Northeast Beer Tour - Part 2 (New Hampshire)

After visiting some beer establishments in Upstate New York (discussed in Part 1), we headed over to New Hampshire to visit the Humans' friends and see what the state had to offer for beers.

Portsmouth
Portsmouth is a great New England waterfront town.  And, one of the things that makes it a great drinking town is that it's very "walkable".  We parked the car when we arrived, and didn't get back in until we left.

A morning drive across parts of New York and Massachusetts, and into New Hampshire meant that we needed a little solid sustenance before continuing on with our drinking adventures.  And, when on the New Hampshire coast, that meant we were going to get a lobster roll.


River House (53 Bow Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire)

With nothing but Tripadvisor reviews to go by, we ended up at the River House.  We were able to get a table outside, overlooking the harbor and the lift bridge that allows US1 to continue into Maine.

The River House has a small, but decent, draft list.  Most drafts are from the New Hampshire/Maine area.  They also have a good bottle list; it's not huge, but I expect anyone could find something that they would like to try.

The lobster roll was good.  There was lots of large chunks of lobster, with just enough of a mayonnaise mixture to hold things together.  The lobster roll plate ($17.95 for a 4 inch roll, or $24.95 for a 6 inch roll) also comes with a cup of seafood chowder and hand cut chips.  Overall, we weren't blown away by our lunch, but it was solid.

Earth Eagle Brewings (165 High Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire)
We decided to walk around Portsmouth for a while to try to work off lunch, and stopped into one of the shops. (Important note:  There are shops...oh, are there shops...beware.  If you have a "shopper" with you, just let her...or him...enjoy and plant yourself on a barstool in one of the places mentioned in this post.)  A shopkeeper noticed that we were looking at some beer-related items, and suggested that we go to Earth Eagle.

Earth Eagle is hard to find.  It's on High Street, near the Hilton Garden Inn, and tucked behind A&G Homebrew Supply.

This is a tiny brewery that makes tiny batches of beer.  And you need to stop in here just to give your palate something to think about.  They have 6 taps, and often half of them are pouring gruits.   (I'm usually surprised to find one gruit on tap, so this was just crazy to me.)  By making such small batches, they are free to play and make some really interesting beers and gruits.  But, if you find something you like, you better get a growler because it probably won't be there next time you visit.

When we were there, they mostly had IPAs and gruits on tap, but the menu varies with the season (and the brewer's attitude).  The bartender was great, and tried to find something that non-beer-drinking Mrs. Human would like.  (Everyone seems to do this.  "Oh, you don't like beer?  Here, try this.")  This had the expected result..."Still too beer-y", but we appreciated the effort.

I'd like to go back sometime when they are brewing darker beers.  I bet they have some great winter recipes.

Portsmouth Brewery (56 Market Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire)
Home!  This is where the humans' friends originally found me, and it was nice to get back for a visit.

The Portsmouth Brewery has a typical brewpub feel.  They have around 15 beers on tap; most are their own beers, but they have guest taps as well.  The pub has a full menu, but we didn't eat here.

We bought a taster paddle here, that included the Oatmeal Raisin Brown, Grizzly Pale Ale, Black Cat Stout.  Overall the beers were good, but not great.  I did like the Black Cat Stout quite a bit.  They also often have a "Project X" beer that is a special one-batch beer, if you'd like to try what the brewers are currently trying out.

And, after having a couple of beers, you can wander into the gift shop and get your very own Yeast Spore!


Ri Ra Irish Pub (22 Market Square, Portsmouth, NH)
If you're in the need for an Irish pub to watch soccer, rugby, or even some of those "American" games, then there are a lot worse places to go than Ri Ra.

They have about 17 beers and ciders on draft, and to no surprise...about half of them are European beers.  But, they also keep local beers on tap.  When were were there, there were 4 or 5 beers from New Hampshire and Vermont.







