Throw a rock in Portland, and you’re likely to hit a brewery. The city now boasts over a dozen commercial operations that have made it an international beer destination. Double digit breweries in Portland, while South Portland has a grand total of (drumroll ...) one. The newly opened Fore River Brewing Company sits just off 295 and route 1 in SoPo, and I visited last week to get the rundown on their burgeoning operation.

The tasting room is closed on Monday, but co-owners Alex Anastasoff, John Legassey and TJ Hansen were around brewing a batch and they poured me a glass of their outstanding Lygonia IPA. Malt-eschewed, as has become the trend for New England IPAs, but with just enough balance to keep it from hop grenade status, it has a complex aroma with a touch of dankness and a bitterness so subtle it stands apart from its peers. I chatted with the guys about their past, present and future.