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New Maine Moguls: Fogtown

Best friends Jon Stein and Ian Heyse dove into the craft beer industry, opening Ellsworth's first brewery just two months ago

ELLSWORTH (NEWS CENTER Maine) – Best friends Jon Stein and Ian Heyse dove into the craft beer industry, opening Ellsworth’s first brewery just two months ago.

Since then, the pair said the business, Fogtown Brewing Company, has taken off thanks in large part to all the local support.

"We were kinda tired of working for other people,” Stein said. “We wanted to do something ourselves, control something ourselves."

Stein, who was born in Philadelphia and studied the craft for much of his life, is the head brewer for their operation, tucked away in an old garage space turned taproom and brewery.

He said he was drawn to the area because it was where Heyse was from, and the sense of community made him stay.

"I was pulled into the vortex of the small town,” Stein said.

Together the two enlisted the help of friends to renovate the space, doing most of the work themselves.

The rustic brewery features reclaimed wood everywhere you look, including the handmade bar and taproom tables.

“We would like to think we're scrappy,” Stein laughed.

The project first took off a year ago when they went to the town with their idea. Their goal was to not just create a brewery, but a place where people can come together with art and music, as well.

They said they could not believe the how welcoming Ellsworth town officials were.

"They've just been really helpful for the past year and a half that we've been planning and building this thing up,” he said. “People kept saying this is what Ellsworth needs people are going to love it.”

They attribute a lot of their success to that support as they work to keep up with it all.

Using Maine-made ingredients and equipment whenever possible, Stein said cost is one of their biggest concerns.

"That's what keeps me up at night is figuring out how to make it all sustainable,” he said. “I've been brewing day and night just to keep up."

The business is an addition to an already crowded industry in Maine with more than 80 breweries statewide, but Stein and Heyse are determined to do whatever it takes to prove themselves.

They said they hope to eventually start canning and distributing their beer, and one day want to offer classes to teach others the trade.

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