Oxbow Brewing Company
Microbrewery
in
Newcastle,
Maine,
United States 🇺🇸
Associated with 2 Venues
Established in 2011
Contact
Subsidiaries
Description
Oxbow is a small farmhouse brewery located in rural Newcastle, Maine. The brewery is nestled in an enchanted forest amongst rolling farmlands and winding tidal rivers, of which the ebb and flow provide a constant reminder that the coast is near.
The name Oxbow is inspired by the bends in these rivers, the Dyer in particular, which features stunning horseshoe-shaped oxbows where the river covers tremendous ground to travel what could otherwise be a very short linear distance. We employ a similar approach when crafting our beers, taking months or years to create a beverage that is commonly produced in a matter of days.
The name Oxbow is inspired by the bends in these rivers, the Dyer in particular, which features stunning horseshoe-shaped oxbows where the river covers tremendous ground to travel what could otherwise be a very short linear distance. We employ a similar approach when crafting our beers, taking months or years to create a beverage that is commonly produced in a matter of days.
6.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 8
Overall 5.5
Very bold notes of caramel underlined by hints of toast and apple, with an outsized floral bitterness on the back end verging on medicinal when coupled with the sweetness of the front. Spicy Euro hops are prominent in the fade, but I wish this pint was toned down overall. Lacks subtlety.
Tried
from Can
on 11 Mar 2026
at 00:12
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Bottle to tulip.
Appearance: blurry yellow color with a two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace.
Aroma: freshly cut grass with citrusy hops; bready malts with funk character; lemongrass with some sweet wheat, light notes of black pepper with some basement, subtle Brett seems closer to the bottom
Flavor: copies the aromas fairly nice in a sweet funky to tart and spicy quality; finishes citrusy, funky and a touch of pepper
Texture: light to medium bodied, leaning to be a sipper; light smoothness but also a touch of tart assertiveness
Overall: pretty nicely done saison I believe I could come back to.
Bottle to tulip.
Appearance: blurry yellow color with a two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace.
Aroma: freshly cut grass with citrusy hops; bready malts with funk character; lemongrass with some sweet wheat, light notes of black pepper with some basement, subtle Brett seems closer to the bottom
Flavor: copies the aromas fairly nice in a sweet funky to tart and spicy quality; finishes citrusy, funky and a touch of pepper
Texture: light to medium bodied, leaning to be a sipper; light smoothness but also a touch of tart assertiveness
Overall: pretty nicely done saison I believe I could come back to.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Mar 2026
at 20:31
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: burnt orange to gold color with a two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: lemon zest, some white bread, funky character, wet basement, tart character, subtle floral and light Brett
Flavor: wraps up the prior noted aromas to a fair funky tart to lemon zesty quality; finishes crisp, bready and funky
Texture: light to medium bodied, semi-sessionable; some smoothness but also a little bit of zesty twang from the lemon acting assertively on the tongue (very inoffensive, just noticeable)
Overall: nicely done saison to me and I would welcome again.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: burnt orange to gold color with a two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: lemon zest, some white bread, funky character, wet basement, tart character, subtle floral and light Brett
Flavor: wraps up the prior noted aromas to a fair funky tart to lemon zesty quality; finishes crisp, bready and funky
Texture: light to medium bodied, semi-sessionable; some smoothness but also a little bit of zesty twang from the lemon acting assertively on the tongue (very inoffensive, just noticeable)
Overall: nicely done saison to me and I would welcome again.
Tried
from Can
on 07 Mar 2026
at 20:25
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: yellow color with a semi-transparent note to it with a two and a half fingers of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: sweet wheaty to funky edged subtle sour and grainy tones with some mineral water and herbal to dusty sided grassiness; light lemony tart character; maybe some crackery malts
Flavor: does a nice job of combining the prior noted aromas to a semi-crisp tart and funky sweet to lemony quality; finishes crisp with herbal and grainy-like with lemon tones
Texture: light to medium bodied, semi-sessionable; slight smoothness but with a touch of dryness
Overall: nicely done saison with a lot going on, and I believe I would come back to this.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: yellow color with a semi-transparent note to it with a two and a half fingers of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: sweet wheaty to funky edged subtle sour and grainy tones with some mineral water and herbal to dusty sided grassiness; light lemony tart character; maybe some crackery malts
Flavor: does a nice job of combining the prior noted aromas to a semi-crisp tart and funky sweet to lemony quality; finishes crisp with herbal and grainy-like with lemon tones
Texture: light to medium bodied, semi-sessionable; slight smoothness but with a touch of dryness
Overall: nicely done saison with a lot going on, and I believe I would come back to this.
