NH Beer!

I agree with this and can't for the life of me figure out why they don't date stamp their bottles. I will not buy an IPA without a date on it and I love their IPA when fresh.

 

I can see what you are saying here but I'm not buying it 100% either. I have heard several wine retailers complain about the state looking at what wines are selling, and then turn around and undercut the price at the liquor store. With beer there isn't the same channel competition. I also don't have any beer stores in the seacoast area that blow my socks off either. I see plenty of IPAs sitting on warm shelves with workers that are clearly not interested in beer.

I think there is plenty of room for quality beer stores that are willing to talk to people, know how to refrigerate product, and stock quality product. It's sad that CBC Portsmouth is probably one of the better options on the seacoast now, and they have plenty of IPAs sitting on warm shelves.

 

Breweries in New Hampshire have been making very good beer for years, and in some cases decades. Brewpubs like Portsmouth Brewery, Moat Mountain and Martha's Exchange have been putting out a wide-ranging and ever-changing variety of beers that I always look forward to enjoying whenever I'm in Portsmouth, North Conway or Nashua. Relatively new, but now well-established production breweries like White Birch and Throwback have joined Smuttynose, probably the brewery most associated with the state, in producing great beer.

That said, I agree that in the last year or so and continuing now, New Hampshire is really coming into its own, and gaining more attention. I just checked, and couldn't believe to read that there are now 40 breweries in the state. Like anywhere, some of those places are better than others, and without passing judgement on any (including the very many I have yet to check out) I'll be curious to see how many of those are around in 3-5 years. But it's a big change; if I recall, when White Birch opened in 2009, they were the first new brewery to open in the state since Moat Mountain in 2000.

Stoneface, Earth Eagle, Schilling and From the Barrel are among the newest breweries that have really wowed me recently. And among just those three is a huge range of styles, from single-hopped IPAs to gruits to obscure European German and Czech styles. Add to that places like Prodigal that have been around for awhile but are still fairly hard to find (at least in the part of the state that I visit most) and the expansion (in production and stylistic range) of veterans like Smuttynose, and it's pretty evident that the beer scene in New Hampshire has come a long way from the brown ales that once seemed to dominate brewery lineups. (Though I still think New Hampshire produces more than its fair share of worthwhile browns.)

Portsmouth and the Seacoast (including Kittery, even though it's in Maine) is already one the best beer destinations in New England, and has been for awhile. And I agree that the Derry/Londonderry area seems to be blowing up now as well. I haven't had a chance to try much from Kelsen yet either, but I've heard good things and need to stop by there. I hope that that spreads to nearby Manchester, whose downtown could offer the best opportunity to try a range of high-quality, locally brewed beer outside of Portsmouth. In the past year or so, it's gotten much easier to find New Hampshire beer on-tap in and around the Queen City, with breweries like Moat Mountain and Henniker (who brews a top-notch porter) represented on many taplists.

There are still hurdles to overcome: supermarkets that prioritize BMC and larger but not necessarily better out-of-state beer, a revenue system that relies on fees like the ones mentioned rather than an income tax, a population center in the southern suburbs that is tied more to metro-Boston than Portsmouth or Manchester, and the resulting lack of a buy-local movement on the scale of anything like Maine or Vermont, which are more distant from metro-Boston and more geographically insular. But the trends, and more important, the quality and variety of locally brewed beer is promising. I love my standbys from my home state, like Smutty Finestkind or White Birch Hop Session, but I'm also extremely excited when I'm back home to try new and unexpected beers from breweries, new and (relatively) old alike.

 

Just visited Garrison City Beerworks for the first time yesterday and was impressed. Pretty much all hoppy styles on tap. Both the mosaic and citra pale ales were great. It's nice to have a brewery nearby doing Crowlers. Also, I know they're not a brewery but North Country Cidery in Rollinsford is killing it in the cider department. They're in the process of making a rum BA cider as well as a dry hopped cider. Definitely worth checking out if you're on the seacoast.

 

Martha's Exchange is one I forgot. They do make some good beer. I've always been underwhelmed by the hoppy beers I've had there but they do some other styles exceptionally well. I had a scotch ale and a dunkleweizen there that blew my mind with how good they were. Earth Eagle, while interesting, has disappointed me overall. I've had only one gruit there I found exceptional. The non-gruit beers still need work imo.

 

I like Garrison City well enough and their beer is pretty good. My only issue is the pricing is way out of whack. Getting a 32 oz crowler for $8-9 means you're basically paying bar prices for a pint.

 

I agree. Same price ($9/32 growler) as Be Hoppy from Wormtown though. Makes no sense.

