Gneiss Brewing Company

My in-laws have a campsite in Freedom, NH, and after picking up a 4-pack of their Weiss on a whim at my local (Grapes and Grains in Barrington, RI) and being wowed by the yeast-based flavors in it, I started looking forward to a trip there.

The drive from Freedom, NH was about 45 minutes, and gave the impression (unless Waze's penchant for giving directions through back yards was misleading) that this brewery is in the middle of a residential area in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the woods. The big parking lot right in front of the building was a great start! Walking in the entrance leads you by a good view of their brewhouse and then to their small taproom, which offered over a dozen choices of drafts in a great range of styles from low-alcohol lagers and German ales to stronger offerings, sours, and barrel-aged beers. Such a nice break from the IPA trend! It's so nice to find a brewery that specializes in malt-forward and yeast-forward beer! After making your choices in the tap-room, exit out the back door to a very spacious and entertaining beer garden, with a semi-permanent food truck, connect four, and corn hole. Luckily it was a beautiful day when I went. I am not sure how they set things up inside in the colder months. I talked to one of the brewers there for a little while, and she was very friendly and patient with my questions about the brewery. The food truck has amazing fried potatoes, very good mac and cheese, and the vegan bratwurst is pretty good. The only reason I was able to drag my whole family there is because they offer both vegetarian and gluten-free food offerings, so that's a big plus! I had a beer sampler that was great all-around. They have many can, bottle, and growler options to-go for fair prices.

Great place. Can't wait to go back.