This was a fine place to go, but there was really one main reason that I wanted to check it out.  I love going to buildings that had a different origin, and have been turned into a bar.  (My inner-heathen is quite amused when that building is a church...which I've seen in Pittsburgh and Dublin.)  In Ri Ra's case, the interior of an actual Irish pub was shipped to New Hampshire and placed in what was originally the New Hampshire Bank building.  You can still see the original safe doors in the dining room, and the Georgian dome covers the dining area.  It's a great environment to have a beer.

Thirsty Moose (21 Congress St., Portsmouth, NH)
If you haven't had enough variety while stopping at the other places mentioned in this post, then it's time to go to the Thirsty Moose.  With 116 beers on tap at 2 different bar areas, you'll definitely find something to try.

One of the great things about this bar is that you can build your own sampler of up to 6 beers, with each sample costing between $2 and $4.

If you're in Portsmouth, you should also think about going to one of the "large" breweries in the area. But, since their beers are available in other parts of the country, I was more concerned about trying other things on this trip.

Smuttynose Brewing (105 Towle Farm Rd., Hampton, NH)
Redhook  Brewery (1 Redhook Way, Portsmouth, NH)

Manchester
After our time in Portsmouth, it was time to go visit some friends in Manchester.  And, they were nice enough to take us around to find some beers that we wouldn't find in Atlanta.

White Birch Brewing  (1339 Hooksett Rd., Hooksett, NH)
Our first stop was actually in Hooksett.  We stopped in at the White Birch Brewing store.  This is a  small storefront where you can get bottles and growler fills.  But, they do offer samples there.

White Birch is a small brewery that creates the normal styles of beers over the course of the year (IPA, pale ale, porter, etc.), but when we were there almost all of the beers that they had available on draft were sours.  Unfortunately, that's just not a style that I like, and each one was just a little more mouth-puckering than the one before.

I wish I had been there in the winter to try out some of their other styles, but I'd recommend stopping in just to see if they'll have something you like.  And, if you like sours, definitely go there.

New England's Tap House Grill (1292 Hooksett Rd., Hooksett, NH)
Just down the road from White Birch, is the Tap House Grill.  This was our next stop.

With 48 beers on tap, you definitely should be able to find something new to try.  I was pretty excited because it happened to be New Hampshire Craft Beer Week while we were there, and most of their taps were turned over to New Hampshire beers.  I was able to get a tasting paddle of lots of beers that I wouldn't have been able to try elsewhere.

Milly's Tavern (500 Commercial St., Manchester, NH)
Milly's is Manchester's only microbrewery, and they have 19 of their own beers on tap, across all styles.

This is a bit of a local hangout; the bartenders seemed to know everyone in the place, and many of the crowd were drinking out of their own "mug club" mugs.  The decor's nothing special, but everyone is friendly, and it's a great place to try a few beers.  I had a sampler of 6 beers...they varied from "really good" to "ok" to "one of those rare beers that I can't finish".

We had a great time in New Hampshire.  There are a lot of other places we would have liked to try around the state, but we just didn't have the time on this trip.  Maybe next time.

Atlanta Beer Events - January 12-18

Atlanta Beer Events - January 12 - 18

Slow week in Atlanta beer.  People must still be recovering from the holidays.

Thursday, January 15
Porter Beer Bar Vintage Beer Class (Atlanta) 7-9pm 
This vintage beer class will cover the hows and whys of aging beer.  Ten different beers will be tasted to explore how beers change as they age and which types of beer are best to age.

Friday, January 16
Barrel and Barley Re-opening (Woodstock)

Barrel and Barley will be opening at their new location at 8600 Main St.

Saturday, January 17
Burnt Hickory Open House (Kennesaw) 12-5pm
  POURING ALL DAY.
   1. Big Shanty Graham Cracker Stout. 9%
   2. Cannon Dragger IPA 8%
   3. Ezekiel's Wheel Pale Ale. Second run from Clem. Kegging this week!
   4. Wrong Em Boyo Coffee IPA. Cannon Dragger Variant! 

