Featured Organization: The mission of the Manchester Historic Association is to collect, preserve and share the history of Manchester, New Hampshire.  The Association operates the Millyard Museum and the Research Center, both of which are open to the general public.

Featured Beer: True Brew Lager

Donation: $412.51

We brewed True Brew to be a light, crisp, German-style lager. This limited draft release was available in the Tasting Room during April & May 2021. There is a story behind the name True Brew…

When we sat down with John Clayton, the Executive Director of the Manchester Historic Association, to discuss collaborating on a beer for our charitable community partnership, he immediately had an idea of what to name the beer; a name that has historic significance in Manchester.

Many people are familiar with Frank Jones & his namesake brewery in Portsmouth, but not many are aware that Frank had a brother, True Jones, who opened True W. Jones Brewing Co. in Manchester. It was in operation from 1891 to 1917. True Jones brewed beers such as Granite State Ale, Climax Ale, and Jones’ Lager Beer.

“Little, in fact, is known about True Jones. He appears to have followed Frank (and several other siblings) to Portsmouth, from whence he made his way to the state’s largest city, Manchester. There he, in 1891, gained control of the Carney, Lynch & Company brewery. Changing the name to the True W. Jones Brewing Company, he became king of the Manchester brewing scene. But, then again, that was pretty easy: by the 1890s True W. Jones was the only game in town. He was the only brewer in Manchester. True passed away on October 2, 1899, but the brewery that bore his name continued on until New Hampshire went dry in 1917.”

Excerpt is from “Beer New England,” by Will Anderson

New Hampshire breweries Great North Aleworks, Woodstock Inn Brewery, Moat Mountain Brewing Company, Smuttynose Brewing Company and Great Rhythm Brewing Company have collaborated on a new beer in order to support the New Hampshire Hospitality Employee Relief Fund (NHHERF).  

100% of the proceeds from this beer will be donated to the NHHERF so they can continue supporting employees of the hospitality industry who have been impacted by COVID-19.  

The collaboration is a Pale Ale named Gratuity featuring Galaxy, Amarillo and Lemon Drop hops.  

Due to current COVID-19 guidance, an in-person collaboration was off the table. Great North brewed the beer and all five brewers have donated the needed supplies and ingredients. Gratuity will be ready to ship to exclusive distributor Amoskeag Beverages the first week of May 2020 and be available state wide in New Hampshire. The opportunity to say thank you to the hospitality industry who have helped us all build our business is something we cherish.

Cheers to creative thinking, community support and teamwork!

A special thank you as well to Amherst Label, Wyeast Labs and D Coco Studios for their generosity and support in the making of Gratuity.

About the New Hampshire Hospitality Employee Relief Fund

The New Hampshire Hospitality Employee Relief Fund (NHHERF) was built by the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association (NHLRA) and the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association Education Foundation to support employees of the hospitality industry who have been impacted by COVID-19. As the philanthropic foundation of the NHLRA, the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association Education Foundation enhances the industry’s service to the public through education, promotion of career opportunities, and community engagement.

To learn more/donate: NHHERF.org.

Gratuity is available at the following locations in New Hampshire. List as of 5/21/20, 9:35 a.m.

UPDATED LIST, Friday, Jan 20th. We promised to let folks know where Tragically Hopped cans would be available for purchase. The list below is of stores who have received, or will receive delivery as of Friday. There are still some stores who will get deliveries next week. Cheers!

