Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Every New Beginning Means Something Else Ends: Blog Edition

 Hello Portsmouth Brewery blog readers,

Thank you for reading this blog. Since the first post in March 2008, there have been at least 5 different bloggers who have posted 477 entries. This will be last the post in this Blogger blog and telling you this is its only purpose.

The blog continues on as part of our new website, which is just over a month old, but it's now written on the website directly, so please check this page for all our updates. We appreciate your interest in Portsmouth Brewery and look forward to seeing you at 56 Market Street.

Cheers,

JT

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Chef Jon Brings YOU These New Summer Weeklies

Just in time for those warm nights when you just don't want to cook, the Portsmouth Brewery proudly presents new weekly specials!  These rotating dishes are available all day long, so stop in at your convenience.

We'll see you at the pub!
 
Monday: Orange-Mint Cous Cous- Cous cous seasoned with orange zest, fresh mint and saffron, served with bursted cherry tomatoes and grilled cucumbers marinated in yogurt, thyme and rosemary. 

Tuesday: Smoked Pork Sandwich- Spice-rubbed, smoked and pulled pork shoulder, served on a ciabatta roll with corn guacamole, peach slaw and salsa verde 12.95 Meatless Option features smoked tofu.

Wednesday: Grilled Tuna Nicoise Tuna- grilled tuna steak served over local mixed greens with tomatoes, red onions, haricot verts, hard boiled eggs and roasted fingerling potatoes, tossed with a tangy lemon vinaigrette. Meatless option is a choice of either tempeh or roasted tofu

Thursday: Summer Lamb Kabobs- Two skewers of tender lamb kabobs grilled medium rare, interspersed with mushrooms, onions, peppers and tomatoes and served alongside roasted fingerling potatoes and crumbled feta cheese. Meatless Option features tofu kabobs.

Friday: Grilled Pork Tenderloin- Pork grilled to temperature, served alongside sweet corn succotash, potatoes boulangere, and finished with an apricot gastrique.

Saturday: New England Lobster Roll 5oz of hand-picked Maine lobster meat, tossed in a lemon-chive aioli, on a toasted and buttered hot dog bun.

Sunday: Spaghetti and Meatballs Two giant house-made pork and beef meatballs tossed in slow-cooked marinara sauce and served over fresh handmade spaghetti, with a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano cheese. Meatless Option features eggplant “meat”balls 

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Beer and Food Updates...Because That's What We Do!

Chef Jon has just released new entreés for your summer dining pleasure! They're available all over the Brewery, in the Jimmy LaPanza Lounge, both dining rooms and the beer garden. 
         -Char-griled New York Strip, hand-cut and trimmed, grilled to your liking and served with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. You can also add (for a fee of course) a gorgonzola gremolata or a pearl onion, mushroom and stout demi-glace.
         -Lemon Ginger Salmon: a grilled fillet of Atlantic salmon glazed with a lemon-ginger gastrique over a drizzle of chili oil alongside jasmine rice and sauteéd broccolini.
         -Dijon Statler Chicken: a crispy, seared breast and wing of hormone-free chicken sauced with a  Dijon-ale cream witha  side of garlic roasted potatoes and the vegetable of the day.
         -Mediterranean Pasta: a melange of kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fire-roasted peppers and roasted, whole garlic tossed with fresh, handmade linguine in a butter-ale sauce, topped with Pecorino Romano curls.

Tomorrow, (Friday, June 26), we've got two new beers coming on tap. A new batch of Oatmeal Pale Ale, made with flaked oats, oat malt and a beguiling blend of Simcoe and Nugget hops. We've got 14 barrels of this silky smooth elixir waiting just for you.

Chef Jon and his team have prepared for a run on our popular Spicy Curry Mussels because Thaizenheimer is back and it might be the most perfect beer-food pairing to come out of Portsmouth Brewery! This American-style wheat beer has been kicked up a notch with infusions of ginger, galangal, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves; it's just perfect for sunny weather day drinking.

