WHITE MOUNTAIN BREWS & NEWS

When I was asked to write the beer and brewing section for Vibe’s spring issue, my first response was, “Why me?” A logical question, since I don’t consider myself a writer and I am new to the brewing scene. Then it evolved into, “Why not me?” After all, I have a passion for craft beer that is hard to match. I dive into things head-first and I am not afraid to take a chance. So, here we are.

Like a lot of people, I grew up drinking the massproduced lagers, and eventually tried a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Wow, the flavor was completely foreign, yet it blew me away. I wasn’t sure if I even liked it, but I tried it again … and again. This new style of beer had me hooked, so I tried some of the other craft brews hitting the market. I eventually fell in love with this whole new world of craft beer, but that wasn’t enough. I knew I wanted to brew beer, but it was just a dream.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE BREW SCENE

The Latest Thirst-Quenchers in the Valley

By Joe Russo

Then my friend Victoria unknowingly changed my entire life with a 1-gallon, all-grain home brew kit she gave me as a gift. Neither Victoria nor I could have imagined that years later I would be the cask ale brewer at Sea Dog Brewing Company in North Conway. I also work at The Moat Mountain Brewing company’s production facility. In the past I have worked at Hobbs Brewery and Tavern in Ossipee, as well as the SAP House Meadery in Center Ossipee, NH.

It all started with my first beer from that 1-gallon kit, and my insatiable appetite to learn more about brewing and improve my beers. I researched making beer all over the internet, listened to the plethora of podcasts about brewing, and eventually joined a local homebrew club. I would visit breweries and be amazed at all the stainless steel and the science behind brewing. To me, this was art in a glass. I would seek out new styles and flavors, then go home and try to replicate them for myself. Most notably I fell in love with the India pale ale (IPA) type of beer. This includes West Coast styles, to Brut, to single hopped, double hopped, triple hopped and our very own New England

Gone are the days where you would filter your brews to get them crystal clear. I would always wonder: how are they doing that? So, it begs the question: what makes a beer hazy? To get an answer, we asked Saco River Brewery owner, Mason Irish, and here is what he has to say: If you ask five different brewers what makes a hazy beer, especially an IPA, you’ll likely get a bunch of different answers. This will include “protein from oats,” or “wheat in the mash,” “massive amounts of dry hopping,” “chloride additions to the mash,” “not adding a kettle fining,” and probably “yeast varietals.” Which, if any of these, is the answer?

Rek-Lis Brewing Company Schilling Beer Co. Iron Furnace Brewing Woodstock Inn Brewery One Love Brewery Copper Pig Brewery

I can only tell you from my only experience as a brewer who brews these styles of beers all the time. Creating hazy beer was never my intent, but a byproduct of several process and ingredient choices. Most importantly is the yeast varietal; some will drop out and create a bright beer, even in the presence of the above-mentioned factors, while others will maintain some yeast in suspension for many months. The heavy dry hops are the other major factor in haze contribution. Strangely enough, this contribution can vary amongst hop variety. Chloride and protein in the mash may have a very minor contribution, and I completely discount that the lack of kettle finings is a factor, because I use them in every beer.

COPPER PIG BREWERY

SCHILLING BEER

REK’•LIS BREWING

IRON FURNACE BREWING

WOODSTOCK INN BREWERY

ONE LOVE BREWERY

Moat Mountain Brewing Co. Saco River Brewing Tuckerman Brewing Co. Hobbs Tavern & Brewing Co. Sea Dog Brewing Co. Rek’•Lis Brewing Co. Woodstock Inn Brewery Iron Furnace Brewing Schilling Beer Co. Copper Pig Brewery One Love Brewery

MOAT MOUNTAIN BREWING SEA DOG BREWING SACO RIVER BREWING TUCKERMAN BREWING

HOBBS TAVERN & BREWING

Intervale, NH Fryeburg, ME Conway, NH West Ossipee, NH North Conway, NH Bethlehem, NH North Woodstock, NH Franconia, NH Littleton, NH Lancaster, NH Lincoln, NH

I eat, sleep, and breathe the world of beer and brewing. I, too, have heard so many “facts” about market saturation or bubbles bursting, but right here in the Mt. Washington Valley we have exponential growth happening that starts with some new brewery options and a lot of brewery expansions. Now that you know a little bit about my background and passion for all thing’s beer and brewing, here’s the inside scoop about this industry’s growth in the Valley.

Did you know that Hobbs Brewing Company is about to open their third brewery? Their newest location is just a bit further south on Route 16 from their current Hobbs Brewery and Tavern in Ossipee, NH. This production facility boasts a 15-barrel state-of-the-art system that is all shiny and new. I heard there will be a koelschip (pronounced: cool ship) on location to enhance their barrel aging and blending offerings. The new place will have a taproom, including an outside seating area. It is also set up to support multiple food trucks.

Rek’-Lis Brewing Company in Bethlehem, NH is set to open their brand-new brewery building attached to their current location. This expansion will grow their current capacity to five barrels, and offer plenty of space to add new fermenters. It will offer a whole new bar with 23 taps of their own brew and a cider for their visitors. They will also have a new area for bands to play all summer. The Moat Mountain Brewing Company has been expanding their production facility over the past year with the additions of a large barn with a new refrigerated walk-in cooler

Come by to say hi to BOOMER!

