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Lone Pine Brewing Company aims to expand its retail presence in Maine, and plans to launch a much larger tasting room in downtown Portland next spring, according to a company spokesperson.

Lone Pine temporarily closed its Anderson Street tasting room about a month ago.

“Anderson Street is small, and it’s not in an ideal location. We’re trying to establish a much bigger, better flagship location for Lone Pine in downtown Portland,” said Simon Thorpe, who sits on the board of directors for Lord Hobo Brewing Company and Lone Pine. Massachusetts-based Lord Hobo and Lone Pine announced their merger about two years ago.

Thorpe said the company has been looking at a couple of potential Portland locations in the past six months or so. “The aim is to have a much bigger presence in Portland than we do at the moment.”

The company is also considering tasting rooms in additional Maine locations like Bangor and Lewiston, Thorpe said.

A new brewery is opening in Lone Pine’s former location in Old Orchard Beach, which closed in late September. “Someone looking from the outside might say, ‘They’re retrenching away from retail in Maine,'” Thorpe said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Thorpe explained that because the Old Orchard Beach space was highly seasonal, it was difficult to staff and attract customers year round.

Lone Pine first opened its Anderson Street tasting room in 2016. The facility doesn’t serve food, and seats 70 people outside, but only about 24 inside. Thorpe said the plan is for the new downtown Portland tasting room to seat 250 inside, another 100 outside, and have a kitchen and food menu.

Thorpe said the company is also looking to “expand capabilities” at Lone Pine’s Gorham brewery, possibly including adding a tasting room.

Lone Pine quadrupled its production in both 2017 and 2018, becoming one of Maine’s 10 largest breweries.