By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

HARRISON — Shaun Graham clearly remembers how the first batch of beer he brewed with a kit tasted.

“It was terrible,” he said.

His passion to brew pushed Shaun to study the craft, brew, adjust, seek advice and brew over and over again.

Now, Shaun and Lisa Graham are putting their brew to the ultimate test — they have officially opened Fluvial Brewery and Tasting Room, located adjacent to their home on Maple Ridge Road in Harrison.

After a “soft” opening for family and friends in early July, the tasting room is finally open to the public. It marked a true pursuit of one’s passion and vision.

One their website, the Grahams described the adventure, which proved to be a two-year journey to creating a brewery/tasting room that the couple are “incredibly” proud of: “Our love of brewing beer started in 2009 with a home brew kit from a local home-brew shop as a cool Christmas gift. That grew into an obsession that we have finally decided to pursue as more than just a fun hobby. The experiments have been vast and grown from a stove top kit and bucket batch, to a hand-built three-tiered gravity system, to now a full blown small nano brewing system. After many years of wanting and wishing, we are very excited to say that Fluvial Brewing, LLC is coming to life.”

Back from deployment to Iraq in 2008, Shaun hurt his shoulder, and needed surgery. Lisa’s parents bought Shaun a home brew kit.

“I thought it was the coolest thing. I made some beer, and it was terrible. I obsessed about it, and got into it more and more,” he recalled.

The more Shaun dabbled, the thought of building and running a micro-brewery started to take shape.

“We talked about doing this back then (before the big explosion in micro-brews), but we weren’t ready for it. Lisa thought it would never work in Maine, and it was a stupid idea,” Shaun recalled.

“We didn’t have a house then. We weren’t married. I was just diving into self-employment myself with my career,” Lisa responded.

Shaun kept brewing, brewing and studied brewing techniques.

“We’ve had some hits and misses along the way,” he said.

Was his beer any good? Well, when the couple married, Shaun served up his own brew at the wedding reception. He received very good reviews.

Two years ago, Shaun and Lisa both were on the road daily working in Portland. The long commute started Shaun thinking.

“We were missing the kids’ stuff. I didn’t want to do that forever,” he said.

While watching a Red Sox game, the idea of building a brewery resurfaced.

“Let’s do it,” they said.

It took about two years to develop. The Grahams hoped to be operational by this past March 15, but delays pushed their opening to July.

“We built a camp ourselves a few years ago, so we took the same simple approach — design something that is cozy, warm and inviting,” Lisa said.

The couple considered what size building they could afford right now, and came up with a blueprint. Initially, the building was split — half brewery (with a lab upstairs), half tasting room. But, Shaun was quick to point out he needed more brewing space.

“We made it work. It is tight. It’s cozy.  Our whole goal and business model has been to build this without taking on too much debt. We felt like this was a good starting point,” Lisa said. “If it takes off, great, we have plenty of room to expand. We could build a production facility down below (on the property) and convert the entire building into a tasting room. That’s our vision.”

Shaun started a “slow phase out” at his Portland job, eventually placing full attention on building the brewery and tasting room. The project presented a slew of challenges. Shaun isn’t a fan of heights, so climbing to work on the room’s peaks was a challenge — one he overcame.

Leaning on Lisa’s pay to support the family meant the project was on a tight budget — thus Shaun tackled more of the work, while also receiving help from friends.

“We traveled a lot to get materials because we were always looking for the best deals because we were on a tight budget. We learned some lessons that you get what you pay for,” he said. “I also found that projects I thought might take two to four hours to complete, sometimes turned into two or four days.”

Frustration, however, eventually gave way to a feeling of accomplishment.

“We built this. Doing it ourselves adds more pride to it. We’ve had some help along the way, but that’s why it has taken a while to complete the project,” Shaun said. “It was a brutal winter and spring, which made it tough to build.”

“Shaun was hammering day in and day out. Now, here we are. I helped where I could,” Lisa added. “We poured our hearts and souls into this. We are incredibly proud of what we’ve done and accomplished. As you put on the finishing touches, you can see it all come together — it’s amazing and very rewarding.”

Why call it Fluvial?

Naming a brewery can be “incredibly” challenging, especially if one is looking to trademark that name.

Fluvial proved to be the natural pick.

“Shaun and I are whitewater rafting guides, that’s how we met. The rafting business is at the core of who we are and why we are. Our closest friends are from that industry, as well. The name had to be related to or tied into white water. So, after going through 500 names and doing trademark searches (being taken or sounding too close to a name),” Lisa said.

They came up with two or three options.

“One of our river friends really helped us out, and gave us some ideas. I fell in love with fluvial. It’s hard to pronounce, but the definition — found and created in a river — fit us. We went with it, came up with a graphic design that represents both rafting and brewing,” Lisa said. “The ‘stick man’ tells the story about us. It’s so important. Our kids are little river rats — we have a photo of Tuckerman going down the river at nine months, not whitewater but on a raft (they couple built a camp in The Forks area). We’re super outdoorsy.”

The “stick man” has been incorporated into the Tasting Room as iron tap handles.

“Fluvial is a mouthful, for sure. So, we felt we had to have a super strong logo and the ‘stick man’ has drawn a lot of attention,” Shaun said.

That love of the outdoors is evident at Fluvial Brewery and Tasting Room.

“We have a great spot here with some great trails. We’ve created a business, but it’s beyond just brewing. For me, it more about creating a third home for people— a place where you can hang out and enjoy company,” Lisa said. “I really hope we’ve created a place where people not only can enjoy a beer and the views, but also relax in a family-friendly environment. Tell some stories. The hope is to develop trails to hike or mountain bike, cross country ski and snowshoe. The bigger vision is to build a disc golf course. We have 40 acres to work with.”

Since the Grahams purchased their home in 2009, they’ve immersed themselves in the community, especially volunteering as coaches with local rec programs.

In turn, the community, they say, have been “super supportive” of their brewery project. The Grahams have also been impressed with the willingness of those in the craft beer circles, be it at conferences or other gatherings, to share information and offer helpful tips.

“The journey has been long and a lot of frustrating times, but I enjoy doing it. I enjoy the creativity and working with my hands,” Shaun said. “The vision for this is that we’re not on Main Street. So, we wanted to create something that once someone comes here, they’ll want to come back — be a destination. We knew to make it a destination, it couldn’t be a shack. It had to be warm and inviting, it had to be memorable.”

Word is starting to spread.

The Grahams feel “they’ve nailed it.”

Really good beer.

Amazing atmosphere.

A cozy place to relax and connect, either with others or the great outdoors.

Hours will depend on beer supply, based on a “small system” Fluvial is currently using. Fluvial beer will be available at some local spots, and the Grahams plan to sell growlers (jug size, see photo) out of the taste room.

“This is not a bar. This is our home,” Lisa added. “It will always be a family atmosphere.”

The Grahams are excited to see how their vision and passion for brewing will be received.

“Over time, we’ll see where we are at, whether to expand or to keep it just like this,” Shaun added. “Now, the real fun begins.”