Smuttynose Brewing Co.
Think craft beer is just for beer lovers? Think again.
Because this New England icon has transformed the traditional brewery experience…
Offering not just a taproom and bar snacks…
But a full-scale restaurant that has something for burger buffs…
Nacho fans…
Chicken tender snobs…
And… dogs?
Located in Hampton, New Hampshire, Smuttynose Brewing Company is just minutes from the beach, but when you step onto their sprawling 14-acre campus, CEO Stephen Kierstead says you might as well be a world away.
“It's really one of the most beautiful breweries that you could probably visit because a lot of breweries are just production scale, and they have a tap room. We have kind of all-encompassing. We have event, tap room, restaurant, and production facility all in one location. So we're really proud of it. It's a lot of maintenance, right? 14 acres a lot to take care of. But our team does a tremendous job of making sure that this property always looks as best they can.”
While the scenery at Smuttynose may be beautiful, the most breathtaking sights come right out of the kitchen, where General Manager Joe Sheehan says their hearty pub menu is often inspired or enhanced by Smuttynose’s most beloved beers.
“You get to complement your food with the beer and the beer complements the food. I couldn't ask for more.”
But of course “asking for more” is exactly what you will be doing, especially when it comes to the fried bread & butter pickles with creamy housemade ranch…
The lobster roll loaded with fresh knuckle and claw meat served on a sweet brioche roll…
The flame-broiled Finest Kind burger topped with crispy bacon and cheddar cheese…
And some the biggest, and freshest chicken tenders anywhere in New England.
“Our chicken tenders are made right in-house. They are hand pounded every order. There's somebody just pounding them out by hand. It goes into our beer and then into flour, then back into our beer and then to panko, and it becomes this large chicken tender. Like this big. People are actually very shocked when it comes out. They're like, this is something I've never seen before. This is larger than I expected. And people love that because they can take something home, and they can enjoy it at home and they say it heats up great. And they love that, too.”
Though the chicken tenders may wow you, there’s another appetizer on the Smuttynose menu that just might have you shouting out…
“Holy sheet!”
As in, the signature Holy Sheet Nachos.
“So it's a small, metal sheet tray about this big. It's a single-layer nacho. And it's just a great shareable item for a couple of people. You'll find every chip is completely coated with something, whether it's cheese or veggies, and or our housemade seasoning that people love.”
But the staff at Smuttynose isn’t just creative with the names of the dishes; they also have some seriously creative flavors. Like the Firecracker Shrimp, tossed in habanero and sweet Thai chili. Beer Battered Fish and Chips served with creamy housemade tartar sauce. And the truffalo mac n cheese, a pan-baked mac n cheese drizzled with spicy buffalo and fragrant truffle sauces.
“You see the skillet come out. It’s a big dish. So it's definitely something when it's going through the dining room that people are like, “I want to have that. I'm taking that away today.”
And then there’s Joe’s Bang-Bang Chicken Sandwich, created by none other than Joe himself.
“So I was playing around with a chicken sandwich one day and I thought, ‘Well, what can I do that's different that you don't really see?’ So I took our nacho seasoning, and I slice a piece of chicken in half. I breaded it with panko bread crumbs, and I season it with the nacho seasoning. We then put it on a bun with coleslaw, pickles, and housemade Bang Bang sauce, and became the bang-bang chicken sandwich. It’s a must order. You gotta try it.”
So, the Smuttynose menu really does offer something for everyone, whether you enjoy steak tips or seafood, and whether you have two legs — or four.
“So we found ourselves with a large patio. People coming out and wanting to bring their dogs. They want to hang out with their dogs. They want to have a beer with their dogs, they want to eat with their dogs. But there wasn't food here for dogs. So what we created was a puppy patty. We have a three-ounce beef patty. And then we top it off with a little dog treat. It's very popular. A lot of people bring their dogs on the patio so they want to give them a little treat for behaving while they're here.”
And while they definitely aren’t afraid to do things dog gone differently, when it comes to hospitality, Smuttynose leans on the classic craft beer mentality their business was built on nearly 30 years ago.
“I think we want them to feel welcome first and foremost, right? And craft beer was really built on that. So I think that we want you to feel welcomed. We want you to, you know, whether you're bringing your family or whether you're just having a drink with a friend, we want everyone to feel welcomed. And I think that that's a very inviting atmosphere. And that's what we try to go for here.”
