Fans of Maine-based holler-folk band The Ghost of Paul Revere have some big reasons to be excited.

After a four-year hiatus, they’ve reunited for a show Friday at Live at Madrid’s and the Ghostland music festival Sunday at Thompson’s Point.

The other news comes in liquid form. The Ghost of Paul Revere has collaborated with Allagash Brewing for a limited run of Ghostland Lager.

The beer will be available at the two sold-out Portland shows. You can also get it at Allagash Brewing on Saturday during a special tasting event.

PARTY AT ALLAGASH

The Ghostland beer release party and merch pop-up event is Saturday from 1-4 p.m. It’s being held at The Cellars at Allagash Brewing Company on 100 Industrial Way in Portland. You can RSVP online, but it’s not required.

Attendees to the free event will get first crack at the Ghostland merch collection, which includes shirts, trucker hats and knit caps. Band members will be on hand to sign items from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

On the day that Ghostland lager was brewed at Allagash Brewing, Ghost of Paul Revere band members Sean McCarthy, left, and Maxwell Davis tested the beer with band manager Derek Lombardi and Allagash brewmaster Jason Perkins. (Photo by Ryah Lempert)ANATOMY OF A COLLABORATION

The collaboration conversations started soon after the reunion shows were announced. “They love beer, and we have a lot of Ghost fans here at the brewery. It made total sense,” said Brett Willish of Allagash Brewing Company.

Ghost of Paul Revere band member Sean McCarthy said the collaboration felt like a natural fit. “Along with their delicious and creative libations, we’ve valued and admired their dedication to the community around them and representation of our home.”

Brewer Jason Perkins said that Allagash had a stash of recipes on file that they’ve made using a small brewing set-up they call the pilot system. “We are constantly working on that, and decided in this case to pitch a couple of concepts to them.”

The band responded positively to this idea, and Perkins said that the suggestion of a lager-style beer was intentional. “We don’t expect that every single person who’s a Ghost fan is gonna be a big fan of very flavorful hop-forward beer, so we wanted to do something that was still very much in line with Allagash, but would appeal to a wide range of people,” he said.

TASTES GREAT

As someone with pedestrian beer taste at best, I was pleasantly surprised by the taste.

I took the rest of the 4-pack home so that my spouse, Tracy, a craft beer aficionado, could try it.

She said that while she’s usually not a huge lager fan, the 4.2% ABV Ghostland was refreshing with lots of character. The golden-colored brew had an aroma she described as grain and straw with subtle yeast.

She said it was well-rounded, and the malt gave the beer complexity and a multidimensional mouthfeel with more maltiness than lighter American lagers. “It has a nice, crisp hop bitterness that lingered with a floral bite,” she said.

LOOKS GREAT

Local muralist and artist Ryan Adams created the label artwork for Ghostland lager. “When the band said they wanted to work with Ryan, we were ecstatic,” said Perkins.

Willis said that other than legally mandated information and the Allagash logo, Adams was given a blank canvas.

“The can was inspired by the band’s aesthetic and a very ‘Portland’ color palette (in my opinion). With the band being so rooted in the city, we felt it was important for it to feel like home. The dark and deep blues reminded me of winter evenings that couple so well with a good lager,” Adams said. 

Adams has previously worked with other breweries to create labels, including Bissell Brothers and Goodfire.

“I absolutely love doing them. It’s so much fun to figure out how to apply my style and aesthetic to different surfaces,” said Adams.

GHOSTLY HISTORY

The band, which formed in 2012, has released several albums, toured nationally and in 2018 performed on Conan O’Brien’s late night talk show.

A year later, Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill to declare the band’s song “The Ballad of the 20th Maine” the state’s official ballad. 

In 2022, the band called it quits.

But two weeks into 2026, the band announced it was reuniting for two shows.

The core of Ghost of Paul Revere is Griffin William Sherry on vocals and guitar, Sean McCarthy on bass and vocals and Maxwell Davis on banjo and vocals. The live band this weekend will also feature drummer Andrew Hodgkins, keys player Ben Cosgrove and Jackson Kincheloe on harmonica. The horn section will be Emma Stanley, John Maclaine and Brian Graham, all from The Fogcutters.

While the band has no plans to record new material, fans should keep an eye on the band’s Instagram, just in case.