| Sarah Blair — Positive News For You |
I love September! There is so much to love. I love sweater weather, hard ciders, and pumpkin ales. I love sitting by the fire. I love how the leaves are starting to change. I love autumn colors I mean.. Orange is the color for Country Brew Tours. September is a BIG month for me! Always has been and always will be. I began life in September, so some might say it was love at first sight. That is probably why I choose September to be the opening month for Country Brew Tours. New weather, New flavors, and BEER! CHEERS!!!! Plus my birthday is coming up, which is why I decided I want to celebrate the birth of Country Brew Tours and my own birthday together with our Saturday Sampler Tour!
“It’s my birthday and I want to celebrate it all of you!”
I have no fear of aging! I am in the prime of my life! Every year I get older and wiser and as long as I am living I want to live to THRIVE! I am who I am and for some of you, I might be a bit over the top. I am easily excited and sometimes childlike. But that is what makes me, me. I have a deep passion for my home and the locals within the area. That is why I wanted to start Country Brew Tours. I want you all to fall in love with this area as much as I have. I want you to feel like a local while you are here. I want you to experience the area in ways that perhaps you haven’t before. I to build the community and enhance your experience. I couldn’t have found a better group of locals to achieve this with than my foodie and brewing friends. We are an interesting group of people, and we all share that same intense passion for our community. I truly cannot wait for you all to experience a tour with all of us.
I have said this before in past articles about Country Brew Tours, and I will say it again now…. We are not a party bus. We are an educational experience. BUT!!!!! Please note there are many ways a person can be educated and I am not about to just drive you around, sip out some facts and hope you retained them. No!, that would be a snooze fest! This is an EXPERIENCE, you are going to be immersed in the craft beer culture. You are going to leave with a better understanding of the community. We are a rural area with so much more than meets the eye to offer you. Every brewery has its own story to share and they cannot wait to do so. Every tour with Country Brew Tour is different from the next. I am telling you, you are going to have a good time. I have been on tours where all they do is talk and point out things while you drive by. That is not what is happening when you travel with me. I want you to laugh. I want you to take a million photos, I want you to have a better appreciation for the brews you love and I want you to leave with memories to cherish forever.
Every brewer and foodie friend we have has a special story and personality to share with you. I can’t share all their secrets but I can give you a few examples, and let them share the rest.
Frogg Brewing in Marlborough, NH shares our passion for the community and local business. They have been one of our BIGGEST supporters. Their mission is to help small local businesses grow and thrive. Which is AMAZING! When we first met I would have thought these guys were doing this for years the way they are hopping over there. They have opened many doors for us. They introduced us to other local brewers, got us set up with our insurance agent and even co-hosted a special event to help welcome us into the community. Imagine my shock when I found out this tiny brewery is soon celebrating its 1st year of business next month. They are constantly coming up with new flavors of the beer. Some of my top picks this summer were the Frogg Splash and the CHOCOLATE STOUT!!!! Now they have a pumpkin out and I need to get my hands on that. What pairs best with a fresh cold one? Slow Smoked BBQ!
Frogg connected me to B.S. Smoking BBQ and Sauces a local couple who runs a food truck outside of Frogg. These guys literally built their business from the ground up. You can read more about that in another article. B.S. Smoking BBQ and Sauces weren’t B.S. ing around when they met us. They welcomed Country Brew Tours with open arms. These guys are some of the kindest most hardworking locals I have ever met. I witnessed them donating 75% of their profits of a day’s work to a local couple who lost everything in a home fire. They are even offering our guests a special deal when you tour with us! You will have to reserve your ticket to see what that special deal is. You cannot get more genuine than these guys. I truly cannot wait for you to meet these incredible local businesses.
“When evil rises up, good men must become outlaws.”
– Unknown
Speaking of tiny businesses, The Outlaw Brewing Co., in
Winchester, NH is our tiniest brewery. Don’t be fooled by it’s 400 square feet, however! Rick is amazing and he produces some amazing beer.
FOUR WORDS FRIENDS…. PEANUT BUTTER BLONDE, STOUT! Are you salivating yet? GOOD! Reserve your tickets! (Wink) You are going to get more than beer when we visit The Outlaw. Rick is a FANTASTIC teacher. Education and community are too big passions for him. He is actively involved in the community school districts, the historical society and more. This man from grain to the product does everything in his brewery. He has shared many stories with me about the community in which he sits. And has introduced me to other local operations such as New England Sweetwater Farm and Distillery. You are going to leave more aware of what goes into your brews and the community when you visit him. Local grain, local beer, and the local’s perspective are what you are going to get here. Every time I visit I learn something new. I am so glad that Frogg, told Rick about us and vice versa. I am truly grateful for all I have learned from him.
Another tiny operation is Granite Roots Brewery from Troy, NH. With these guys, you are going farm to brew! They brew all their own berries and fruits. Here we are going to find a lot more traditional-style ales. When you arrive here it is hard not to smile, you are going to be welcomed by the brightest smile. Paige the taproom manager is full of laughs and knowledge. The whole team over at Granite Roots is excited to meet you all. Granite Roots caught wind of Country Brew Tours, from Frogg Brewing and reached out to us before we even had the chance to reach out to them. I was thrilled! They hadn’t even met me and they already had faith in what we were doing. Talk about community support! When I did go down and make introductions, I was fascinated about how they are a working farm and a brewing operation. This combination is going to make for quite a unique experience for all of you. The farm is just a couple minutes down the street from the tasting room. All summer long they had their beer garden open.
