Smuttynose Brewing Co. in Hampton turns 30: Here's what's planned for big celebration

HAMPTON — Look who is turning 30.

What first started boiling in a warehouse off Heritage Avenue in Portsmouth in 1994 is ready to spill over into the field at Towle Farm in Hampton this Saturday as the state’s original craft brewery, Smuttynose Brewing Co., celebrates its 30th birthday.

“You only turn 30 once, right?” Smuttynose CEO Steve Kierstead asked with a chuckle of the event featuring live music, rides, food trucks, and of course, plenty of good beer. “We’ve been looking forward to it and have had it in the works for the last year or so, and now it’s finally here.”

To help celebrate the remarkable three-decade run that started when Smuttynose founder Peter Egelston and his sister, Janet, first opened the brewery named for the third largest island among the Isle of Shoals, the brewery is re-releasing two of its most popular beers from those early days, Big A Double IPA and Shoals Pale Ale.

“One thing that has remained consistent is that we do have loyal customers in the state of New Hampshire,” Kierstead pointed out. “There are some brands that have gone away over the years that we know are fan favorites that we wanted to bring back for our 30th anniversary.”

While Big A DIPA is already available at the brewery, the first beer produced by Smuttynose, Shoals Pale Ale, will be formally released at the event. The event runs from noon to 5 p.m. and takes place at the two-acre event space on Smuttynose’s sprawling campus at Towle Farm.

Keirstead notes of all the requests the brewery gets to bring back various fan favorites, Shoals Pale Ale, the brewery’s spin on a classic English ale, always tops the list.

“We always knew that there would be a time to bring them back, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do that,” he said.

With close to two decades of experience in the brewing industry, including 10 years at Vermont staple Long Trail Brewing, Kierstead has a strong appreciation of how challenging it is to put 10 candles on a brewery’s birthday cake, let alone 30.

“It is such a competitive industry, and it can be hard, it can be complex,” said Kierstead, who came on board as vice president of sales at Smuttynose in 2019. He joined shortly after the brewery had been bought out of foreclosure by North Hampton’s Runnymede Investments and was elevated to CEO 17 months later.

“Being in business for 30 years and to still have the following as New Hampshire’s largest craft brewery, I think there is a lot to be said about that, and we’re proud of that,” Kierstead said.

While working his way up the sales ladder at Long Trail, Kierstead said he was already an unabashed fan of the unique product Egelston and his creative team of brewers were turning out on New Hampshire's Seacoast.

“As a competitor, I was jealous of how innovative the company was at that time when I was cutting my teeth in the business,” Kierstead recalled. “I used to see these 4-pack bottles coming out that were really ahead of their time in the industry.”

Of particular interest was a bold West Coast IPA that was released in 2004 and quickly became one of the brewery’s most iconic brands — Finestkind IPA.

“If you look when that brand was launched compared to what was out there on the market, Finestkind IPA was way ahead of its time,” Kierstead enthused of the popular ale, which still anchors the brewery’s core beer lineup.

“It was a West Coast, big (ABV), almost 7 percent, item that was available year-round at a very competitive price point," he said. "At that time, most of those big West Coast IPAs were only limited-release items that you would see for a week, and then they were gone. They were innovators in the space long before I was here. They were way ahead of the curve versus their competitors.”

That innovation has not waned off Towle Farm Road in recent years as Smuttynose head brewer Dan Schubert and his staff continue to push the envelope. Along the way, Smuttynose has collaborated with two local entrepreneurs to launch Island District Company, a canned cocktail company, while also adding two other successful breweries to their fold with the acquisition of both Five Boroughs and Wachusett Brewing in the past year.

“It’s been awesome,” said Kierstead of the acquisition of Wachusett, which also happens to be 30 years young.  “They fill a void as far as diversification of our portfolio. We really thought it was going to be a big impact, and it has been. The same thing (is true) with Island District.

“The opportunities with that brand are endless.”

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What’s on tap for the 30th celebration?

Hampton’s Molly (St. Jeanne) McCoy started as the event manager for the brewery in January and almost immediately went to work planning this Saturday’s celebration.

“(It’s a chance to celebrate) something that New Hampshire should be really proud of,” McCoy said.

Festivities for the event include a 100-foot super slide, a musical swing ride, a classic photo booth, a trivia competition, face painting, and much more. The Big Bad Food Truck, which is run by McCoy and her husband and chef, Ben St. Jeanne, will anchor the food service for the event along with Kona Ice, Flamingo’s Coffee, Jenny’s Mac food truck and Exeter’s Million Things Baking Co.

Moon Boot Lover, the unanimous choice of Smuttynose’s brewing team, will be on hand performing their distinctive high-energy funk and rock blends. Tickets are on sale at Eventbrite. Children under 16 are free.

McCoy is hopeful the celebration will draw in a mix of newcomers along with Smuttynose’s unwavering legion of tried-and-true fans, many of whom have been along for the ride since 1994.

“I just love Hampton, and it’s so cool that we have New Hampshire’s original craft brewery in town,” said McCoy. “Thirty years is insane.”

For more information and tickets, visit https://smuttynose.com/event/smuttynose-30th-anniversary-celebration/.

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Keep NH Brewing Festival returns to Concord

Those craft beer fans who are not heading to Towle Farm Saturday would be well served to make the trip to Kiwanis Riverfront Waterfront Park in Concord, where the annual Keep NH Brewing Festival returns from noon to 4 p.m. Featuring over 50 breweries and 120 different beers on tap, the festival is not only a great time but helps an even greater cause. All proceeds go towards the NH Brewers Association's mission to support Granite State breweries.

Local breweries set to attend include Great Rhythm, Liar’s Bench, Loaded Question, WHYM, Stoneface, Throwback, Omnium, Deciduous, Empty Pint and Garrison City.

The event, which also features seven food trucks and multiple bands, is rain or shine. Tickets are available at https://events.beerfests.com/e/keep-nh-brewing-festival-2024/tickets.

Bob Albright covers the craft beer scene on the Seacoast for seacoastonline.com. Follow on Instagram @full_pours. Email Bob at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Smuttynose Brewing Co. turns 30 in Hampton