NH Craft Beer Week

Discussion in 'New England' started by barleywinebrewer, Jun 25, 2012.

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  1. barleywinebrewer

    barleywinebrewer Initiate (0) Jan 7, 2006 New Hampshire

    So it's NH Craft Beer Week this week. We've got some great tings happening:

    - Tuesday we're kicking things off with a beer dinner at Nutfield Ale and Steakhouse. They have an aweseome menu for us.

    - Wednesday sees the farmers market coming back from 3-6. More vendors and better temps.

    - Thursday we're setting up the final fest guide for the Southern NH Brewers Festival (ok that's housekeeping but I'm excited).

    - Friday - Open House. Geoff Burgess is our latest graduate and his California Common called AKU, is most excellent. Winnipesaukee chocolates, Dougs Best and My Sisters Nuts round out a fun way to start your weekend.

    - Saturday we return to brewery tours. We hired Geoff as part of the team and we're excited to have him on board.

    - Sunday we rest.

    Not a bad beer week at all huh? Hope to see you at one or more of our events.

    Cheers,

    Bill
     
    #1 barleywinebrewer, Jun 25, 2012
  2. FrankLloydMike

    FrankLloydMike Maven (1,308) Aug 16, 2006 Massachusetts

    It's good to see New Hampshire catching up with its neighbors in Maine, Vermont and Mass in terms of interest in local and craft beer, in general. When Portsmouth Craft Beer Week(end) began a couple years back, I remember reading a quote from Peter Egleston, of the Portsmouth Brewery and Smuttynose, about how New Hampshire was behind those other states. I think that's definitely beginning to change, and having a week dedicated to promoting and enjoying New Hampshire craft beer is a big step.

    The Portsmouth Brewery posted this article from 1991 in honor of NH Craft Beer Week today:
    [​IMG]

    There's some unfortunate news out of North Conway, though, this beer week--this from Moat Mountain:




    It sounds like Will, who has brewed at the Moat since they opened in 2000, will be taking a break from the brewing world, at least in the near term.

    I was at a tasting at Bert's Better Beers in Hooksett last spring, where Will was identifying his beers by smell, and icing his foot in a bucket under the table. I can't recall, but I think he had sprained his ankle. He gladly showed us the "swamp yankee" cane, a crooked piece of wood with a place for holding a pencil, that his father had built for him. In the few occasions that I saw Will at tastings and festivals, it was clear that he was not only among the best brewers in the state, but a fun and interesting guy, with a passion for good beer.

    Will is a great brewer and a great advocate for craft beer in a state that, until recently, was slow to embrace it. I wish he wasn't leaving, but like the John Prine song, I guess I wish him, his family, and the crew at the Moat all the best. From the beers I've had brewed by some of the Moat assistant brewers, I think Will leaves the Moat in good hands, and it'll be interesting to see where they take the brewery from here.

    Things are changing and growing in the New Hampshire beer scene; and while it's still a bit behind its neighbors, I don't think things have ever looked better for craft beer in the Granite State than they do now.
     
    #2 FrankLloydMike, Jun 25, 2012
    mtardiff and barleywinebrewer like this.
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