Strata

Woodland Farms was a dairy farm, held by the Rowan family, from 1895 up until the mid-1970s. However, when the patriarch of the family passed away, none of the ten children chose to carry on the dairy farming tradition. Consequently, the cows and the barn were sold to the neighboring Johnson family, though the original farmhouse remains in the possession and occupancy of the Rowan family to this day. With a history of close-knit relations between the Rowan and Johnson families, the transition seemed natural. Even today, members of the Rowan family help milk the cows and tend to the farm, and all of the spent grain from the brewery is used as feed for the cows.

The brewery itself is a collaboration between the Rowan and Perry families, and it seemed fitting to revive the brand that was a part of their heritage for nearly a century. Visitors to their tasting room can see relics and photographs from the dairy farm’s peak times.

A question often posed to them is, “Why wasn’t the brewery set up on the farm?” The simple reason is that Woodland Farms continues to function as a dairy farm. Besides, they quip, would one really enjoy the aroma of cow manure mingling with their beer? It’s found to rather mar the beer’s fragrance.

They have a long line of non-alcoholic brews that have stormed the market and received rave reviews. The brewery is located in Kittery, Maine, and has produced quite a repertoire of NA beers such as the the Whitty White, the Pointer IPA, the Ruby Sour, and the West IPA.