Portland, Maine<\/strong> \u2013Richard Pfeffer and Ed Stebbins, co-owners of Gritty McDuff\u2019s Brewing Company, a standout on Maine\u2019s restaurant and bar scene for more than 20 years, have been recognized as the 2011 Maine Restaurant Association\u2019s (MeRA) \u201cRestaurateurs of the Year,\u201d Steve DiMillo, Chairman of the Board of the Association, announced today. The award will be presented to Pfeffer and Stebbins at the MeRA Annual Awards Banquet on Tuesday, March 15.<\/p>\n \u201cGritty\u2019s has earned such a highly respected reputation throughout Maine since it first opened its doors,\u201d<\/em> said Dick Grotton, president and CEO of the Maine Restaurant Association. \u201cEd and Richard have consistently worked for the betterment of Maine\u2019s restaurant community since Gritty\u2019s launch in 1988. They\u2019ve consistently and generously served countless community organizations and charities for decades now, and are widely considered a favorite destination for Mainers and visitors alike. Our MeRA team unanimously agreed that this was Gritty\u2019s year.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n MeRA\u2019s Restaurateur of the Year award, which has been presented for more than 30 years, is based on nominations from the community, the business\u2019s tenure with and contributions to the Association, and its reputation among local patrons and community members.<\/p>\n Gritty\u2019s, which operates three brew pubs in Maine, enjoys a sterling reputation for its award-winning English-style ales and upscale pub fare. In addition to repeat wins as “Maine’s Best Brew Pub” and “Best Maine Microbrew,” Gritty\u2019s also has been recognized in dozens of regional and national outlets. Forbes.com writer Zack O\u2019Malley Greenburg singled out the small-batch ales and ambiance offered at Gritty McDuff\u2019sBrewing Company as just one of the many good reasons Portland was selected as America\u2019s Most Livable City in 2009, and Imbibe, which recently labeled Portland one of America\u2019s \u201cemerging beer meccas,\u201d named Gritty\u2019s a key pub and brewery that have put the city on the beverage map.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve always felt very much a part of Maine\u2019s supportive and positive restaurant industry,\u201d<\/em> Pfeffer said. \u201cRecognition from our industry\u2019s leader is gratifying, to say the least. We couldn\u2019t do what we do without a top-notch staff, and we\u2019re awfully proud of our whole team.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n About Gritty McDuff\u2019s Brewing Company<\/strong><\/p>\n Since its founding in 1988, Gritty McDuff\u2019s, Maine\u2019s first brew pub since Prohibition, has brewed creative, quality beers that have earned awards ranging from repeat First Place wins at the annual Real Ale Festival in Chicago, to a silver medal at the prestigious Great British Beer Festival for Gritty\u2019s cask-conditioned version of the brewer\u2019s 21 IPA. Gritty\u2019s has earned numerous accolades from a wide variety of beer blogs and industry press outlets, as well, including Every Day with Rachael Ray, Forbes.com, DRAFT magazine, Cosmopolitan, Imbibe and Sant\u00e9.<\/p>\n In addition to brewing, Gritty McDuff\u2019s operates three popular brew pubs in Maine. Located in Portland, Freeport, and Lewiston\/Auburn, the pubs draw crowds of all ages and have frequently won in statewide polls the titles of “Maine’s Best Brew Pub,” “Best Maine Microbrew,” and “Best Bar.” Known for their four seasonal ales and five year-round ales, tempting pub fare and welcoming atmosphere, Gritty\u2019s pubs have been named an Editor\u2019s Pick by Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveler, highlighted as \u201ca legend among New England brewpubs\u201d by The Boston Globe, and cited by Playboy.com as one of the best bars in America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" @GrittyMcduffs, #beer Maine Restaurant Association Names Gritty Mcduff\u2019s Brewing Company Owners \u201c2011 Restaurateurs Of The Year\u201d Portland, Maine \u2013Richard Pfeffer and Ed Stebbins, co-owners of Gritty McDuff\u2019s Brewing Company, a standout on Maine\u2019s restaurant and bar scene for more than 20 years, have been recognized as the 2011 Maine Restaurant Association\u2019s (MeRA) \u201cRestaurateurs of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1051,286,20],"tags":[285],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Grittys14.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4319"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4319"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4322,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4319\/revisions\/4322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Gritty](\"http:\/\/www.2beerguys.com\/images\/Grittys.jpg\")
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