Tried
from Can
on 07 Mar 2026
at 20:16
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: rustic orange to copper/bronze color with a finger and a half's worth of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: wheaty with some Belgian yeasty toned accent and a light melon to yes, actually watermelon (took me several whiffs, but yes, I found it!); and there's the salt (weird, because I barely ever really smell salt in practically any beer) so I guess the salt dose is slightly stronger than I expected;
Flavor: pretty much is the same as the aromas - sweet, salty, wheaty, melon-like sweet and adds in some pepper, I think that's black pepper, yes, I believe so; finishes odd - somewhat peppery to salty to wheaty with melon-like sweetness (I think I like that, just weird)
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable; some smoothness but also some salty tones that seem to penetrate the tongue slightly
Overall: oddly enough, this works mostly for me, maybe it's a bit of a stretch of creativity but hey, I'd frequent this one again.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: rustic orange to copper/bronze color with a finger and a half's worth of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: wheaty with some Belgian yeasty toned accent and a light melon to yes, actually watermelon (took me several whiffs, but yes, I found it!); and there's the salt (weird, because I barely ever really smell salt in practically any beer) so I guess the salt dose is slightly stronger than I expected;
Flavor: pretty much is the same as the aromas - sweet, salty, wheaty, melon-like sweet and adds in some pepper, I think that's black pepper, yes, I believe so; finishes odd - somewhat peppery to salty to wheaty with melon-like sweetness (I think I like that, just weird)
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable; some smoothness but also some salty tones that seem to penetrate the tongue slightly
Overall: oddly enough, this works mostly for me, maybe it's a bit of a stretch of creativity but hey, I'd frequent this one again.
Tried
from Can
on 07 Mar 2026
at 20:08
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Reviewed from notes.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: subtle pale cloudy gold color with a finger and a half's worth of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: light coriander, sweet grass, earthy tones; hay, light wet basement tones, some honey, subtle wheat
Flavor: brings the prior noted aromas to a fine sweet funky to tart and dry wheaty to earthy quality to it; finishes crisp through somewhat earthy, funky, tart and wheaty tones
Texture: light to medium bodied, slight sessionability about this one. sly smoothness with some dryness along the tongue
Overall: pretty good saison I believe I could come back to.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: subtle pale cloudy gold color with a finger and a half's worth of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: light coriander, sweet grass, earthy tones; hay, light wet basement tones, some honey, subtle wheat
Flavor: brings the prior noted aromas to a fine sweet funky to tart and dry wheaty to earthy quality to it; finishes crisp through somewhat earthy, funky, tart and wheaty tones
Texture: light to medium bodied, slight sessionability about this one. sly smoothness with some dryness along the tongue
Overall: pretty good saison I believe I could come back to.
Tried
from Can
on 07 Mar 2026
at 20:00
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: pale yellow color with a finger's worth of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: great blend of herbal to grassy to white pepper then some fresh hay and a light wet basement tone
Flavor: wraps up the prior noted aromas to a gentle funky sweet with a touch of spice which doesn't seem to be so much like the white pepper I thought I smelled - hmmmm, alright, well, we'll just say some woody spice tone; finishes semi-bready with the funk and a light citrusy note
Texture: light to medium bodied, it wants to be sessionable but something about it makes me sip this more; there's a light smoothness rolling over the tongue but also a tickle of the woody spice I can't quite right place my finger on.
