Manchester, NH • December 20, 2019—Great North Aleworks is excited to announce a partnership with Nappi Distributors to expand its distribution to the state of Maine. 

Starting in November 2019, Great North will ship year-round favorites Moose Juice IPA, Tie Dyed (Dry-Hopped Pale Ale) and RVP (Robust Vanilla Porter) in 16 oz canned four-packs and draft. Special Releases such as Chocolate Milk Stout and Hazy Rotation (a series of rotating New England IPAs) will also be available throughout the year.  

“Bringing Great North beers to Maine has been a goal of ours since Day 1. Lisa and I both started our professional careers in Maine in the mid-late 90s and have always appreciated its beer scene; we are thrilled to finally be a part of it.” said Rob North.

Great North Aleworks is near the completion of a year-long expansion project that included increased fermentation capacity, a centrifuge, a 1300 square foot drive-in cooler, and 2.5 barrel pilot system.

“Nappi Distributors is excited to begin this partnership with Great North Aleworks. Their unique portfolio, including Moose Juice IPA, is a natural fit for the state of Maine. Rob and his team are making some of the best beer in New England and we’re pleased to welcome them to the Nappi family.” said Ben Royal Craft Brand Manager for Nappi Distributors.

To kick things off, Nappi and Great North will be at the famed Great Lost Bear in Portland, Maine for a launch event on Friday, December 20, 2019 from 4-6 p.m.

In October 2019 we had a special guest stop by the brewery. Samuel Adams Founder and Chairman Jim Koch was in Manchester and made some time during his busy schedule to check in on his old friends Rob, Lisa, and Mike.

Back in 2010 our Founder Rob North won the Samuel Adams Patriot Homebrew Competition. This gave him the opportunity to brew his award winning beer at the Sam Adams brewery in Boston and have it served on tap at Gillette Stadium for the 2010 New England Patriots season. That beer would later evolve into one of our original releases, a smoked ale called Smokin’. Not long after Jim visited Manchester to film a TV pilot and was a guest at Rob and Lisa’s home where they homebrewed together in the North’s driveway.

The year before that in 2009 our Lead Brewer Mike Robinson won the Samuel Adams LongShot homebrew competition with his Old Ale recipe. Mike’s beer was part of a 6-pack that was distributed nationally. He traveled with Jim to the Great American Beer Fest and spent time with him judging future LongShot competitions.

Now both Rob and Mike are professional brewers! So it was a full circle moment hosting Jim and showing him around our brewery and sharing our beers over stories old and new.

Thank you to Jim and Samuel Adams for always supporting homebrewing and independent brewers!

The agreement will introduce the Greater Boston area to a variety of Owner Rob North’s recipes

MANCHESTER, NH – A newly-inked deal between Manchester, NH-based Great North Aleworks and Chelsea, MA-based Night Shift Distributing will bring the two-year-old brewery’s beer south to the Great Boston area starting in October.

Great North Aleworks first caught the eye of Night Shift Distributing CEO Rob Burns when the brewery’s flagship Great North IPA took silver in the American IPA category at the 2016 World Beer Cup.

“We are extremely excited to share their award-winning IPA with the thirsty folks of MA,” Burns says. “Great North IPA is an amazing balance of the classic West Coast style but with a distinctive New England touch.”

For Great North co-founders Rob and Lisa North, the partnership means an entirely new audience for their varied lineup of beers; previously only available in New Hampshire and Connecticut. “Many of our current customers live in Massachusetts and enjoy our beer while visiting New Hampshire. It’s exciting to know they’ll now be able to enjoy our beers at home. We also look forward to welcoming new fans of our beer at our brewery and tasting room located just 20 minutes north of the MA/NH border,” said Rob North.

Along with the award-winning Great North IPA, thirsty Massachusetts residents should expect to try the Tie-Dyed Dry-Hopped Pale Ale: an aromatic and refreshing session beer; as well as RVP Robust Vanilla Porter: a complex and enticing dark offering that marries toasted malts with pleasing vanilla sweetness. These three beers make up the core lineup for Great North, but other seasonal and limited offerings will likely make their way to Massachusetts in time – including Moose Juice IPA and Tragically Hopped Double IPA.

Great North’s offerings will be available in 6-packs of 12oz cans, as well as on draft at local bars and restaurants. Canned beer was a priority for the brewery from the get-go, “Two of our core values are quality beer and accessible beer. We believe that cans help to achieve both goals, by keeping beer fresher for longer over bottles, and in a package that is more portable than glass. Can filling technology has made great strides in the last decade allowing breweries like Great North and Night Shift to adopt this format does what’s best for the beer and our customers,” said North.

The two will celebrate the partnership with a weekend of events from October 12th through the 14th. More information can be found at nsbeer.co/greatnorthlaunch.

About Great North Aleworks
Great North Aleworks is a 20 barrel production brewery located in Manchester, NH. Founded by Rob and Lisa North, the brewery’s goal is simple – to craft flavorful, food-friendly beers, while maintaining a fanatical devotion to quality. For more information visit: www.greatnorthaleworks.com.

About Night Shift Distributing
Night Shift Distributing began in 2016 with a fresh approach to beer distribution in MA. With four years of self-distribution roots in the brewing industry, Night Shift Distributing is disrupting the MA wholesaler landscape by offering breweries a like-minded distribution partner with a strong focus on beer quality and freshness, brand control, and customer service. For more information, please visit www.nightshiftdistributing.com.