The Brainchild Behind BeerMeMaine.com

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Chris Avantaggio of Beer ME Maine recently to discuss his new brand of Maine & beer-inspired duds and the brand he is silently but explosively building throughout the state (and beyond). Chris was also kind enough to pass along a “review copy” of one of their shirts and pint glasses so I can tell you first-hand that this stuff rocks! He was also kind enough to pass some savings on to all of you – for a limited time, enter the coupon code blogaboutbeer at the BeerMeMaine.com checkout and enjoy 10% off your purchase price! You can check out all of Chris’ designs at www.BeerMeMaine.com, follow them on Twitter @BeerME207 and become a fan on Facebook at Facebook.com/beermemaine Without further adieu, here’s a bit more about BeerMeMaine.com and how it came to be, straight from designer’s mouth:

BlogAboutBeer.com: How did you come up with the idea for BeerMe?

Chris Avantaggio: It began with blaze orange. Every fall a bunch of friends and I go the Maine Brewers festival. It’s always pretty chaotic at these events and we wanted a way of finding each other to re-group and compare tastings. Wearing blaze orange made the most sense. In the fall of 2009 I decided to design a t-shirt logo that we could wear to the event. After a handfull of designs that were all kind of lame, I came up with BeerME. It made perfect sense. It displays a love for the state and our beer!

BAB: What has been the reaction so far?

CA: People have been really excited about it. It’s great to see so much enthusiasm for the brand. I had a friend actually sell a shirt off his back at the Brewers Festival. I couldn’t believe that.

We’ve gotten a lot of response from fans living outside of Maine as well. Fans who no longer live in Maine but want something to wear around and show off. It’s like having a home team jersey.

Overall I would say the response has been very postive, and I’m really happy about that.

BAB: What do you have planned for the future of the company?

CA: I’d like to get some more variation in the apparel, I’ve had some requests for women’s t-shirts and other goods. More colors are always on the radar too. We’ve set up a few select wholesale accounts in Portland and we’ll be reaching out to other vendors across the state in the future. We may also offer some co/branded shirts with Maine Breweries who are interested. We’re just getting started, so there’s lots to do!

I also have some ideas for future designs, I can’t say too much, but they’ll be fun and Maine inspired!

BAB: What’s your favorite Maine beer/brewery?

CA: Ahh….man that’s a tough one. There’s so many awesome beers in Maine! How do you even judge?

If I had to pick an all time favorite, it would be Sheepscott Valley Brewing Co’s Pemaquid Ale. It’s a hearty beer fit for any occasion. Plus it comes in growlers! My wife and I served a keg of it at our wedding last summer and it was a huge hit.(which reminds me, I think we still have to get the keg shell back to them. Sorry Steve!)

BAB: And the catch-all, Anything else you think we should know?

CA: Support your local brewer! And if you’re interested in some of the goods we carry, we’re offering a special deal to the readers. Enter the discount code: blogaboutbeer in our shopping cart for a 10% off limited time offer.