D. L. Geary Brewing Co.

When it sold its first beer in December 1986, Geary’s was Maine’s first brewery in over a century. Not only that, but its existence brought the number of craft breweries in the United States up to just a baker’s dozen. As one of the first breweries on the market, it fell on Karen, David and Alan to explain their beer and get it into people’s hands. Though it’s unquestionably tough for any brewery starting today, it’s hard to imagine how difficult it was when there was no one available to offer advice and share supplies and no one else’s mistakes to learn from.

In twenty-five years, a lot has changed for D.L. Geary—both the brewery and the man. Karen and David split up in 1989, though they continue to work together at the brewery. While it hasn’t experienced the explosive growth of some of its contemporaries, Geary’s is available in at least a dozen states, and the eighteen-thousand-square-foot brewery brews about eighteen thousand barrels a year. A planned expansion will add another fifteen thousand square feet. A few perks of the expansion will be an increase in brewing days (up to seven days a week), twenty-two-ounce “bomber” bottles and even contract brewing for other Maine breweries.