A little further north you will find our friends over at Henniker Brewing Co. in Henniker, NH. Henniker, NH is home to Pat’s Peak. This ski resort is where my husband and I held our wedding. When we selected this location it was because it was the tip of a perfect triangle for both of our families. Interesting how the brewing operation is also in the tip of a perfect triangle for some of our brewing friends and Pat, their brewing sales manager was more than thrilled to be apart of the team. Pat is an enthusiastic guy. Which is FANTASTIC because I am an enthusiastic person myself. I love their Sour Flower brew. You may have seen their brews around town and given them a try already. Just know… there is nothing like trying a brew fresh from the tap. I am so excited to take you to such a nostalgic local place for me. These guys know how to create laughs, and craft up some delicious brews.
These three brew friends are all within my home New Hampshire. I have a few more New Hampshire Friends. They are a little bit less rural than the others. Awe… KEENE, NH. Where I spent most of my 20’s, went to college and met my amazing husband. Located conveniently only 30 minutes from my home town. And is home to two of my brewing friends, and a few foodie friends as well. I hope to make another Keene Brewing friend real soon once they too open up. For now, let’s focus on the friends I have made. I am going to start with Elm City Brewery.
Elm City Brewery has been a friend of mine for a long time. It is WONDERFUL to now be friends with them on this leave. Elm City was the 1st brewing operation in Cheshire County. I have celebrated many birthdays, family dinners, girls nights out and so much more at Elm City. Long before I even could legally drink beer I loved them. My foodie side fell for their wings! So many different kinds of wings!!!!!!! I cannot wait for you all to experience Elm City Brewing in a new light. If anyone knows how brewing is done in the area it is going to be these guys they have been doing it for decades. The staff is warm and friendly the brewing team is eager to meet with all of you. It is not often they get to see their fans. This brewpub has a lot to offer us all. They have been a community involved gem for a long time and we are truly honored to have them on board with us. I am excited to share with you one of my favorite local hangouts. I have so many cherished memories here. I cannot wait to take you to create your own.
Down the street from our friends in Keene, NH is a new brewery, who is making quite the name for themselves, Branch and Blade Brewing Co. Branch and Blade have in operation for about a year. These two college friends are all about the local community. Even ;the artwork on their cans is done by a local artist. Branch and Blade have been a part of two of our test tours. Both times Trever and Jesse helped put together a special behind the scenes experience. Every visit here there is something new going on. These two local guys are have made their brewing operation an experience all on their own. When we visit they kick it up a notch. You are going to feel like a local when we visit here. These guys have played sponsors to many local brew fest including the Brattleboro Brew Fest in my new home of Vermont. When I first met Jesse in person he welcomed me into the brewing community and then told me about many brewers not just in New Hampshire and Vermont but Massachusetts as well. He was the 1st to open me to the idea of making Country Brew Tours a Tri-State operation. They have done collaboration brews with some of the nearby Mass brewers. We are grateful to him and Branch and Blade for them opening up more doors for us and assisting in further educating us in the art of brewing. Plus you can set your foodie side free here as well. Street and Savory has taken over the kitchen. They are always cooking up something delicious! Beer, Food and good friends. Life is good!
Another well-known place in Keene, NH is Luca’s Mediterranean Cafe. Chef Luca is well known within Keene for his community outreach. Luca is a name the locals recognize and rave about. His food speaks for itself, but the person behind the food is a charismatic man. I was very familiar with Luca’s community support as well as his restaurant prior to our official introductions. Luca’s Mediterranean Cafe has played host to many special occasions in my life. I have had dates here, family gatherings and more. My husband once interned many years ago as a filmography for Luca’s cooking show. He has spoken highly of Luca for years. I was digitally introduced to Luca because of my friend Lee, from Positive News For You. I officially met him at the Wyman Tavern Brew Fest that he not only helped sponsor but also played MC and hosted cooking segments. In between all of that he still made time to meet me. This is just the type of person that he is. Then Luca requested to meet with me more officially. I had no idea what I was in store for me during this meeting but I left the meeting ecstatic! This well known local chef wanted to join the Country Brew Team! My fellow foodies YOU ARE IN FOR A FANTASTIC TREAT! I am super excited to be teaming up with Luca and his team. Monadnock Brewing Co. Has a beer that they named after Luca. He has this brew and a long list of local brewers. He is literally going to be cooking up something special for you our guest. This is going to be a wonderful experience for you all.
“Where ever there are friends, there is a party!” – Unknown
New Hampshire will always be home to me. I grew up here. I love the people here. I live in Vermont now, and I love it just as much, but for my Birthday I wanted to spend it back home. Country Brew Tours is here friends, and on September 28th you can celebrate Country Brew Tours, and my birthday with a few of my brewing friends in New Hampshire. Reserve your tickets today at countrybrewtours.com.
Meet my friends on another level, experience the area in a new way. When you travel with Country Brew Tours included in your ticket are samples at each location, a designated knowledgeable guide, exclusive one-on-one time with the brewers, and most importantly memories you are going to cherish forever. My foodie and brewing friends are local people, who value our community. Come see what we all have in store for you. We are making friends daily. This is an adventure you do not want to miss out on.
Ale Aboard the Country Brew Express!
Till our next adventure friends. Cheers!
-Sarah E. Blair
