With no less than three breweries opening this year, the Monadnock Region is fast becoming a destination for locally-produced craft beer.
There are around 75 breweries in the Granite State at this time, with a few more licensed but not producing beer yet, according to New Hampshire Brewers Association Executive Director CJ White. About a half-dozen of those breweries fall within the Monadnock Region, many of which have opened for business within the past few years.
“In the past year, breweries have been a growing force in the area,” White said. “The Monadnock Region has probably seen the largest amount of growth in the state.”
Erika Rosenfeld, owner of Post and Beam Brewing in Peterborough, thinks the region will see a boom in business as people are choosing to come and visit the many breweries that have opened in the area.
“The more the merrier,” Rosenfeld said. “A lot of people are coming to us from Henniker Brewing or Branch and Blade [Brewing in Keene] and ask us where to go next.”
Since opening on July 28, Post and Beam has been busier than expected. Rosenfeld said Post and Beam sold out of all 217 gallons of their Our Town IPA – a juicy, citrusy New England IPA – within five days. A new batch of the beer was back on tap on Friday and is already half gone.
“Our taproom is our heart and soul, I think the building and location is our biggest draw,” Rosenfeld said.
Rosenfeld said Post and Beam is currently focused on brewing subtle beer but will experiment more in the future. Post and Beam currently has a dry and earthy grisette – named Butcher Holler – a crisp German pilsner with noble hops – named Sunshine and Sorrow – and a smooth, dry stout with hints of chocolate – named Bandit Hat – among its current beer offerings.
Since opening for business in May, Branch and Blade has been committed to providing new and exciting takes on a variety of beer styles. Co-owners Trevor Bonnette and Jesse O’Bryan opened the brewery as a way for the two homebrewers to bring high-quality beer to the Monadnock region.
“We got sick of driving to Tree House [Brewing in Charlestown, Massachusetts] or up to Portland or to Burlington to grab a great beer, so we decided to do it ourselves,” Bonnette said. “… It’s been great, we are struggling to keep up with the demand.”
Branch and Blade’s current creations include Alone in a Crowded Room – a frappe IPA with notes of lactose, black cherry, and vanilla – Ghosted – a sour IPA brewed with raw wheat, oats, and milk sugar, conditioned on blood peach and apricot, and dry hopped with citra hops – and Waking Up in Handcuffs – an American Brown Ale brewed with coffee from Prime Roast Coffee Company in Keene.
“We just want to produce top-quality beer and push the envelope – if people like it, then that’s even better,” Bonnette said. “When people come in and say they were told by a friend that they needed to check our beer out, that’s what we love to hear.”
To date, Branch and Blade have made about 25 different beers, only brewing one twice. For Bonnette, beer is all about finding the balance between personal taste and that of their customers.
“That’s why it’s good that there are two of us. I always craft what I want to brew, which is why we always have sours,” Bonnette said. “Jesse is more realistic. He says we always need to have an IPA on, because IPAs are popular right now. Even with an IPA, we will do sours and frappe IPAs. We like doing things people love, but doing them differently.”
While it seems to be a lucrative business in the Granite State – a recent study says no state drinks more beer per capita than New Hampshire – some local brewers feel that the state’s laws and licensing present roadblocks.
White said the New Hampshire Brewers Association tries to advocate for local brewers as the process in starting up a brewery can be challenging due to the number of different licenses that can be applied for.
“For many brewers, the biggest issue in starting a brewery is which license they need to get,” White said.
Frogg Brewing in Marlborough will likely be the next brewery opening in the region. Owner Michael Guitard said he hopes to be serving beer on the first of October.
“We would already be open if we were in Massachusetts or Vermont,” Guitard said. “The state makes you go through a lot more than other states.”
Guitard said he decided to open the brewery after meeting with his brewer Alex Rice, who used to work at Wormtown Brewery in Worcester, Massachusetts.
“He started doing test brews and gave me some samples,” Guitard said. “I gave input and he tweaked a few recipes. Part of his interest is being able to brew what he wants to brew. I just want people to be happy and have a place to hang out and enjoy a good beer.”
Frogg Brewing will serve a number of amphibian-named beers including the Frog Bomb (or F-Bomb) IPA – a hazy and juicy New England IPA – and the Kerr-mit – a light and smooth kolsch.
“I thought it would be a good hobby to turn into a real business,” Guitard said. “My wife and I have probably traveled to 200 small breweries – we’ve probably already paid for a brewery. I think it will be a positive thing for the region, everyone is happy when they are drinking beer.”
The Outlaw Brewing Company in Winchester owner and brewer Rick Horton opened his business in June 2017 after homebrewing since the 1990s.
In his first year, he focused on the wholesale side of his business but as of a few months ago he has opened a taproom.
“The taproom is a great opportunity to sit and listen to people,” Horton said. “If you just spend time reading a review online, you won’t get the complete picture. Our tastings in the first year provided a lot of valuable information. When people don’t like something, you can really talk to them about why they don’t like it.”
Horton said a lot has changed for brewers since he started brewing in the 90s. The explosion of customer demand has allowed brewers to have access to higher-quality ingredients and equipment, which in turn allow the brewers to create a better product.
“I think people in the Monadnock region have always enjoyed good quality, local beer. Elm City [Brewing Company in Keene] has been around a long time, they are one of the oldest breweries in New Hampshire,” Horton said. “More beer in the region is better, we just want to make sure everyone is creating a quality product. We want people to say that there are a bunch of brewers in the area that are all brewing good beer.”
When it comes to brewing beer, Horton said he focuses on creating beers that are classic in style, falling a lot more in the middle of the road in terms of flavor. Horton said he currently has an iced coffee blonde ale, a watermelon wheat, and is currently working on a New England IPA.
“The biggest piece for us is we are very close to our beer, I touch every beer that’s brewed,” Horton said. “… Beer isn’t about alcohol anymore, it’s all about the craft. It’s an art form, it’s become so much more than drinking beer.”
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7 172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.