Here at Frosty Bottom Brewing we are all about community, and we are very lucky to have an amazing community of folks to share our passion with. FBB operates following the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model where most of the beer we produce is sold in what we call “beer shares”. A beer share equates to 1-gallon of beer each month and we package the beer in either 32 oz or 64 oz growlers. Our community of shareholders have two options each week to pick up their growlers, typically Wednesday evenings from 6-8 and Saturday mornings from 10-12. During these hours, folks can sample what’s on tap and choose which of the styles they wish to take home.
Our beer making model strives to raise the “beer IQ” of our shareholders by offering a variety of beer styles over the course of the year for them to try. Some styles they may have never heard of. We work hard to be true to the beer styles we produce but also mix things up from time to time with some new and interesting ingredients. We take pride in supporting Maine Farmers and Maine Maltsters (links to Blue Ox and Maine Malthouse) by using mostly Maine malted barley in our beer.
Beer shares are sold by the calendar year. We do not currently offer a public tasting room (stay tuned) but If you are interested in a beer share or just stopping in to see our brewery, please email us at beer@frostybottombrewing.com. You can also check us off on your Maine Beer Trail through the Maine Brewers Guild.
FBB originated out of a group of homebrewers who started brewing together a decade ago on Frost Hill in Swanville. This same group is the heartbeat of what FBB is today (see below) and we all contribute to make this magic happen.
Thanks for checking us out and Cheers! -FBB
Who’s The Crew of Frosty Bottom Brew-ing?
Roy Curtis
Roy does a little bit of everything here at FBB. We let him think that he’s in “charge”. Truth is, Roy surrounds himself with an amazing group of folks who help him pursue his passion for beer. When he is not making beer, drinking beer, or talking about beer, you can find him renovating his 150-year-old home in downtown Belfast or organizing biking, hiking, and kayaking trips. On most Wednesday nights he’s playing cribbage with Jon or biking with the gang.
Jon Thurston
Jon is the guy known as OMT (Old Man Time) because Aaron Bauman claims he cannot wait for anything (including finding the correct trail).
Most say he is better looking than Stan which does not say much. His interest in agriculture led him to grow a bunch of hops (seven varieties) which are used in the brewing process. Being a retired guy allows him to brew with Roy more often than most. Jon loves fishing for stripers almost as much stripping for fish and brewing.
Tim Barker
Tim Barker plows snow for the brewery and raises the hog for the annual FBB shareholders pig roast. As a proud parent of two, Tim doesn’t have the time to drink as much FBB as he’d like to. When not contributing to the community shared brewery, Tim serves as the Director of Operations & Safety for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School. Tim is the co-founder of the Sundog Outdoor Leadership Initiative and co-owner of Midcoast Barge Works, a tiny barge servicing the local islands of our greater coastal area. Tim is so grateful for the comradery, the adventure, and the experience FBB provides Belfast and its shareholders.
Stan Farrell
Stan is the web guy for FBB, so all broken links on the website are his fault. Stan is a material scientist, really good looking guy (almost as good looking as Jon), and a rock & roll genius. When Stan is not fixing website errors, he owns his own art supply company (ComposiMold) and develops unique products (Wizbe Industries). While not supporting FBB, Stan enjoys outdoor activities like kayaking, hiking, etc., making music, and hanging with family and friends. If Stan is your kind of guy, you contact him at (broken link).
Eric Kormann
Eric wears many hats, mostly to keep the sun off his bald dome. He is the self-appointed Spiritual Advisor, Chief Bottle Washer, and Quality Control Analyst. Eric also covers growlers fills when Roy is grounded and isn’t allowed to go out and play. Eric has a wide diversity of interests and hobbies, most of which he has no particular skillsets, but that never slows him down.
Gabor Degre (Degre Gabor)
Gabor currently serves as the European Beer Consultant, where he spends his time investigating new brewing ingredients and techniques on the other side of the pond. Prior to returning to Budapest in 2021, he was a great asset to FBB by always there to help. Gabor is very skilled with a tractor and sawmill and was responsible for milling up all the lumber used to build the brewery. He’s a good friend to everyone in the brew crew and has never backed down from an adventure. We are told he is organizing an FBB business trip for 2023 in which he plans to guide us from brewery to brewery via bicycle.
Aaron Bauman
Aaron our resident taco maker and pig roasting expert. His home is also the location of the first brew gatherings on Frost Hill. While not helping to build and upgrade FBB, Aaron spends time canoeing, biking, skiing, and having fun with the rest of the gang.
Zafra Whitcomb
Zafra is our resident beer tasting expert, pizza maker, and eye candy. A homebrewer since 2007, and well versed in all things alcoholic, Zafra provides invaluable insights into beer making. When not formulating beer recipes, filling growlers in the tasting room, or brewing with FBB, he’s making pretty pictures out of big data, losing board games to his dang son, and making offerings to the gods of whiskey to bring about the legalization of home distilling.
Victor Ahlefeld
On account of Vic’s impeccable organization skills, he dutifully keeps FBB books. He’s in charge of making sure the numbers align with the crew’s party dreams. Of course, accounting while drinking is a bit challenging, this may account for some of the strange numbers. Vic also joins in with many of the FBB activities including biking, fishing, hiking, skiing, and even a gathering or two.
In 2022, we set the goal of brewing 10 tennis courts worth of Maine Malt House grain (compared to 8 the year before). We did it, and now set our new goal of 13 tennis courts worth of Maine Malt House grain in 2023…Drink local beer and help us achieve this goal!!!
Cheers!
-FBB
Frosty Bottom Brewing is a Proud Member of the The Maine Brewers’ Guild
Maine Brewer Guild is the unified voice of Maine’s brewers and the beer industry in Maine. 99.9% of the beer brewed in Maine is brewed by a member of our nonprofit trade association. 113 breweries are listed.
For those looking for a great summer activity, they have a fun contest to travel the Maine Beer Trail.
- Visit at least 25 breweries, and submit online (or if paper brochure, via email): a Maine Brewers’ Guild hat
- Visit at least 50 breweries: Receive a Maine Brewers’ Guild short-sleeve t-shirt
- Visit ALL breweries listed on the beer trail: Receive a prize pack!
To participate and learn more, visit https://mainebrewersguild.org/visit-breweries/brewery-trail-challenge/
And to plan your route to all your Maine Breweries: https://mainebrewersguild.org/visit-breweries/plan-your-route/. It would take approximately 13 hours of driving to go to all the breweries listed.
We Like to Bike, Hike, Kayak, and Drink Beer.
Frosty Bottom Brewing Members are proud to be a part of the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA). Throughout the year, FBB gathers on Wednesdays for biking. The trails are beautiful and can be as easy or as hard as you want.
