The owners of Brother Shuckers, Hudson Kuras (left) and Zak Kuras, pose outside of their food truck. Brother Shuckers will be one of the regular trucks at Oxbow Brewing Co. in Newcastle this summer. (Photo courtesy Josh Fernands)
This summer, locals and visitors alike can head to Oxbow Brewing Co. in Newcastle to enjoy the offerings of local food trucks along with the beer and scenic view.
Josh Fernands, Oxbow’s retail operations director, spoke of the need for more food options at the Newcastle location, which visitors can find at 274 Jones Woods Road. While Oxbow offers small bites and snacks in the tasting room, customers and staff have requested more substantial food.
“Newcastle can be a little off the beaten path for people, and often they come in hungry, and a bag of pretzels might not do the trick,” Fernands said.
Food has always been a core element for Oxbow, as a lot of the staff members are self-proclaimed foodies. The company saw success with its addition of a restaurant at the Oxford location, so it seems only natural for the company to round out the Newcastle farmhouse experience with local food trucks.
Local food truck Brother Shuckers will be at the Newcastle farmhouse from noon to 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Saturdays. Their focus is oysters, but the truck has an array of options, including burgers and hotdogs.
Zak Karas, co-owner of Brother Shuckers, is looking forward to the collaboration.
“We are really just excited to be able to use and be a part of such a beautiful space in the Newcastle woods,” Karas said.
“Brother Shuckers is our mainstay, our anchor … oysters have always done well, they are such a connection to the community,” Fernands said.
Within the next couple weeks, customers can also expect pizza on Fridays from food truck Ridge Line Pizza, owned and operated by a former Oxbow brewer. In terms of food, Fernands and Oxbow are “actively looking” to have something every day the brewery is open.
Fernands expressed his happiness with the opportunity to provide their customers with great food while also providing a space for the growing community of entrepreneurs and food truck owners in Midcoast Maine.
He describes the Newcastle farmhouse as an “anchor point” of the community, and cited the regular customers as inspiration behind the choice to bring in food trucks.
“They are who we feed through those long winters when there’s not as much tourism, but it was hard to maintain that during COVID … we’re looking to kind of recapture that sense of community,” Fernands said. “Food is always such a binding and gathering element, at least from my perspective.”
Similarly, Karas hopes that the addition of food trucks to the Newcastle location will draw in more people.
“It’s truly a hidden gem and we hope to make it a little less hidden and an even brighter gem. We think our food has such unique aspects to it as far as food trucks go, and it certainly pairs well with all the awesome beers,” Karas said.
In terms of goals for the Newcastle location, the company hopes to establish a more permanent home for the food trucks throughout the week. While Fernands hopes that the food trucks can appear at the farmhouse year round, the opportunity is limited during the winter, as many food truck operators close down during the winter months.
“I will happily provide space and do my best to get people in the door, but understandably the other half of that decision falls on the food trucks themselves,” Fernands said.
Along with the allure of the well-loved beers and beautiful scenery at the Newcastle farmhouse, customers often return to Oxbow for the food experience.
Fernands recalled a recent experience where a customer expressed how special a past Oxbow food experience had been, and cited this as an inspiration for the addition of the food trucks at the Newcastle location.
“From a business standpoint that’s great that we’re bringing people back, but also just from a personal level, that we were able to provide such a unique experience that they reminisce about … I personally take a lot of pride in that,” Fernands said.
For more information, go to oxbowbeer.com or call 315-5962.
Brother Shuckers’ oysters and mussels. The Brother Shuckers food truck will be at Oxbow Brewing Co.’s Newcastle location from noon to 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Saturdays this summer. (Frida Hennig photo)
