LEWISTON — Baxter Brewing’s head brewer is moving on, according to company President Luke Livingston.
Brewmaster Michael LaCharite, who developed the brewery’s three beers and has been the head brewer since the company was announced in mid-2010, was no longer working for the company as of Thursday.
Livingston declined to describe the circumstances of LaCharite’s departure. “I’m not really at liberty to discuss the finer points of it,” he said. He said he wishes LaCharite well.
“I hope he finds something in the industry,” Livingston said Thursday. “His ability to make great beers is without question.”
Benjamin Low, who has brewed for Gritty’s in Portland and Freeport, will lead brewing operations on a temporary basis, Livingston said. Baxter assistant brewer Geoff Newman will assist Low, and a nationwide search for LaCharite’s replacement will begin early in 2012, he said.
Livingston said Low and Newman will maintain Baxter’s quality in the meantime. “There’ll be no change in quality or the high standards of our products.”
LaCharite co-founded Casco Bay Brewing in 1994, where be brewed Katahdin Golden, Katahdin Red Ale and other varieties before selling the brewery to Shipyard in 1999. He set up the brewery last year using equipment purchased from Ninkasi Brewing in Oregon.
Baxter Brewing, founded in 2010, is based in the Bates Mill. As Maine’s first all-canning brewery, they make Pamola Xtra Pale Ale, Stowaway IPA and the company’s newest beer, Amber Road.
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- Brewmaster Michael LaCharite has parted ways with Baxter Brewing Co. in Lewiston, where he has been head brewer since the brewery was founded.
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