Portsmouth, NH

Row 34

 

Portsmouth Brewery is still my favorite. Maybe it's that I live in town but they always offer a wide selection of great beers. Just because they don't offer constant hop forward juice bomb IPA's people tend to skip them a bunch, which us locals appreciate anyways.

Eagle is worth a stop but the gruits just don't always do it for me.

Tributary is decent but I think you get better beer and more variety out of Ports Brewery. Todd makes some good stuff but just not enough and some of the latest stuff was just ok. I miss Todd at the Ports brew.

Black birtch over the bridge in Kittery is also great too and usually had foundation and Bissel among others. An Ju has some great noodle dishes and Bissel.

Whym if you have lots of time but in my mind not really worth it.

Thirsty moose has around 114 on tap.

Garrison city beer anywhere you can find it. Row 34 sometimes has it and is great for food and drink.

Enjoy out city!

 

Whym is a really cool chill spot, with a small but good selection of draft beers and good food.

 

Garrison City in Dover, if you find it somewhere else then great but their beer impressed me a lot more than Deciduous when I went to both but they kind of make different kinds of beers. Garrison City is awesome on the hoppy side but Deciduous doesn't seem to focus on anything real hoppy and instead seems to do other more adventurous beers.

 

Portsmouth just put on their Hop Harvest beer, so I'd say it's definitely worth a stop. And second the recommendation for Tributary. Tod doesn't follow trends like most other brewers, he just brews awesome beers across his line-up.

Also, check the Whym taplist before considering a stop. http://www.taplister.com/bars/whym-craft-beer-cafe/51980262498e19a0c53d8bb4/

 

Stopped in recently, and Finest Kind was it for hops. Such a malt-forward lineup I thought it was kinda punk rock. The nerve!

 

The Coat of Arms if you're into British beers and food is a cool little place in Portsmouth.

 

Black Birch 100%. And don't be scared of the wait, they do an amazing job at shuffling people in and out and usually manage to keep a drink in your hand while you wait.

 

Row 34 does an incredible job at creating a unique/delicious tap list for what NH can get in it's distro. Black Birch is my go-to around the seacoast. Earth Eagle is definitely doing more interesting things beer wise than Ports-brewery at the moment.

 

After you're done with the more popular spots and you want to settle in for the night, I would suggest The Press Room. It a local hang that has a very respectable tap list, good food, and good music upstairs if that is your thing.

 

Quick note on Deciduous - they are only open on Saturday this weekend (12pm-5pm), per their Facebook page.

 

I second whym beer cafe. Great bartenders that know their beer and love to talk about it. Really friendly, better selection than any place I could find downtown while I was there. Not alot of taps but each is usually good.

 

Stoneface wouldn't be the best choice with non-beer people since it is just a taproom (no food, no full pours), it's mostly just stand there with a sample and wait for your growlers. Just FYI. I love Whym, and I take a lot of non-beer people to Earth Eagle. It's always full of hipsters, but it's a really cool atmosphere.

 

Mount Agamenticus in York about 20 minute away off the York exit. DO NOT miss the York exit, it's a long way to Wells if you do....Aside from that there are plenty of trails in the area. The cliff walk in York is fun if you start from all the way back before 103 at the Hancock Wharf building and walk towards the woods trails to wiggly bridge. Goes all the way to the cliffs.

 

I'm a big fan of When Pigs Fly Pizzeria in Kittery. The pizza is fantastic and they always seem to have a solid draft list that changes constantly. They do racks of 7 4.75oz samples

 

Anyone mention Garrison City Brew? It is in Dover so not in Portsmiuth but they are doing some very interesting stuff. I believe it's tasting and growlers only. You will likely find some on tap around Portsmouth, keep an eye out for it.

 

Whym and Eagle Earth are your best bets, but for being and staying in the center of town, than Eagle would be a safer bet.