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V O L . X X I I N O. I I I F E B R UA R Y 8 , 2 0 1 6 22 "And we're close to Baxter Brewing. ey are excited to have another brewery to go to after work." To get established as a brewery, the co-owners of Bear Bones Beer had to fi rst get their area rezoned as light industrial, which would allow other businesses that made things to locate there. Both envision their brewery and tasting room, which are scheduled to open in a few weeks, to be an inclusive space where people of all ages can come to taste their beer. ey even make Halal soda, as they are located near a mosque. Bear Bones isn't the only new craft brewery trying to become an anchor in its community, a place akin to the neighborhood breweries that were common before Prohibition. "At one time people knew their neighborhood brewer," says John LeGassey, co-owner of recently opened Fore River Brewing Co. in the Cash Corner area of South Portland. "People are starting to get in touch with people who work in these indus- tries." He points to a well-trodden path in the snow between two houses across the street, where cus- tomers cut through from a block away. " ere's a huge market here," says LeGassey, a former deputy marshal who owns the brewery with partners T.J. Hansen and Alex Anastasoff . "It's a place that didn't have a production brewery. We are the fi rst." Fore River has an open concept layout where customers in the tasting room can see the beer works in the next room. "We wanted people to see us work- ing while they have a beer. It engages them," he adds. e tasting room also has games like cribbage and Scrabble that patrons play while drinking a couple P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Brewing community Craft brewers ferment more than beer as they aim to revive neighborhoods B y L o r i V a l i g r a THERE IS THERE IS A DIFFERENCE A DIFFERENCE THERE IS Because Construction Management Design/Build General Contracting Engineering Construction Management Design/Build General Contracting Engineering Sheridan Sheridan Construction Construction www.sheridancorp.com www.sheridancorp.com Fairfield Fairfield | Portland P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Eli Cayer, owner and founder of Gruit, at the Urban Farm Fermentory in Portland. ยป C O N T I N U E D F R O M C O V E R