Sunday River Brewing Company

Overview: Sunday River Brewing Co. is a mainstay of the ski scene in Maine. The atmosphere is cozy, with a combination of booths, tables and cafeteria style tables by the fire. Normally it is an energetic bar full of people recouping from a day of skiing. Unlike most mountain restaurants, the prices at Sunday River Brewing Co. were surprisingly reasonable ($3.50 for a beer; $12 for entree special). The best thing about the Brewing Company, however is the free shuttle that runs to and from the lodge, so there are no worries about finding a driver to take you home after drinking too much local beer.

Medium Dead: Beer and cheese burgers are synonymous with skiing so we headed to the Brewery for dinner. I will start by saying that while the service is not the strong point of the brewery, the beer apparently isn't either. Thankfully, the burger was good. I decided on the Diablo Burger. This half pound monster is topped with pepper jack and "Diablo Mayo" and breathes some serious fire. There wasn't much of it but the habanero mayo was something fierce and is not for the faint of heart. As spicy as it was, the burger had good chili pepper flavor and very juicy beef that stood up against the heat. As my side dish, I ordered the fried rice. My assumption was that any place bold enough to have fried rice on the menu must do it well. Yeah, not so much.

Medium Well: After a day of skiing, when my body craves immediate and serious calorie replenishment, there is nothing more satisfying than a cold beer and a juicy burger. While my desires were fulfilled at Sunday River Brewing Co, the meal was simply ordinary. Granted, I did order a cheddar bacon burger instead of one of the speciality burgers, however there was nothing about the burger or fries that differs from any other average burger I've had. Overall, the experience was decent and I would go again if I were at Sunday River, but mainly for the free transportation and reasonable prices.

Bonus Bites: If you can't decide which beer to have, you should order the sampler. You get 6 three ounce samples of what's on tap. The IPAs aren't great, but the Amber was good. Best part is they serve the sampler in a shot ski which, as we all know, makes everything taste better.