  SPECIALS.
    1. EERIE VON "Mother of Mercy" Apple Pie Ala Mode version!
    2. FAB-Ales of the Reconstruction #7 "Old Man Kensey" Coffee/Fudge/Peanut Butter Stout!
    3. FAB-Ales of the Reconstruction #8 "Good Advices"
Maple Fudge Coffee Stout.
    4. Zekey Stardust! Pale Ale with Cranberries.

T.Mac Heavy Seas Event (Perimeter-Georgia Chapter Room) Starting at 3pm
New and Cellar releases from Heavy Seas will be available in the Georgia Chapter Room.

Northeast Beer Tour - Part 1 (Upstate New York)

The Humans' families live in upstate New York, so we decided to do a bit of a beer tour while we were up there over the summer, visiting family in New York and friends in New Hampshire.

This first post discusses some of the bars and breweries that we found in New York.

Watertown/Sackets Harbor

Sackets Harbor Brewing Company (212 West Main Street, Sackets Harbor, New York)
For our first stop, we met some of the Human's friends from high school at the Sackets Harbor Brewing Company, in Sackets Harbor, New York.  Sackets Harbor is a small village where Black River Bay meets Lake Ontario, about 10 miles west of Watertown, and 75 miles north of Syracuse.  It is best known for the battlefield which saw action during the War of 1812.

The Sackets Harbor Brewing Company opened in 1995, and occupies the former New York Central Railroad building in the village.  It rests on Black River Bay, and a recent deck expansion allows for plenty of seating overlooking the water.

Tasting flight reflects the brewery's history as a railroad building.

We purchased a tasting flight that included nine 4 ounce beers.  It is nice to have a chance to try their entire series of beers, but that's a bit much for one person (or Spore) to drink on a hot summer day before they get warm.  For the most part, the quality of the beers was better than average, especially for a relatively small operation. Our favorite was the Third Rail Porter.

They have separate lunch and dinner menus, and the dinner menu leans a little toward "fine dining" for a brewpub.  There are lots of options, but they lean toward steaks, duck and seafood.  There isn't a sandwich to be found on the dinner menu.  The one exception is their Thursday night menu, when you can get a burger and a beer for $10.

Other nearby options include:

• The Sackets Boathouse (214 West Main Street, Sackets Harbor) - The boathouse includes both sandwiches and also "better" fare.  They have twelve beers on tap, and have lots of outdoor seating on the water, as well as indoor seating.  I'd actually recommend the food here instead of the brewpub.
• The Hops Spot (214 1/2 West Main Street, Sackets Harbor) - Opened in 2011, The Hops Spot has the best beer selection anywhere in the area.  They have 26 taps, and regularly have breweries such as Dogfish Head, Stone, Great Divide, Brooklyn and Unibroue on tap, as well as cellared beers.  Growlers are also available.  They have a small, but good, menu that includes a number of burgers, sandwiches, sides and appetizers.  There is outdoor seating, but it doesn't overlook the water.

Meanwhile, if you're looking to buy some bottles to take home (or to the hotel), I'd recommend going to Bottle Caps in Watertown.  It's a small store, but they have a great selection.  Most, if not all, beers are available in singles if you would just like to try a few things.

Rochester/Canandaigua

MacGregor's Grill and Tap Room (759 South Main St, Canandaigua, NY)
After some mandatory family time, we headed to Canandaigua, near Rochester, to meet some of the Human's former co-workers.  We met at MacGregor's, near Canandaigua Lake, one of the westernmost of the Finger Lakes.

MacGregor's is a small chain of six restaurants in the Rochester area, all of which have an excellent beer selection.  For instance, the Canandaigua location has approximately 75 beers and ciders on tap, including local breweries and larger breweries such as Stone, Southern Tier, Bell's and Dogfish Head.

Their menu is better than the average pub menu, mostly made up of sandwiches, salads and burgers.  And, of course, they have the Western New York staple of beef-on-weck, which was very good.

Locals Flight, along with McKenzie's Black Cherry Cider.

