Announcing Our New Malts and Mariners Tours

Professional hockey returns to Portland this year with our new team the Maine Mariners. And now learn about a new Malts and Mariners tour that is available before 21 different home games this season!

We were pretty sad when Portland lost it’s professional hockey franchise a couple of years ago.

Our company had created a very popular tour and game ticket combination with the previous team that paired very nicely with minor-league hockey games.

When we heard that there would be a new ECHL team coming to Portland, we made sure to be in attendance for the big announcement in July of last year.

A ceremonial puck flip at Cross Insurance Arena for Portland’s incoming ECHL franchise includes, from left to right, Cross Arena GM Matt Harpich, ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna, Portland City Manager Jon Jennings, Philadelphia Flyers President Paul Holmgren, Cross Arena board of trustees chairman Mitchell Berkowitz, Portland GM Danny Briere and Portland Vice President of Business Operations Adam Goldberg.

And shortly after that, we went to work on creating a new tour combo that would run before many of the home games for the then-unnamed team.

Soon we all found out that the team would be named the Maine Mariners – a name that had previously been used for an AHL hockey team that played 15 seasons in Portland.

Now we had the concept proven, the partnership formed, and the tour name all locked in!

We are pleased to announce that the Maine Brew Bus has teamed up with the new Maine Mariners hockey team, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers, to present a special Malts and Mariners tour series during the 2018-2019 season.

This unique tour and game ticket combination is available before all Friday and Sunday home games in their inaugural season. That’s 21 different Malts and Mariners tour dates this year!

The entrance to the Cross Insurance Arena on Free Street is where the Malts and Mariners tour begins and ends.

The Malts and Mariners tour will pick up guests at the Cross Insurance Arena and provide a guided experience to three local breweries, distilleries and/or wineries. On the tour, you will learn about each business, meet owners and staff, take behind-the-scenes tours, and most importantly have an opportunity to sample the locally-made craft alcohol products.

The tour will arrive back at the Cross Insurance Arena conveniently 30 minutes before game time, with reserved tickets given to all guests for the game that night. And our friends at the Maine Mariners have selected great seats for each of our games, close to center ice, right behind the team benches, and not too far up.

Here is the approximate view from our seat location in Section W, Rows 12 & 13.

Tickets for the Malts and Mariners tour are priced at $70 per person and include the guided tour, transportation, bottled water, a Maine Brew Bus souvenir bag, gratuities at each stop, as well as a Maine Mariners reserved game ticket for each guest. Tickets are limited to 13 for each game, and all guests must be at least 21 years of age at the time of the tour.

Any guests purchasing alcohol for later consumption will be able to leave their alcohol purchases secured in the team general offices for the duration of the game.

The first date for the tour is Friday, October 19th when the Maine Mariners take on the Reading Royals, an affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Malts and Mariners tour is also available as a private or corporate group tour and may be scheduled on other Wednesday and Thursday game dates. If you are looking for a unique outing with your friends, family, or colleagues, give us a call to discuss a private Malts and Mariners tour!

Get off the bench and join the Malts and Mariners tour this season!

See the full schedule of Malts and Mariners tours

Don Littlefield is the General Manager of Brew Bus Tours, with operations in Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The closest he ever got to playing hockey was meeting many members of the United States Men’s Hockey team on an airplane right after they won the gold medal in 1980. Twitter: @BeerinME