Editor’s note: Here’s my 1991 Portsmouth Herald report on the grand opening of the Portsmouth Brewery.
PORTSMOUTH — City officials joined several hundred hops and barley enthusiasts Thursday night to celebrate the opening of the Portsmouth Brewery, an establishment some expect to lift the spirits of an ailing downtown economy.
But co-owners Mark Metzger, Janet and Peter Egelston were not concerned with economic indicators at the special pre-opening, as guests enjoyed the beverages and the décor — high ceilings and open brick walls — at the multi-level alehouse.
The local brewpub, a concept that has taken hold on the West Coast is “slowly moving east,” according to Mr. Metzger.
“Hopefully local people will come,” he added, describing the 56 Market St. pub as “a brewery that serves good food.”
The trio opened a brewpub in Northampton, Mass., in 1987 and now, he said, “everybody comes — from construction workers to lawyers.”
FOR A LEGAL OPINION on the new establishment, the Herald consulted City Attorney Bob Sullivan as he sipped a glass of pale ale.
“It’s my responsibility as city attorney to check out places like this. I’m really the only here in my official capacity,” joked Mr. Sullivan. “I have no doubt this place is going to significantly add to the downtown atmosphere. … The beer is great.”
Local attorney Mary Peyser agreed, saying, “I think this place is going to be a new hangout for a lot of people.
Dick Philbrick, whose crew of craftsmen transformed the building into a spacious state-of-the-art brewpub in just 98 days, offered a one-word description of the pale ale — “Finestkind.”
Portsmouth Economic Development Director Jim Pereira said, “I love freshly brewed beer” and admitted that he’s been trying to attract a brewpub to town since he came to City Hall 18 months ago. He called the brewery “a great use for a piece of real estate that had been viewed as a troubled piece of property for some time” and noted that the city “helped them over the hump” with a loan from the Portsmouth Economic Development Loan Program.
“Portsmouth needed one of these. … It’s the first one in New Hampshire,” he said. “It’s fun to have a local beer.”
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Salisbury called the opening a positive and “substantive” sign for the city’s economy. “The atmosphere is perfect for Portsmouth,” she added. “There’s a lot of camaraderie that goes on in a brewery.”
Anyone who walks beneath the distinctive mug that hangs over the doorway is likely to feel it.
STAINLESS STEEL TANKS are visible through windows on the ground floor and in a cellar pub where the band Farmhouse played for the opening.
“We’ll have six beers on tap all the time,” said Mr. Metzger. Four regulars — brown and pale ales, golden and amber lagers; and a rotating menu of specialties. One of the first specials will be a wheat beer. “Brown Dog won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival” in Boulder, Colorado, two years ago, he said.
Brewmaster Peter Egelston fielded compliments from passersby as he explained the process of brewing beer and his own fascination with it.
“I think one starts with an interest in beer by drinking it,” he said, adding that, for many, that interest can intensify “once you become aware there’s more to beer then light American pilsner.”
“My interest in brewing started as a joke,” he said, 10 years ago when he purchased a $20 homebrewing kit. “Lo and behold, it was actually half-decent beer.”
Now his beer is considerably better than half-decent
“EXCELLENT, PETER,” said one, man raising a glass. “You like it?” asked the brewmaster, not sounding too surprised.
“It’s exciting. We’ve gotten such a warm reception,” he said. After months of anticipation, “It’s happening right before our eyes.”
Is there an art to brewing quality beer?
“It’s a lot of hard, physical work with a fair amount of science involved,” he said. “There’s a certain craft to it, or art if you want to call it that.”
Asked about his personal favorites, he said diplomatically, “My personal favorite is the one that’s in front of me. I tend to be very fond of my beers. My philosophy in brewing beers is — I brew beers that I like to drink.”
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History on the march in Market Square
A quick jog through four decades (and centuries) of Portsmouth history.
