Want to go to a neighborhood block party, but there are none in your area? Head to Funky Bow Brewery for a truly festive experience. After a winter hike that turned into a more extended four mile trek, we were ready for some refreshments and relaxation so we headed to Funky Bow Brewery &  Beer Company in Lyman for pizza and beer.

It turned out to be a perfect afternoon and a real slice of American life. When we arrived around two, we discovered that it was Rock & Roll Saturday and the place was already busy. The brewery dining area is enclosed in a large greenhouse with plastic sheeting for walls. It has a dirt floor with rows of picnic tables lining each side, and a few taller round folding tables in the center. There’s a cashier in the outer room as you arrive where you can pay and are given beer tokens in exchange.

As you walk into the main area, there is a stage setup to your left in front of a large American flag. It’s defined by a small wooden platform that’s just a few inches off the floor. The bar is in the back on the left, while a separate brick oven and food prep area is located to the back right. We headed to the bar and ordered a couple of drinks. I tried the G-String Pale Ale, and my husband went with the Panama Red Ale before switching to the Coffee Porter for his second one. Neither of us are big on hoppy beers so while we enjoyed them, they were not our favorites. Funky Bow is a popular craft brewer, so if you like hops I’m sure you’d be extremely happy with their beer.

The pizza however was amazing. We each got our own pie. I went with the Roni which was covered in chunked pepperoni, and my husband got the veggie with homemade pesto. He said it looked like they tossed a whole salad on top of it, and once it came out of the brick oven it was melted together and delicious.

It’s a family style seating arrangement with the picnic tables butted up against one another all along the side walls. We found a couple of  open spots along one side, and listed to the music while enjoying our beer. Once our pizzas arrived and we started eating, we had a few friendly dog visitors sit hopefully near the table in an effort to get a few scraps. The place is super-duper dog friendly with many animals walking and running throughout the space.

Funky Bow Brewery

We were getting ready to finish up, but as the couple next to us headed out they gave us a some extra beer tokens that they hadn’t used so we ordered one more round. It was later in the afternoon and it was getting dark. The next band, Montgomery Road, was also setting up for their set so we opted to hang and listen to them for a bit.

Once it was dark, and the band began to play, the energy changed and the brewery really filled up. It had a true family vibe with all ages in attendance including an adorable toddler wearing pick boots and a large fuchsia flower in her hair who danced like crazy with each new song the band played.

People were friendly and festive. We soon got to know everyone sitting around us and chatted a bit in between songs, and there was always a dog within petting distance. The only downside to our trip is that they had run out of the Maine Beer Trail maps so my bucket list item of completing the trail this year is one stamp short which means we’ll just have to come back another time. That’s not a bad thing!