Banjo
11-09-2011, 05:32 PM
HONEST PINT: DRIVEN TO DRINK: PORTSMOUTH
Posted on November 9, 2011 by HEATHER VANDENENGEL
http://digboston.com/taste/2011/11/honest-pint-driven-to-drink-portsmouth/
Located almost exactly halfway between Portland and Boston, the small shipping city of Portsmouth often ends up as a pitstop along the way to somewhere else. But between Smuttynose, Portsmouth Brewery and Redhook, Portsmouth has forged its own identity as a beer destination.
EAT LUNCH @ THE PORTSMOUTH BREWERY
For lunch, I met up with a local beer blogger, Brian Aldrich from Seacoast Beverage Lab, who used to live in every local beer geek’s dream apartment: directly above the Portsmouth Brewery. For a small city like Portsmouth, having a high-quality brewpub at the center of the beer scene is ideal—the taps are always rotating with creative new beers. Over a glass of the Hop Harvest, a red ale brewed with fresh Centennial and Cascade hops, Aldrich shares stories of Kate the Great day, when hundreds line up for a chance to drink a glass of the brewpub’s famous Russian Imperial Stout. While the fresh whole mussels are the specialty here, I pass (damn you, shell fish allergy) in favor of the Ploughman’s Plate, with local cheeses and cured meat.
[56 Market St. 603.431.1115. @portsbrew. portsmouthbrewery.com]
TAKE A TOUR @ SMUTTYNOSE BREWING COMPANY
Brewery tours start to bleed together once you’ve seen enough of them, but you really can’t miss out on a visit to Portsmouth Brewery’s sister company, Smuttynose. Tour guide JT, the proclaimed Smuttynose Minister of Propaganda, guides us through the brewery and bottling line and answers the important questions (What’s with the name? Where did you find the old guys on your IPA label?) Highlights from the post-tour beers are from their Big Beer series: the hoppy, Belgian-style Homunculus and the big, dark Gravitation Belgian Quad.
[225 Heritage Ave. 603.436.4026. @smuttynosebeer. smuttynose.com]
DRINK WITH LOCALS @ THE PRESS ROOM
“Where do you guys go for beers?” I questioned every Portsmouth local. While the first choice was usually Portsmouth Brewery, The Press Room came in a solid second. With the swarms of tourists that flock to Portsmouth year round, having a comfortable place to knock back a few with friends is vital, and The Press Room delivers. There’s live music every night of the week upstairs, a cozy pub atmosphere downstairs and a solid selection of local and New England beers on tap. (Another local pro-tip: take a walk across the bridge to Maine for the area’s best beer selection at Carl’s Meat Market.)
[77 Daniel St. 603.431.5186. pressroomnh.com]
STOCK UP AT @ A & G HOMEBREW SUPPLY
Homebrewers make up a strong contingent of New Hampshire’s beer culture, and A & G has been supplying the Seacoast with all-grain, hops and all the necessary equipment since April of last year. Alex McDonald, who owns the shop with his wife Gretchen, also works as a massage therapist and believes in the potential healing power of beer. He’s looking into starting a brewery with his brewing partner, George Heilshorn, with a focus on gruits, historic beer made with herbs. “What if there was a beer made with dandelion and burdock root that would support the liver?” he said. Touché. He also can’t say enough about Portsmouth’s strong community of professional and homebrewers. “There’s a huge camaraderie between them,” he said. “It’s just that kind of town.”
[165 High St. 603.767.8235. aghomebrewsupply.com]
http://digboston.com/taste/2011/11/honest-pint-driven-to-drink-portsmouth/
Posted on November 9, 2011 by HEATHER VANDENENGEL
http://digboston.com/taste/2011/11/honest-pint-driven-to-drink-portsmouth/
Located almost exactly halfway between Portland and Boston, the small shipping city of Portsmouth often ends up as a pitstop along the way to somewhere else. But between Smuttynose, Portsmouth Brewery and Redhook, Portsmouth has forged its own identity as a beer destination.
EAT LUNCH @ THE PORTSMOUTH BREWERY
For lunch, I met up with a local beer blogger, Brian Aldrich from Seacoast Beverage Lab, who used to live in every local beer geek’s dream apartment: directly above the Portsmouth Brewery. For a small city like Portsmouth, having a high-quality brewpub at the center of the beer scene is ideal—the taps are always rotating with creative new beers. Over a glass of the Hop Harvest, a red ale brewed with fresh Centennial and Cascade hops, Aldrich shares stories of Kate the Great day, when hundreds line up for a chance to drink a glass of the brewpub’s famous Russian Imperial Stout. While the fresh whole mussels are the specialty here, I pass (damn you, shell fish allergy) in favor of the Ploughman’s Plate, with local cheeses and cured meat.
[56 Market St. 603.431.1115. @portsbrew. portsmouthbrewery.com]
TAKE A TOUR @ SMUTTYNOSE BREWING COMPANY
Brewery tours start to bleed together once you’ve seen enough of them, but you really can’t miss out on a visit to Portsmouth Brewery’s sister company, Smuttynose. Tour guide JT, the proclaimed Smuttynose Minister of Propaganda, guides us through the brewery and bottling line and answers the important questions (What’s with the name? Where did you find the old guys on your IPA label?) Highlights from the post-tour beers are from their Big Beer series: the hoppy, Belgian-style Homunculus and the big, dark Gravitation Belgian Quad.
[225 Heritage Ave. 603.436.4026. @smuttynosebeer. smuttynose.com]
DRINK WITH LOCALS @ THE PRESS ROOM
“Where do you guys go for beers?” I questioned every Portsmouth local. While the first choice was usually Portsmouth Brewery, The Press Room came in a solid second. With the swarms of tourists that flock to Portsmouth year round, having a comfortable place to knock back a few with friends is vital, and The Press Room delivers. There’s live music every night of the week upstairs, a cozy pub atmosphere downstairs and a solid selection of local and New England beers on tap. (Another local pro-tip: take a walk across the bridge to Maine for the area’s best beer selection at Carl’s Meat Market.)
[77 Daniel St. 603.431.5186. pressroomnh.com]
STOCK UP AT @ A & G HOMEBREW SUPPLY
Homebrewers make up a strong contingent of New Hampshire’s beer culture, and A & G has been supplying the Seacoast with all-grain, hops and all the necessary equipment since April of last year. Alex McDonald, who owns the shop with his wife Gretchen, also works as a massage therapist and believes in the potential healing power of beer. He’s looking into starting a brewery with his brewing partner, George Heilshorn, with a focus on gruits, historic beer made with herbs. “What if there was a beer made with dandelion and burdock root that would support the liver?” he said. Touché. He also can’t say enough about Portsmouth’s strong community of professional and homebrewers. “There’s a huge camaraderie between them,” he said. “It’s just that kind of town.”
[165 High St. 603.767.8235. aghomebrewsupply.com]
http://digboston.com/taste/2011/11/honest-pint-driven-to-drink-portsmouth/