Overall: I say a nicely done saison - I just wish I would have recognized the spice that seemed to perplex me a bit, I'm usually better at this somehow I missed something so I know I need to revisit this one to try again. Besides, this was quite nice.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: pale yellow color with a finger's worth of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: great blend of herbal to grassy to white pepper then some fresh hay and a light wet basement tone
Flavor: wraps up the prior noted aromas to a gentle funky sweet with a touch of spice which doesn't seem to be so much like the white pepper I thought I smelled - hmmmm, alright, well, we'll just say some woody spice tone; finishes semi-bready with the funk and a light citrusy note
Texture: light to medium bodied, it wants to be sessionable but something about it makes me sip this more; there's a light smoothness rolling over the tongue but also a tickle of the woody spice I can't quite right place my finger on.
Overall: I say a nicely done saison - I just wish I would have recognized the spice that seemed to perplex me a bit, I'm usually better at this somehow I missed something so I know I need to revisit this one to try again. Besides, this was quite nice.
Tried
from Can
on 07 Mar 2026
at 19:10
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to lager glass.
Appearance: dark yellow to almost copper color with a two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: some grassy to herbal to earthy to floral hops with some toasty to bready notes
Flavor: takes the prior noted aromas and adds in a touch of soft peppery tones; finishes herbal to earthy/floral hoppy with the bready notes
Texture: light to medium bodied - maybe closer to light bodied just a wee bit; sessionable; good smoothness along the tongue
Overall: another pilsner that seems to be blurring the lines of me not knowing if this is German or Czech. Well, it is well brewed, there's that and so I would welcome this beer again.
Can to lager glass.
Appearance: dark yellow to almost copper color with a two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: some grassy to herbal to earthy to floral hops with some toasty to bready notes
Flavor: takes the prior noted aromas and adds in a touch of soft peppery tones; finishes herbal to earthy/floral hoppy with the bready notes
Texture: light to medium bodied - maybe closer to light bodied just a wee bit; sessionable; good smoothness along the tongue
Overall: another pilsner that seems to be blurring the lines of me not knowing if this is German or Czech. Well, it is well brewed, there's that and so I would welcome this beer again.
Tried
from Can
on 27 Feb 2026
at 14:26
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to mug.
Appearance: clear yellow to almost copper color with a two finger and a half fingers of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: faint floral to earthy hops with a clean crackery/biscuity malty character
Flavor: combines the prior noted aromas to a sturdy sweetness; finishes cleanly with the malts
Texture: light bodied, sessionable; great smoothness
Overall: though there might not be much to say, I will say this - this was brewed nice and clean enough to warrant me not pouring the next out and just sip by the can next to my grill or possibly take cans of to go fishing.
Can to mug.
Appearance: clear yellow to almost copper color with a two finger and a half fingers of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: faint floral to earthy hops with a clean crackery/biscuity malty character
Flavor: combines the prior noted aromas to a sturdy sweetness; finishes cleanly with the malts
Texture: light bodied, sessionable; great smoothness
Overall: though there might not be much to say, I will say this - this was brewed nice and clean enough to warrant me not pouring the next out and just sip by the can next to my grill or possibly take cans of to go fishing.
Tried
from Can
on 27 Feb 2026
at 14:19
7.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
Reviewed from notes.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: yellow sort of semi-cloudiness with a one finger white foamy head that dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: citrusy to grassy hops up front, light clean biscuity malts further down in there
Flavor: combines all the prior noted aromas to a fine sweet to bittersweet and sweet oily quality; finishes citrusy and sweet oily
Texture: light to medium bodied; sessionable; smooth to slick along the tongue, touch of dryness
Overall: I believe this might have been my first ever Italian pilsner way back and then the revisit to this came with this review from can to becher glass and it's still the same the first time I had it. I say nice enough beer to welcome a third time if that ever happens.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: yellow sort of semi-cloudiness with a one finger white foamy head that dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: citrusy to grassy hops up front, light clean biscuity malts further down in there
Flavor: combines all the prior noted aromas to a fine sweet to bittersweet and sweet oily quality; finishes citrusy and sweet oily
Texture: light to medium bodied; sessionable; smooth to slick along the tongue, touch of dryness
Overall: I believe this might have been my first ever Italian pilsner way back and then the revisit to this came with this review from can to becher glass and it's still the same the first time I had it. I say nice enough beer to welcome a third time if that ever happens.
Tried
from Can
on 27 Feb 2026
at 14:14