Stouts/Porters Flight

Their draft prices are typical for the area, but the really good deal is their flights.  Each flight includes 6-5.5 ounce tasters, for only $8 or $9.  We started with the Locals flight, and then followed that up with the stout/porter flight.

MacGregor's is a great place where you can sit on the deck (unfortunately, not overlooking the water), have good some food and some great craft beers.

After stopping at MacGregor's, I'd recommend grabbing some ice cream at the nearby soft-serve stand, and taking a walk by the water in the park that is right across the street.

While in the Canandaigua area, you may also want to drive a few miles down the road to Naked Dove Brewing (4048 State Routes 5 & 20).

Finger Lakes Wineries

Even this is a beer blog, I'd like to take a moment to let you know what a nice job some of my other yeast friends are doing at the wineries of the Finger Lakes region of Central New York.

There are over 100 wineries in this region, mostly around the Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka and Canandaigua Lakes.  These wineries make a number of different types of wine, but the region is best known for its excellent Rieslings.  The shores of these lakes are also home to a number of breweries (that we haven't had a chance to explore yet) and a few distilleries.  Some stops that I would personally suggest include:

• Finger Lakes Distilling (4676 New York 414, Burdett, NY)
• Lamoreaux Landing Winery (9224 State Route 414, Lodi, NY)
• Damiani Wine Cellars (4704 State Route 414, Burdett, NY)
• Red Newt Cellars (3675 Tichenor Road, Hector, NY) - A great place for lunch.

Hamilton/Syracuse
Good Nature Brewing (8 Broad Street, Hamilton, NY)

Once it was time to visit Mrs. Human's family, we moved on to Central New York to discover what that area had to offer.

Good Nature is a small farm brewery that opened in early 2012 as a nano- (2 Barrel) brewery, but within a few months of success had become a micro- (7 Barrel) brewery.  Then, in less than two years, they needed more space, so it was necessary to move their tasting room from a small room at the entrance of their brewery to a taproom downtown in the village.  They take pride in sourcing most of their ingredients from the local area, including some farms which have recently begun growing hops for the brewery.

The taproom is a small, but nice, space on Broad Street, open Tuesday-Saturday and some Sundays.  Along with a bar that seats around a dozen people, they have a number of tables where you can have a seat and enjoy their beers.

Chicory Mocha Porter, and a couple of cider samples.

They typically have around a dozen of their own beers on tap, along with a local root beer and local ciders.  In addition, they always have one of their beers on cask.  Thursdays are usually Randall day, where they run one of their beers through a randall to add additional flavors.  (When we were there, they were running the chicory mocha porter through coffee beans and blackberries...yum.)
They do not serve food at the taproom, but you are welcome to bring food in.  The brewer is a former chef, but they would rather concentrate on the beers and encourage people to patronize the other local businesses.  They supply menus to all of the local restaurants so that you can find something to bring to the taproom.

Some other local businesses that you might like to try include:
No. 10 Tavern (10 Utica St, Hamilton, NY) - Just a few doors away from Good Nature, they have some great food (especially the muffaletta), and 10-12 beers on tap.
Harvest Moon Cidery (3232 Rippleton Road, Cazenovia, NY) - A few miles away in Cazenovia, they have around 9 ciders currently available.  These ciders are also available in local grocery stores.

Albany
Nine Pin Cider Works (929 Broadway, Albany, NY)

From Central New York, we moved on to New Hampshire, but that will be covered in the next post.  On our return we stopped at Nine Pin Cider Works in Albany so that Mrs. Human could try their supply of ciders.

Opening in 2014, Nine Pin is located in an area that is a mixture of industrial buildings and restaurants.  They have a small tasting room that is open Wednesday-Saturday.  They don't serve food, but often will have a food truck out front.

They make approximately 15 different types of ciders, and will usually have at least 4-5 available in the tasting room.  We weren't really that impressed with the ciders that were available in the tasting room when we were there, but that was during the summer.  I would hope that the flavors would improve in the fall and winter.

The next post will discuss the places that we visited during our time in New Hampshire.