 

As I'm sitting here actually drinking a Crowler of Mosaic Dry Hopped Pale Ale from Garrison City, reading the last couple of posts of people saying the pricing is out of whack. Is the price higher than some yes. Is it out of line no! Can I buy good beers at a better price, sure we all can but not without some travel involved. Are there prices in line with another near by brewery, Stoneface , yes they are. This is a new Brewery making so darn good beers IMO. To me it's not the price of the beer, it's if it tastes great to me. If the price means I drink a little less because it costs more so be it. I can see myself in the future making less trips out of state and supporting the NH brewers that are finally making some great beers.

 

You make a good point. I should have clarified my post better. Wormtown makes no sense because I can get a 4-pack of pounders for $11 vs $9 for a 32 oz growler.

With no other format available other then growler fills, then it can be justified.

 

Hey all, I'm staying in Nashua next Monday thru Wednesday for work and based on what's here, it looks like I should visit Whole Foods and to not miss Stoneface stuff. Anything else I should hit up while I'm in town?

 

Nashua Garden on Main St. downtown has great sandwiches and good draft / bottle list. Great place for lunch.

For bottle shops, The Beer Store on Amherst St. and Craft Beer Cellar on Spit Brook Rd.

 

You might venture up to Merrimack and look up Able Ebenezer Brewing. I haven't been there since they first opened last summer. I wasn't real impressed at that time with the beers they had to offer but things may have gotten better.

 

Excited to hear several people far more in-the-know than I are saying there's a lot opening in the Manchester area in the next year or so. Agree that the downtown has a lot of untapped potential regarding craft beer spots. Strange Brew is the obvious choice, but beyond that and the extensive quantity (and occasional quality) at Murphy's, there's slim pickings. The Brew also draws its fair share of non-beer enthusiasts and when they do have anything special (Stoneface, for example, or even a quality seasonal like Pumking) it's gone almost immediately. If only Cask and Vine would pick up and move to within walking distance instead of a 20 minute drive...but I think the breweries need to come first. I hear that new speakeasy 815 might have some good local craft, but I haven't gotten around to checking it out - has anyone else been yet?

Stoneface gets all the love, and deservedly so, but White Birch is doing a lot of interesting things for the rare occasions where I'm not looking for a top-notch IPA. I'm also rooting real, real hard for Able Ebenezer to succeed, since I work five minutes away from it, and while I'm a big fan of Burn the Ships (their smoked IPA) and Homecoming (their mildly pumpkin-y seasonal), everything they do seems to be a slight variant on the same basic flavor profile. Doesn't really work well for their amber or standard IPA, and their Belgian wheat Emma Wood just doesn't work at all. Apparently they're working on a vanilla porter which would be a welcome change of pace for them. Regardless, the community has definitely taken a liking to them, and pretty much every bar in southern NH carries their stuff now, so good for them. Hopefully they don't rest on their laurels too heavily. I also really liked Throwback Brewery when they came to the NH beer fest last summer, but I haven't seen much of them on tap at all around here sadly. Hope that changes sooner than later.

The distribution issue really sucks, though. It just feels so unfair that we're smack dab right in the middle of three of the best beer states in the country and we can barely get anything from any of 'em...

 

I've been to 815 a couple times now and they have 6 draft lines of local beer. Breweries represented were Kelsen, Henniker, 603 and Stoneface. They guy sitting next to me, who ordered a bottled of Stoneface Red Rye, was chatting up the bearded bartender about craft beer, and he seemed knowledgeable. That said, there's a small focus on local craft beer here, but the clear specialization of this place is the cocktails.

The atomsphere is unique and fun for the area, but I don't see 815 becoming the #1 spot in downtown Manchester for grabbing a craft beer.

 

I'm excited to hear about the prospect of some more breweries in Manchester. Not sure if the places in planning are public knowledge yet, but care to share? I'd love to see better representation of some of the local breweries at bars and restaurants around the city (it's getting better), but having some breweries in the city (especially downtown or within walking distance) would be great.

 

Was trying to remember some more specifically in Manchester, but it's possible I conflated the Manchester and Concord area in my mind for a couple. Coulda swore there were more in Manchester I'm not remembering now (also possible there were some rumors/people telling me about breweries in planning). If anyone knows more, feel free to post.

Swift Current Brewing just released their first beer. They have a weird setup where they are brewing on their own system inside Milly's Tavern separate from Milly's system, but will be distributing as well last I heard, and I think eventually getting their own space. Facebook

Oddball Brewing will be in Suncook. Looks like they're currently Indiegogoing.

Area 23 in Concord in Smokestack Center. Facebook

Lithermans' Limited in Bow. MHP from The Tap Handle Show's brewery. Facebook

There's a pending license for a Great North Brewing in Manchester, but thinking this may not be happening anymore. No info.

 

White Mountain Brewing Company. Ashland, geographic center of New Hampshire.

I am really looking forward to this one.

 

Between the prices at NH market baskets ($10 finest kind 12 pk's bottled a week prior!) and fresh Stoneface just 45 min away, I'm a fan of NH beer.

 

Here is one that I am waiting for:

https://www.facebook.com/DeciduousBrew