3 Brothers Marketplace -Exeter
Ayottes Market – Hudson
Barley & Hops – Milford
Beer Store – Nashua
Bert’s Better Beers – Hooksett
Beverage King – West Lebanon
Brewtopia – Keene
Candia Road Convenience – Manchester
Case N Keg – Laconia
Case N’ Keg – Meredith
Chase St Market – Plymouth
City Tobacco and Beverage Center – Seabrook
Concord Co-Op – Concord
Craft Beer Cellar – Nashua
Downtown Discount Beverages – Dover
Emma’s Market and Deli – Charlestown
Epsom Circle Store – Epsom
Flying Butcher – Amherst
Gary’s Beverages – Portsmouth
Greg and Jane’s – Epping
Harvest Market – Bedford
Heritage Corner Market – Northwood
Lazy Dog Beer Shoppe – Londonderry
Lebanon Co-Op – Lebanon
Leo’s One Stop Market – Claremont
Littleton Co-Op – Littleton
Lobster Q – Hampstead
Londonderry Quick Stop – Londonderry
Lucia’s Bodega – Windham
Discount Beverages – Conway
Monadnock Food Co-Op – Keene
Prime Butcher – Hampstead
Prost! – North Hampton
River Hill Market – Penacook
Route 13 Stateline Convenience – Brookline
Smoke N Barley – Tilton
Tuckaway – Raymond
Un Dun – West Lebanon
Vista Country Store – North Conway
Walpole Grocery – Walpole
Wayne’s Market – Woodstock

It was an exciting day in the brewery today. All hands were on deck to fill our first Great North Aleworks Variety Packs. Each 12-pack contains 3 cans each of IPA, RVP, Smokin’, and our summer seasonal Tie Dyed (once fall rolls around you’ll see Cranberry Wit, and then in winter Chocolate Milk Stout).

We hope everyone enjoyed the extra day in February this year and are looking forward to March, the arrival of Spring, and Daylight Savings. Just a few updates from us as we start out the month…

March 4th – Firkin Friday

Our past few cask tappings were made possible with the generous loan of a pin (5.4 gallon cask) from Rob at The Coat of Arms in Portsmouth. While that cask is back with its owner (thanks again Rob!), we now have our very own firkins (10.8 gallon cask) and will be tapping one this Friday at 3:00 pm sharp. For this release, we decided to have some fun with our IPA, dry hopping it directly in the cask with 3 new U.S. hop varieties – Cashmere, Triple Pearl, and Tahoma – along with a healthy dose of sweet orange peel. This special cask of IPA will be available in the tasting room by 4 oz sample and pints (sorry, no growler fills). How long it will last is anyone’s guess!

St. Patrick’s Day

It may not be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we’ll have $1 off pints in the tasting room. It’s a Thursday, so we will be open our regular hours, 3:00-7:00 pm. Sláinte!

New Hampshire Craft Beer Week

Mark your calendars, April 2nd-10th will be New Hampshire Craft Beer Week! Breweries across the state will be planning events and releases in celebration of New Hampshire’s dynamic, delicious craft beer. We are currently working out the details of what Great North Aleworks will do to celebrate, so stay tuned!

Looking for gift ideas for the beer lover in your life, or something a little extra special for a holiday Yankee Swap? Come check out our retail store, we have lots of items to choose from! T-shirts, long sleeve thermals, caps, glassware, tap handles, hoodies , winter hats, and more…

We are not currently accepting orders through our website, but if you can’t make it to the brewery and would like to order something, send us an email through our Contact Page and we will try our best to accommodate.

Growler Totes:

We have sturdy Growler Totes, locally made by the Urban Quilter out of our grain bags. They are perfect for carrying growlers back and forth from home to the brewery. One of these would make a great gift for someone who already has a growler, or make it a gift set by adding an empty growler with a Great North Aleworks gift card good for a growler fill.

Gift Cards:

Speaking of Gift Cards, we have snazzy looking gift cards available. They can be created for any dollar amount, and they never expire. Gift cards can be redeemed in the brewery tasting room for samples, flights, food, growler fills, six packs, kegs, or for any of the merch available in the retail store.

Wearables:

In addition to the t-shirts (men’s crew neck, ladies crew neck, ladies v-neck) and caps that we have had in the store, we have some brand new items that will help keep you warm as winter approaches. We have long-sleeve unisex thermals, men’s zip hoodies, ladies zip hoodies, and winter beanies (though some of us call these toques!).

Gunther’s Goodies:

Don’t forget your 4-legged friends! We have a fresh stock of Gunther’s Goodies dog treats that are made using our spent grain. In addition to the grain, these treats are made with peanut butter, flour, and eggs. Gunther’s Goodies are available in two sizes at the brewery – Regular (package of 4) & Mini (package of 20).