Ashley L. Conti | BDN
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (right) holds up her beer she poured at Mason’s Brewing Co. in Brewer on Friday with owner Christopher Morley during the brewery’s grand opening ceremony. 

BREWER, Maine — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has good things to say about Mason’s Brewing Co.’s Farmhouse Saison.

“It’s not too hoppy. It’s crisp and fruity,” a good summer beer, she said.

Collins joined Brewer city officials, owner Christopher Morley and area beer lovers for the Hardy Street brewery’s ribbon-cutting celebration Friday afternoon. The brewery has been serving suds since its soft opening last weekend.

After cutting the ribbon, the Republican lawmaker stepped behind the bar to pour her own beer. The result was a bit foam-heavy, but it tasted great, she said.

“What a wonderful addition to a wonderful city,” Collins said of Mason’s.

During the ceremony, Brewer Mayor Bev Uhlenhake presented Morley the key to the city and gave a Brewer challenge coin to Collins.

Mason’s was built on the site of the city’s old public works garage, which was torn down in 2004 to clear the way for the redevelopment of Brewer’s waterfront.

Morley said a delay in the federal licensing required to open the brewery could have put off the opening, and meant the business wouldn’t be able to open this summer. He said Collins played an integral role in speeding up the process and helping to get the brewery’s doors open.

Collins said there are 74 craft breweries now in Maine employing about 1,400 people, making it an industry of great importance that also helps support local farmers producing hops and grain.

“It really is a great niche for our state,” she added

By Nick McCrea, BDN Staff
Posted May 20, 2016, at 6:06 p.m.