BREWERY SCENE
by Jeff Rogers
In the ’90s I lived in downtown Nashua. It was very nice, if a little sleepy. Boy it sure looks different now. They’ve added an entire new bridge across the river since I was there, and it seems like a big improvement for moving traffic efficiently in and out of downtown. And on Main Street, more shops, more restaurants. Oh, and what used to be Alec’s Shoes is now a beautiful performing venue! I need to come back and explore some more.
On Thursday afternoon I ventured down there to visit Kettlehead Brewing’s newest location, at 97 Main Street in Nashua. This is the spot that used to be the Flight Center.
The Place
Very comfortable space, much deeper than wide, bar at the back. Maybe 8 stools at the bar. Plenty of tables, some high tops, some low. Some soft chairs near the front. The front is all plate glass giving an expansive east-facing view of Main Street. A bar-height counter runs across the inside of this window, fronted with plenty of stools so you can sit sipping your beer and gazing out at Main Street.
Music was playing at a low level while I was there. During my somewhat brief visit the songs were leaning a bit more country than my personal taste, but for many of you, that may be just the thing. Two of the songs that played while I was there:
Country Girl (Shake It For Me) - Luke Bryan
Body Like a Back Road - Sam Hunt
The Food
The Nashua food menu — mostly subs, paninis & pizzas — can be seen in this PDF.
And they have specials. As shown below at the time of my visit.
I opted for the Garlic Sausage Pizza, and it was indeed pretty tasty.
The Beer
They serve flights, small pours, and full pours. They do not fill growlers at their Nashua location, though that may change in the future. They sell cans, but their availability of cans can be a little hit-or-miss, with some things being available on tap but not in cans. It can be tough if you try something and love it but can’t take any home!
I had a flight of four. I noticed that their menu is seriously dominated by IPAs, but I’m not really an IPA guy, and on top of that maybe I was just feeling a little contrarian that day, but at any rate I decided I needed a flight that was solely non-IPAs. So I ordered the following:
- Kolsch – 4.5% ABV
This was a competent, good, very basic lager. Nothing unexpected here.
- Joe – 5.4% ABV
This was easily the most interesting of these four beers. Had I been asked the reason, not sure I would have guessed rye in the mash bill. But it definitely worked, lending a spiciness and hints of licorice to the beer. A winner for sure.
- Dead Devotion – 7.1% ABV
Beautiful color, a bit of sweetness, very mild fruitiness. It’s slightly higher ABV than others was hardly noticeable. A very good beer.
- O’Matty’s – 4.3% ABV
This irish red was visually more brown than red. The flavor also seemed more like a brown ale than red.
Below is the complete Nashua beer menu at the time of my visit:
Just the Facts
Kettlehead Brewing in Nashua is located at…
97 Main Street,
Nashua NH 03060
Phone number: 603-204-5718
Hours of operation:
Mon, Tue - closed
Wed, Thu - 11:30 AM -- 9 PM
Fri, Sat - 11:30 AM -- 11 PM
Sun - 11:30 AM -- 8 PM
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