• Over 500 Craft Beers • Make Your Own 6-Pack • Just South of Storyland

779 ROUTE 16, GLEN, NH (603) 383-4800

and space for additional storage.

The Tuckerman Brewing Company is expanding their facility, as they recently invested in their own canning line. They are excited to expand the beers they offer in cans, beginning with their flagship, the Pale Ale. Having their own canning line will also allow Tucks to can more limited-release brews. Last but not least, I worked with the Sea Dog Brew Pub to upgrade their fermenters as well as their glycol setup for their small batch system.

When it comes to new beers to hit the market, the Valley’s breweries are showing up strong. The Saco River Brewing Company in Fryeburg, ME, is now available to purchase in New Hampshire. Gone are the days you had to cross the border into Maine to enjoy a Hornets’ Nest DIPA or their Lazy River IPA. A visit to their tap room is a worthy trip. It is a great place to sit back, inside or out, and enjoy some live music with a pint (or two) of beer.

The Moat Mountain Brewing Company released Clockwork Manderina. A triple-dry-hopped NEIPA was originally a taproom-only option, but demand brought the recipe to their production facility where it was canned for the first time this past March. When you’re out and about in the Valley, swing by their taproom for a taste of their new Double IPA (DIPA) that celebrates Moat’s 20 years of brewing beer in the Valley. The Woodstock Inn Brewery is releasing Lost Time pale ale that is brewed with Comet and Galaxy Hops. This is a New England-style pale ale, that is double-dry-hopped and is hazy in color. They brewed this beer as a tribute to Betty and Barney Hill who, as the tale goes, were abducted by aliens back in the 1960s. The site where this happened is right by the brewery. This is a limited beer that is available for the spring and summer. Also look for their newest Honey Lemon Blond to hit the shelves this summer. At 4.5% and 20 IBU, this will be on my list for the summer months.

Iron Furnace Brewing will once again be supporting the Ales for ALS charity to raise money for ALS research. They will be brewing a NEIPA in hopes to raise as much money as possible for this great cause. They brew all sorts of beers from stouts to sours, pale ales to porters, as well as all sorts of IPAs. The Tuckerman Brewing Company will be releasing their Summer Pils. This is a single-hopped Pilsner style beer brewed with Citra hops and orange peel. The low ABV (4.5% and IBU 18) makes this beer your summer go to. As mentioned earlier, their new canning line will bring many limited release brews to the market. I always look forward to their summer concert series, as well as many events in their tap room, which boasts a dozen (if not more) brews on tap.

Rek’-lis Brewing Company is rolling out their share of new brews as well. On tap for this spring and summer are some tasty brews like the 9.99% ABV double pale ale called The Sanitizer, along with 30,000 Light Years, which features Galaxy and Mosaic hops. They will have two new pilsners, a Märzen, a barrel-aged stout, and a porter that will be bourbon-barrel-aged as well. The Sea Dog Brewing Company in North Conway will continue to brew their ever-rotating cask beer offerings. These small-batch brews are always a limited release at the restaurant bar, and run the gamut from Scottish ales to English strong bitters, porters, watermelon ales, and whiskey-barrel-edged stouts.

Just out of the Valley, but certainly worth the trip, the Copper Pig Brewery in Lancaster is another local brewery you should visit. Look for them to release their “Cancer Sucks” hoppy lager as well as Downtown Patty Brown this spring. Do not forget to try their other brews while there. They have a beer called “Luke, I Am Your Lager.” How can you go wrong with a name like that?

For the average beer connoisseur, this may be all you want

Where Life is Good!

Rek’-Lis Brewing, located north of Crawford Notch in Bethlehem, recently went through major renovations as well as expansions and is ready for its spring reopening this May.

to know (i.e. stop reading here). But if you’re anything like me, that’s just not enough.

So, I ask … have you ever wanted to learn how to brew a beer? The Mt. Washington Valley has multiple ways we can help you explore this fascinating and delicious hobby.

First, there is a local homebrewing group: Interstate Brewers Unlimited (IBU). Look them up on Facebook. You can join a monthly meeting, usually hosted on the first Tuesday of each month, where the group discusses all things beer and tastes some of the members’ homebrews (based on the meeting location). This spring/summer, IBU group will be hosting a meet-and-greet event at the Sea Dog Brew Pub in North Conway. Check their Facebook page for event details. The group will also be hosting a learn-to-brew day the following month.

And if that’s not enough to look forward to, mark your calendars for the 2020 New England Homebrewers Jamboree, held on September 11 and 12 at the Tamworth Campground. You can camp out and visit lots of homebrew groups from all around New England. They’ll have samples of everything from IPAs and sparkling seltzers to barrel-aged imperial stouts, as well as every possible style in between. I look forward to this event every year—and you should mark this on your calendars, right now. Visit their Facebook page, @NEhomeBrewJamboree, for event details and tickets.

There is so much happening around the beer and brewing scene in the Mt. Washington Valley. We are growing—we are strong. We are looking for you to visit our tap rooms, drink our brews, and enjoy the scene. Sit down, have a great pint of beer, and enjoy all that the Valley has to offer. You deserve it, and I will happily pour it for you.

Almost There Sports Tavern & Restaurant

(603) 447-2325 • 1287 Route 16, Albany, NH Just south of the Kancamagus Highway