United Nations of Beer

Woodstock Inn and Brewery

by Ray Mongeau
(Beer Delegate, NH, USA)

Woodstock Inn and Brewery, NH, USA: a great selection

Woodstock Inn and Brewery
North Woodstock, NH, USA

It is not often you come across an establishment that has it all, but the Woodstock Inn and Brewery has everything: lodging, two in-house restaurants, a brewpub and its own brewery.

It is a great place for a week or weekend getaway and a good alternative to an expensive overseas vacation. There is nearby skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, good food and a large selection of great micro brewed beer.

I arrived on a Thursday night and checked in to my room. It was a comfortable suite with its own gas fireplace and sitting area. After cleaning myself up a bit I headed down to the Woodstock Inn and Brewery's Woodstock Station, an informal bar-lounge, that was part of an original railroad station with lots of photographs and paraphernalia from the early history of Woodstock.

The beer

There are so many brews made at the Woodstock Inn and Brewery that I could not try them all in one day. Here's a list to whet your appetites (links lead to UNOB review pages):

Pig's Ear Brown Ale
White Mountain Weasel Wheat
Old Man Oatmeal Stout
Loon Golden Ale
Lost River Light
Pemi Pale Ale
Red Rack Ale
Kane Country Maple Porter (Spring)
Raspberry Weasel Wheat (Summer)
Cogsman Ale (Summer)
Autumn Brew (Fall)
Wassail (Winter) ale

Anxious to try the Pig's Ear Ale I had heard so much about, I ordered myself a pint along with the menu special of the day, Chicken Parmesan.

When my meal was served I ordered another Pig's Ear and enjoyed it along with the meal. In fact, the Chicken Parmesan was a great value at $4.95. It was not the frozen breaded patty made from processed meat that I expected from an inexpensive special. The chicken was a tender piece of breaded chicken breast sautéed and complemented with provolone, marinara and linguini. I would have stayed longer at the lounge but I was too tired from my long drive though the mountains and headed off to bed.

I awoke at about 7:30am and decided to have breakfast before meeting with Butch and Rik at the brewery. Breakfast is served in the Clement Room Grille and I must say that this was the first time I ever received a gourmet breakfast as part of a package deal, included with the price of lodging.

The menu is large, making a choice difficult, but I took the easy out and opted for the western omelet. It was perfect; the eggs were fluffy but not overdone, the ingredients fresh and not overcooked. After taking the time to enjoying my breakfast, I headed to the brewery.

The brewery uses the open vat method of fermentation and it has a total of four vats. With all the ales the Woodstock Inn and Brewery offers, the brew workers are always busy. I am amazed that they can produce as much beer (and with great quality) as they do. It is my opinion that the brewery is the icing on the cake to a stay at the Woodstock Inn and Brewery.

I met Butch Chase, the brewery manager and Rik Marley, one of the brewery workers in the brewpub. Rik was very eager to show me the brewery and explain the Inn's brewing process. I started out with one of the Woodstock Inn and Brewery's specialty brews, the Pemi Pale Ale.

Next, I tried the White Mountain Weasel Wheat Ale, followed by the Red Rack Ale. The last beer I tried at the Woodstock Inn and Brewery was the Wassail (Winter) Ale.

The brewery also has several Brewer Weekends that would delight brew heads and anyone interested in learning to brew beer. The package price is a bargain for two nights' lodging, breakfast, lunch, and dinner is included along with a commemorative Woodstock Inn and Brewery T-shirt or hat.

Before I left for the day, I decided to have a late lunch. I mused over the menu and decided on the Fireman's Feast. An 8oz New York sirloin with sweet chili glaze and caramelized onions served on a garlicky French roll. I chose to have a Pemi Pale ale with the meal and the ale complemented the meal well. I did not leave hungry and was tempted to turn around and stay at the Woodstock Inn and Brewery for a few more days.