Yankee Brew News Archive

Brewpub Review: Stone Coast Brewing Company

Originally Published: 02/97

By: Brett Peruzzi

Stone Coast Brewing Company in Laconia, New Hampshire has its roots in several different brewpub ventures. Opened on the site of the short-lived Winnipesaukee Pub and Brewery at the foot of Laconia's classic New England Main Street, this is the second brewpub location using the Stone Coast name, the original location being a Portland, Maine brewpub that opened last year.

And to follow it back one more iteration, Stone Coast was spawned by the Sunday River Brewing Company of Bethel, Maine. Stone Coast owners Grant Wilson and Peter Leavitt decided to see if they could succeed where the previous brewpub failed, and so far it looks like the Sunday River/Stone Coast formula is producing a winner. Good food, great beer, and an inviting environment.

Literally a stone's throw from Lake Winnipesaukee and only seven miles off Interstate 93, Stone Coast has an airy, modern decor punctuated by lots of potted plants. Funky lighting fixtures illuminate mottled gold walls, cozy booths, and a carpet with an autumn leaves motif in the sweeping, semi-circular dining area. A large bar dominates the middle of the pub, beyond which are two pool tables, a bandstand and a dance floor, with the brewhouse wedged into a narrow strip of space near the entrance.

Open for both lunch and dinner, Stone Coast offers reasonably-priced pub grub ($5-12.95) with a few nods to foodies looking for more than a burger. For a region not typically known for its culinary breadth, particularly at the lower end of the price scale, there is a decent variety of fun food for a location far from any major city. There are appetizers ranging from crab cakes to portobello mushrooms, entrees that include fish and chips, steak, pasta, and seafood, as well as the requisite array of burgers and sandwiches. A pulled pork sandwich came heaped with tender, though a bit fatty barbecued pork, covered in a tangy, somewhat smoky barbecue sauce and a side of fries.

Stone Coast in Laconia uses the same beer recipes as the Portland location, some of which appear to have traveled from Sunday River as well. The Laconia pub does add its own interpretation to the recipes, however, according to a staff member.

Stone Coast had six beers on tap at the time. Waterfront Wheat was a basic innocuous American wheat beer; Gunstock Alt was a malty, rounded ale with a hoppy finish; Peaks Pale Ale was nicely bitter with a dry finish; Redstone Ale, dubbed a "California-style red ale," had a nice toasted malt nose and a smooth, balanced body; 420 India Pale Ale had a pungent hop nose, and the emphatic bitterness and a brassy note often found in IPAs; and finally, Black Bear Porter was a harmonious blend of dark malts, its maltiness nicely balanced by an acrid note from the black malt and firm hopping.

Not yet available, but promised to be soon on tap was an oatmeal stout with a nitrogen tap to enhance the creaminess of its head when poured. The beers are produced on a DME brewing system, consisting of a 19 barrel mash tun, a 23 barrel kettle, and three 20 barrel conical fermenters.

Stone Coast appears to be striving to become a week-long destination for various crowds. A weekday afternoon found families and people of all ages filling the dining room. Bands play on Thursday-Saturday nights, and there are free buffets during Sunday afternoon and Monday night football games, drink specials on Tuesday, free pool on Wednesday, and a $1 cover and $1 drafts on Thursday nights. In addition, a $50 membership to the Stone Coast Mug Club entitles you to have your 22 ounce mug filled for $2, except on Tuesday from 4-8 and all day Sunday when it's only $1.

An eloborate neon sign outside the pub features a lighthouse and its beacon, providing a visual draw for anybody passing by. Indeed, Stone Coast appears to be about the the most vibrant place in what is mostly a fairly sleepy downtown in New Hampshire's Lakes Region. So whether you're in the area on vacation or just passing by on your way to the White Mountains, Stone Coast is definitely worth a stop.