Finally, as of, July 1, you will be responsible for cleaning your own growlers. After more than a decade, we're getting out of the growler cleaning business. We're lucky that our fellow Seacoast breweries have done an excellent job teaching the importance and ways of clean growlers.

Last but not least, we'll be open for Portsmouth's fireworks in July 3!  You can't see them from inside, but we'll be happy to refresh you with a cold beer when the bombs are done bursting in air.

We'll see you at the pub!




Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Growler News

We began filling growlers nearly 15 years ago at Portsmouth Brewery. A lot has changed since then, but nothing more significant than the overall increase in growler culture. We now have eight breweries filling growlers on the Seacoast. Countless beer drinkers, Seacoasters and brewery tourists alike, love a freshly-filled bottle of draft beer and that means overall growler literacy has increased.

 This change in growler culture and awareness has given us an opportunity to change our growler program as well.

Beginning July 1, the Portsmouth Brewery will no longer exchange your dirty growler for a clean one when you come in for a fill. You will be responsible for cleaning your own growler and we know a whole heck of a lot of you know how that works. If not, here are some guidelines.
 
Cleaning your own growler is important because we will not fill dirty growlers. If we did, the beer would taste bad, leading you to not only think maybe we weren’t good at brewing beer, but you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the beer you just bought. For those of you who aren’t used to cleaning your growler, here are some helpful instructions on how to keep your growler in prime filling condition. We will be checking the bottles you bring in, but beginning July 1, exchanges will stop. Hopefully, you all can begin using the new system now so that cut-off date passes painlessly.




Another change we’re excited to tell you about is a second size of growler. The new bottle, available exclusively at the new Smuttynose Brewery at Towle Farm, will hold 32 ounces of beer, just two pints. We like these for several reasons:
          
    -They’re a better size for stronger beers.
    -There’s less of a chance that beer will sit in your fridge going flat and oxidizing, because it’s half the size of the classic model.
    -Best of all, you’ll be able to use them at both Smuttynose and Portsmouth Brewery! Each brewery’s logo is on the bottle. When you fill it, we’ll write the brand name of the beer under the appropriate company’s logo, so you’ll know what’s what. The pencil wipes off with a wet paper towel, so the bottle will be blank and ready for your next fill.
    -Each bottle is $2. Fills will either be $6. $9 or $12 depending on the beer. Sales at Towle Farm start this Friday, June 13.

Cleaning Your Growler

 

1) As soon as you’ve emptied the growler, please give it a few good rinses with water, allowing the bottle to drain fully between rinses. If there are any residual deposits after the rinse, keep going; you don’t want that stuff drying on! You can always clean it later, but a prompt rinse will save you lots of future hassle.

2) Allow your growler to dry completely before replacing the top. Residual moisture can easily lead to residual grossness and neither you, nor we, want any residual grossness in the beer. Residual grossness is also more difficult to clean.

3)  If you slack off (we all do from time to time) and your growler gets gross, you can either clean it with soft-tipped bottle brush and light detergent, or you can buy a fresh bottle for $2. We will also be selling growler-cleaning tablets in both retail stores, for your convenience.

We'll see you at the pub!

Saturday, June 7, 2014


All those folks looking for hops...  We found them!  Come get a taste of our Whipper Snapper Session IPA, Grizzly Imperial Pale, or Lonesome Pale Ale.  Plenty of hoppy beers to curb your cravings!  
Peace and Fermentation!
Cheers,
Matt

Tuesday, May 13, 2014


Kate is on the loose!
In honor of American Craft Beer week, Today, until it's gone, we will be serving a rare delight...
2011 KATE THE GREAT!!!!!!!!
Come get it before it's gone.  We have one keg and one keg only!  don't miss out on this opportunity!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Chef & Brewer Team Battle

Can our chefs chef?  YES, THEY CAN!  Can our chefs brew? Find out for yourself on Wednesday, May 14, from 6pm-8pm, at the Portsmouth Brewery's next beer social:



Collaboration and Competition combine as each chef/brewer team has created an exclusive beer  to be paired with a special dish. You won't be able to try these beers anywhere else (unless we have a small amount leftover after the social) so make sure you reserve your tickets today.

