“The family has made the decision to retire,” a sign posted on the door over the weekend said. “Our family has been honored sharing this time with you. Family traditions have a way of continuing forward.”
Reached Monday morning, co-owner and general manager Donald Berry said the pub closed Saturday night. He declined to comment further, except to say “We’re in a little bit of shock and everything.”
Three Dollar Dewey’s is owned by Berry and Sandra Marston, according to city records. The four-story building that houses the pub is owned by SLM Properties in Portland. Sandra Marston and SLM Properties Inc. bought the building in 1994 for $300,000. The property is currently assessed at more than $1.5 million, according to city records.
Calls to SLM repeatedly went to a fax machine.
Three Dollar Dewey’s opened in 1980 at Fore and Union streets – a spot so popular it has a Facebook page, “Old Three Dollar Deweys” – and in 1995 moved to 241 Commercial St. The new location opened with 36 taps, unheard of at the time and double the number found at the old spot, and included more Maine-made microbrews.
The groundbreaking pub was founded by Alan D. Eames, a beer historian and author known as “The Beer King.” Eames, who died in 2007 at age 59, traveled the globe searching for and studying exotic brews. In the 2016 book “Brewing in Maine,” author Tom Major wrote that Dewey’s “was unlike any other bar in Maine, or probably the United States. Budweiser and other macrobrews were not served. Instead, patrons drank Anchor Steam and draft Guinness, as well as exotic beers discovered on Eames’ many journeys.”
Deweys’ state and city licenses were scheduled to expire Wednesday, according to the city’s licensing and registration coordinator.

Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less