It’s always exciting when a new place opens up in my city and it’s even better when they’re brewing delicious craft beers unlike anything I’ve tasted.
Everything fun these days happens during a snow storm. Let me pause to say my New Hampshire-raised roommate would tell me that, in fact, what happened last weekend was not a snow "storm", but I’m an optimist so...
Semantics aside, on Saturday, I toured the newest brewery in town, along with some of my fellow bloggers. Nocterra, located in Powell, offers a wide variety of beers including original lagers, IPAs and--eventually--sours. Apparently sours take a while to make, but we did get to sample some not-quite-ready sour flavors, like mango-passion fruit and raspberry-blackberry. Let me say, I cannot wait for the finished product.
The name Nocterra is a play on words: nocturnal (noc) and earth (terra).
According to the brewers, Bryan and Bruce, the name is a nod to the early days when they would brew beer late at night after their kids were asleep.
With over 100 years of history, the space itself has seen many businesses before becoming home to this brewery. After a fire left the inside destroyed, the owners tackled the project hands on, helping with construction and assembling the entire brewing system. A system, by the way, that is completely automated and started with an iPad. Call me crazy but how cool would it be press a button and brew a beer?!
James, Bruce and Bryan all love outdoor adventure (and beer), and this passion inspired a lot of Nocterra's design and aesthetic, which includes a beer garden as big as the indoor space. Outside you will be able to snack on treats from rotating food trucks and inside, you will find a kids' corner, a chalkboard wall, and craft sodas to keep the place family-friendly.
In sum, Nocterra = Beer + Outside.
One menu option will be a flight of 5 beers so you can try a little bit of everything. And if you’re feeling really adventurous, they have a party barge flight that holds 15 beers!
The grand opening is Saturday, February 2nd starting at noon.
They will have 10 beers on tap, craft soda for the kids and food courtesy of Sweet T’s (12:00 - 5:00PM) & Por’ketta (5:00PM - 12:00AM)! Mark your calendars!
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