Upper Valley | Beer Lovers Guide

Breweries have been popping up all over the country for the past few decades and the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire is no exception.

We have plenty of fresh beer options all within a day trip or even a quick run after picking up the mail. Let’s run down the options starting with some of the closest breweries to our home-base in the Eastman in Grantham, NH.

First stop is Rumbrook Market and Deli. Not a brewery but the closest little grocery store that stocks plenty of beer and wine as well as their incredible breakfast sandwiches. Everyone loves the breakfast sandwiches at Rumbrook made with real eggs unlike the nearby Dunkin which switched over to some kind of factory-made eggs that taste terrible. The California BLT with avocado is also a great lunch choice. https://www.facebook.com/RumbrookMarket/

Ok, now on to the fresh beer. The next stop is the small family-run brewery in Croydon, NH called Polyculture Brewing Company which operates out of a barn attached to their 150-year-old farmhouse. PBC specializes in creating beers with local ingredients such as farm-grown dandelions and their own complex microbes hence the name “polyculture”.

We are a family-owned and solar-powered brewery in Croydon, New Hampshire. We brew our beer with Northeast malt, our well water, house microbes and other local goodies. Enjoy a taste of our place!
https://www.polyculturebrewing.com/

Protectworth Brewing is only one town over from Eastman and Grantham in the small town of Springfield, NH. They don’t have a tasting room yet so look for their brews in local stores such as Jake’s (Enfield & George’s Mill’s), Meriden Deli Mart, Plainfield Country Store, Lyme Country Store and Beverage King.

Patch Orchards is another local brewer in nearby Lebanon, NH. Not beer but cider. They have a fantastic view from the top of their hilltop orchard and brewery with picnic tables and some munchies as well as their own maple syrup. Drive over, grab a cider and enjoy the view.

River Roost brewery is just over the Connecticut River and offers samples and growler fills from a small retail/tasting room – No food or seating. River Roost Brewery offers aromatic, hop-forward, full-flavored beers brewed in 10BBL batches. Established in 2016, owner and operator Mark Babson.

Upper Valley Area Breweries That Serve Meals

Flying Goose Brew Pub & Grill in New London is a solar-powered brewery that is also a farm-to-table restaurant. They grow their own hops on the property and serve pub food as well as more refined dishes along with their rotating assortment of on-the-premises brews. Rik Marley is the brewmaster and was previously at the Woodstock Inn, Station, and Brewery. He joined Flying Goose in 2009 and maintains a brewery setup below the pub. His space is limited but is able to keep 16 beers in stock and a house-made root beer.

Destination Breweries

Larger, more well-known breweries with a national reputation which offer brewery tours, activities, gift shops, meals and a nice scenic drive.

Long Trail Brewery in Bridgewater Corners, VT on the way to the Killington area started way back in 1989. Back then the brewery—known as the Mountain Brewers—was a modest brew house tucked into the basement of the Old Woolen Mill in Bridgewater Corners. Now the modern brewery makes a great day trip destination from Eastman or any of the towns in the Upper Valley as you take a leisurely drive along Route 4 through scenic towns like Woodstock, Vermont.

Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, Vermont is probably the best nationally known brewery in the area. The parent company is The Mass Bay Brewing Company located in Boston. They have the Harpoon line of brews as well as the popular UFO lineup of fruit-infused beers and have incorporated the Clown Shoes brewery just to keep things interesting.

Harpoon has seasonal and limited edition beers you might not find anywhere else all served in their own specific glassware. The industrial park has become a tourist destination in its own right as it sports the Simon Pearce retail store where you can see pottery being made, the Path of Life Garden as well as a distillery and a speciality food purveyor.

You can also sign up for a kayak or tube ride down the Connecticut River that runs along the back of the property. The grounds also include corn hole games, volleyball and picnic tables. In the summer this really becomes a gathering place to chill and they even run movies for the kids on certain nights. It’s a great place to take visitors to the area.

More To Explore

Plenty of breweries within an hour to an hour and a half driving distance from Grantham and Eastman, NH. Even more within a half day’s drive. All provide great scenery along the way.