dawn and enjoy a traditional breakfast downtown and get the festivities started early.

Enjoy your weekend, your family and friends, and your beer. Take care!

Come check out this great new spot while sampling and learning about wines of the Southern Americas! You’ll have a chance to enjoy 20 exciting South American wines for only $20.

All proceeds go to Maine Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (MEVLA), A group that helps artists and art organizations find legal representation when they need it. Heck, their slogan is “helping Maine’s creative economy embrace its intellectual property”.

For more information on future events, please visit the 20/20 Charity Wine Facebook Fan Page.

Only a $2 cover which will benefit Maine Handicap Skiing, certainly a great cause. This is a 21+ event. There will be an Ugly Sweater contest as well, and a portion of the bar proceeds will be donated to Maine Handicap Skiing as well. For more information, please visit Portland Empire Event Calendar.