Hey folks! This past weekend I was taking the lazy route up to Portsmouth, NH and crossed into Hampton. I veered off course and stopped into Throwback for lunch and a beer. So, I first ran into Throwback at EBF a few years ago. I remember the Chai Tea porter as being clever and better than I thought it might be. Here was a chance to see what they were up to lately. First of all, for logistics, parking was relatively simple. There was a fair amount of space (12 stools? Maybe 15?) at an awkwardly shaped bar. There were also a few tables if you had a larger group. I grabbed the hamburger. It was solid. Onto the beer! The blonde ale w/ blackberry, blueberry and raspberry was the winner for me. A great summer feeling beer, good on a hot weekend. The smoked apple porter fell short. Too smoky, too thin, not much fruit. That's ok, though, I'm glad the attempt was there! Overall, it reminded me a little of a much more rustic version of Medusa - not obsessed with cloudy IPA's or BA Stouts but, instead, putting a pretty wide variety of beer styles on the table and asking me to stay awhile to expand my palate. It was well done and worth my time.
I've been going to Throwback for 4+ years now, dating back to when they were in a corporate park across the street from current location. It's so great to see their new beautiful facility and their success. Their beers aren't always amazing, but they are pretty much always good to very good. I always stop in when in the area, then hit the beer store Prost! on my drive to Smutty a few minutes down the road.
