The Ultimate Place to Beat the Heat in Central Maine is the Beer Cave at Damon’s Beverage

Even though many of us enjoy the warm temperatures that Maine has seen over the last few weeks, we need to face the fact that we are not accustomed to the heat.

During a normal Maine summer, we typically have a handful of days in the mid-90s.  Other than that, our average temperatures are in the lower 80s.

The last few summers have been kind of strange.

Last summer was cold and rainy, and this summer is shaping up to be the exact opposite.  Even though we have not seen a continuous string of high temperatures, we have seen more days in the 90s than I've seen since I moved back to Maine.  In addition to the heat, the humidity has been off the charts.

This has left thousands of Mainers looking for a place to stay cool.  Some crank up (or down?) the air conditioning, some run to the lake, and some take a cold shower.

These are all great ideas, but I think I have a much better way to cool off during these hot summer days: I visit the beer cave at Damon's Beverage on Bangor Street in Augusta.

Located in the back of the store, this walk-in beer cave is stocked with hundreds of cases of beer, cider, and hard seltzers.  And it is cold!  How cold?  According to the thermometer in the beer cave, it is about 43 degrees Fahrenheit.

There were at least a few sweltering days last summer that caused me to make a pit stop at Damon's just so I could spend a few minutes hanging out in the beer cave.

NOTE: Just to cover my butt, I need to mention that I am half-kidding.  The place is bone-chillingly cold and a great place to buy adult beverages, but I am not sure how they would feel about people just visiting the beer cave to cool off.

Even though I generally visit Damons on Bangor Street in Augusta, they have locations all over Central and Eastern Maine.  Check out their website for a list of locations and more.  Also, keep an eye on their Facebook page for new products.