Quote: This is a fun stop and you get to drink some really interesting beer too.

Be warned, it is not easy to find. It's not anywhere near downtown Portsmouth. If you are coming up Interstate 95 exit on #3. Go right at the end of the exit until the road ends. Take a right. This will be Corporate Dr. Keep driving until you get to 35, it will take a while.

One thing about visiting on Sunday is that the brewery is not in production. We get to see all the machinery but it is not operating. Actually since there is no noise it is also a plus. You enter through the pub and go to the bar. It is $1 to take the tour and you are given a sticker to put on your shirt. You also need to show ID. Children may take the tour but they get to sample punch, poor kids

Byron was our guide and Byron loves his work. We were a group of seven adults and two children who gathered in the gift shop for the 12pm first tour of the day. There is an elevator if needed but we walked upstairs to view the tops of the tanks.

We learned a lot about the brewing process and also about the history of Redhook Breweries. If you are interested in knowing about them their website will tell you how they started and how they ended up in New Hampshire and in Washington State. One thing I found particularly interesting was that Anheuser Busch is 25% owner of Redhook. They are silent partners since their name appears nowhere on the packaging.

After visiting the fermenting tanks which are huge we learned a little about the difference between ale and lager. Fascinating stuff for any beer geek, and even those who are just naturally curious.

Hang on though we are now getting to the really good part. The beer sampling. We went back downstairs and were encouraged to sample all six of the brews on tap. The Blond is a light and to me too bland , a sissy brew, followed by the Summer Sun Rye one of their seasonal brews. It has a 5.3% alcohol content but is still a little light for me. ESB the extra special Bitter was my favorite with a golden caramel color and just the right hint of hops and bitters. The fourth choice was the IPA and it had way too much back bite for me and we finished up with the Porter which has a wonderful chocolate color, a creamy head and a hint of banana, yes I said banana in the taste. It was very smooth indeed. Our final taste was the Hefeweizen and if you are a fan of the cloudy wheat beer this is a very good version.

You get to take your sampling glass home as a souvenir and if you want more there is a gift shop.
From journals Romance on the E-Coast