2beerguys beer blog

A journey to the Portsmouth Brewery (NH)

Journey north to the Portsmouth Brewery

by Suzanne

Last Saturday, I headed up to the Portsmouth Brewery in search of a good meal, a couple great brews and a positive experience. And I found them…with one slight exception.

First, a disclaimer: I love the Portsmouth Brewery. I love it so much, in fact, that I’d typically list it as one of my very favorite places to have dinner and drinks. This is why I’m willing to overlook, for the most part, the slightly disappointing experience I had this weekend. Let me explain:

There is honestly nothing I hate more in this world than good beer being served by someone who knows nothing about it. For me, it just ruins the whole experience. I enjoy being able to discuss what I’m drinking with my bartender or waiter and have any questions I may have about my beer answered. I think that knowing what you are serving is part of your job as the server, and at a brewery, I think that this knowledge must extend past just the food menu to the beers as well. Hence, when I attempted to engage our server Saturday night in conversation about the beers we were drinking, I was a bit disappointed in her lack of knowledge and interest. I was even more disappointed when I inquired what type of beer the Dirty Blonde Ale was, only to be told that: “It’s sort of domestic”. It’s actually an American Blonde Ale, which perhaps I should have figured out myself, but, being used to servers at the Portsmouth Brewery really knowing their stuff, I was surprised, and yes, a bit frustrated, that our particular waitress did not. Perhaps it was her first week on the job and perhaps she was just stuck in the weeds and flustered (in her defense, it was very busy), but this really did put a damper on the evening.

Besides this little speed bump, my dinner at the Portsmouth Brewery was otherwise enjoyable. Though it appeared to be extremely busy in the restaurant, my companion and I only had to wait 15 minutes for a table and were lucky enough to be seated outside in a courtyard I didn’t even know existed. The courtyard was walled in on all sides, protecting diners from any overenthusiastic breezes, and providing a canvas for artwork, flowers and chalkboards featuring the on-tap beers to be displayed. The background music was loud enough to be heard and enjoyed, but not too loud that you couldn’t carry on a conversation. Bob Dylan and Death Cab for Cutie, among other artists, were played, creating a really cool, relaxed atmosphere. Overall, great ambiance: if you ever find yourselves at the Portsmouth Brewery on a nice summer evening, definitely ask to be seated in the outdoor courtyard – you will not regret it.

When I dine at the Brewery, I typically begin with their 10 beer sampler, and Saturday night was no different. Unfortunately, however, the Brewery’s keg of Thaizenheimer had kicked right before we sat down, so our 10 beer sampler became 9. I’ve had Thaizenheimer before (a crisp, lemony American Pale Wheat Ale) and was a bit disappointed not to be able to try it again; However, with 9 other beers sitting in front of me, it was kind of hard to dwell on that for too long. Our sampler consisted of Dirty Blonde Ale, Weizenheimer, Oatmeal Stout and 5 C’s IPA, all of which are brewed at the Portsmouth Brewery. In addition to these, we were also served 4 beers brewed by Smuttynose, Portsmouth’s sister brewery located on the other side of town. Old Brown Dog is my Smuttynose beer of choice, and it did not fail to impress on Saturday night. Old Brown Dog is a sweet, malty and nutty English Brown Ale with hints of molasses and brown sugar. I recommend that you try it on tap – I think it showcases its sweet, nutty flavors a lot better served that way than in a bottle. It’s awesome with anything grilled or even as a sweet treat after dinner. Yum.

As far as Portsmouth Brewery’s own beers, I really enjoyed their Dirty Blonde Ale. It was crisp, it was light – in short, it hit me in all the right spots on that hot summer evening. The flavor of this American Blonde Ale was a great balance between bright, lemony citrus and smooth toasty malts. I thought it was very refreshing and would be a great starter beer for non-craft beer drinkers to dip their toes into the craft beer world. Strangely, this beer has received not so stellar reviews on beeradvocate.com, resulting in a B- grade overall. The main complaint of reviewers seems to be that this beer is too watery; I totally disagree. I think that this particular brew was meant to be extremely light and drinkable, and I think that it is a good representation of the style. I recommend it highly and suggest that you try yourself and come to your own conclusions.

I also recommend the 5 C’s IPA, which is brewed with – you guessed it – 5 different hop varieties all beginning with the letter ‘C’. It tastes strongly of tropical and citrusy hops, and has a nice creamy mouthfeel, a well-developed malt backbone and a bitterness that doesn’t linger. As I’ve said before, this is my favorite kind of IPA. The Oatmeal Stout was also really good and surprisingly light and drinkable. The addition of oatmeal to a beer recipe creates a really smooth and sweet brew, in this case tasting of coffee, toasted malts and sweet chocolate. If you aren’t a dark beer person, watch out – this just may be the beer to lure you into the world of thick, black brews.

Overall, I enjoyed my evening at the Portsmouth Brewery and will return to eat and drink there again…. Hopefully next time with a different waitress.

About Suzanne:

I’m just a girl who loves beer. I recently graduated from college with a BA in English and am now living, learning and drinking in the Boston Area. I enjoy going to beer festivals and I try to write about the majority of beers that I drink.