Blog: A Mini-Tour of NH Brewers

A Mini-Tour of NH Brewers

By: GSA Kristina Mehegan, GSA 2020 Class of Millyard Museum; GSA Intern

For anyone missing the sweet taste of NH-made craft beer from their favorite local breweries – you don’t have to! With the closure of all non-essential businesses due to COVID-19, breweries are still open, offering curbside pickup for cans and growlers, and, in some cases, even delivery! Committed GSA as I am, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to support a couple of my favorite breweries by enjoying their beer the same way I’ve been enjoying everything lately: from the safety of my home.

I went to Blasty Bough in Epsom last week and tried curbside pickup, using their convenient online ordering system. All I did was input my order, pay online, and inform them when I’d be arriving. 

When I got there, I showed my ID from a safe distance, collected my beer, and was on my way without any human contact whatsoever and all possible precautions taken! I got their Jigs and Reels red, which might be my favorite beer of all time, and a delicious cherry sour!

My second stop was at Oddball Brewing Co. in Suncook, a place that’s a mere half mile from the house where I grew up! I had the option to either call in my order or send a message on Facebook, and I opted for the latter, telling them what I wanted and what time I would be in for pickup. When I arrived, I actually went inside and paid using their usual POS, but it was a quick, contact-free transaction! I got their Suncook Lager and Albino Moose IPA. The lager was crisp and I found it more flavorful than other light beers. Oddball now has online ordering available through their website!

I also went to Rek’lis Brewing Company in Bethlehem. They also used an online ordering service, and they also offered food! I got a growler of  Yippee-Kai-Yay double IPA and their fried chicken sandwich for curbside pickup, but there’s also a local delivery option on their website! 

If you don’t have the time or inclination to visit multiple breweries, that’s okay – you can support them by buying them at a store that carries several different ones! As evidence, here’s what our shopping cart from Whole Foods looked like on Monday of last week: 

I also went to Bert’s Better Beers in Hooksett, which has a big selection of local beers.

If you’re healthy and committed to supporting local beer, get out and hit the beer trail! Try some new places – trust me, they’re worth it. Get home from your beer run, crack one open, relax in your comfy pants, and be sure to check out the breweries in-person when everything’s back to normal. 

Here are the websites for the breweries I visited:

https://www.oddballbrewingnh.com/

https://www.blastybough.com/

https://www.reklisbrewing.com/