Welcome Pairing:  A Collaboration
       An assortment of Flavored Popcorns paired with Portsmouth Pale Ale

Team A: Chef Jon Hebert and ex-Head Brewer Tyler Jones
      Duck l'Orange with smashed peas and rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes paired with
      Chocolate Orange Porter

Team B: Chef Dez and Head Brewer Matt Gallagher
      Smoked Lamb Lolli Chops with Tzatziki Nage & a Cucumber Mint Gelée paired with
      Downtown Hazy Brown

Team C: Chef Rolf and Brewer Tyler Sildve
      Nasi Goreng with fresh Vegetables and Shrimp paired with Grischezuan

Dessert: A Collaboration
     Croque-en-Bouche paired with Wheat Wine

There are vegetarian options available, so please let us know your dietary preferences when you make reservations.

Reservations are $35 (including tax and gratuity) can be made now on the phone (603-431-1115) or in person at 56 Market Street.

We'll see you in the Jimmy LaPanza Lounge!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Ladies and Gentlemen: Matt Gallagher is our new Head Brewer!



Change is in the air at Portsmouth Brewery as Head Brewer Tyler Jones is departing to become part owner and Head Brewer at the newly-formed Black Hog Brewing Company in Oxford, Connecticut. Current Assistant Brewer Matt Gallagher, Tyler’s first hire at the Portsmouth Brewery, will take over as Head Brewer. 

Tyler started at the Portsmouth Brewery as an assistant in 2007 and, after a seven month stint at sister brewery Smuttynose, returned in the summer of 2012 to become Head Brewer.  “As a 21 year old, I looked at the brewhouse during my birthday celebration and dreamed of having a chance to try it out someday. Needless to say, to have brewed so many batches here is an unbelievable dream to have come true,” said Jones. The departing brewer listed Ginga Ninja (his wedding beer), Royal Impy Stout and the historical, botanical beers he brewed with Heirloom Gardener, John Forti, as favorites from his time at the helm.

Matt Gallagher started as a bartender at the Portsmouth Brewery but moved into the brewhouse after less than a year. Asked about his vision for the Brewery, Gallagher doesn’t see any massive shifts on the horizon: “Tyler has done such a great job keeping beers on tap and keeping the quality up, that I’ll simply maintain that. I am however, looking forward to bringing our customers what they most want.” Matt says talking to customers is one his favorite parts of the job and that it offers a great chance to learn his immediate market. “Hops are on everyone’s minds, so I plan on always having an IPA on tap. Many patrons have also given me feedback on our saisons and I’ll be revamping those, as well, while continuing to brew all the rotational beers our patrons love to drink.“   


May 2 will be Tyler’s last day at Portsmouth Brewery. With Gallagher’s experience he’ll be able to hit the ground running, said Jones, “Matt is an excellent brewer. He’s already created a few popular beers, like Night Nurse black IPA and Grizzly Skinner imperial pale ale, and I look forward to drinking all of his new brews when I return to the Seacoast. I know he’s not short of ideas or skill.”  





About the Portsmouth Brewery
New Hampshire’s original brewpub has been serving all types in the heart of Portsmouth’s historic Market Square since 1991. Founded by the folks behind the Northampton (MA) Brewery, the creative cuisine of Chef Jon Hebert seeks to use as many local ingredients as possible in both brewpub standards and internationally-inspired dishes for more adventurous eaters. Beer offerings from Head Brewer Matt Gallagher cover virtually every style as well as other ideas that defy categorization.  The Portsmouth Brewery is open from 11:30am to 12:30am, 363 days a year.