#16 Dam Brewhouse – Campton, NH

Location: Campton, NH
Brewery Type: Taproom
Opening Date: 2018
Website: https://www.dambrewhouse.com/
Features: Beer Garden, Nanobrewery, Taproom, Dog Friendly, Mug Club, Gluten Reduced Beer

Cascades of the Beaver Brook/Appalachian Trail

Over the course of my quest to hike each of the New Hampshire 4k footers, I have now hiked quite a few miles along the Appalachian Trail. On a chilled September day, I finally got the chance to hike Moosilauke, the first of the New Hampshire White Mountains most thru-hikers experience on their 2,190 mile quest to Mt Katahdin in Maine. Many thru-hikers consider the New Hampshire section of the AT to be the most difficult, with many going home in defeat faced with rocky terrain, an insane amount of elevation change and unpredictable weather atop of exposed ridgelines.

Thankfully, I wasn’t out to climb 24 of the 4k footers in just a handful of days. Hiking the NH48 at a leisurely pace meant I could fully enjoy the hikes without being taken past the point of exhaustion. I arrived at the Beaver Brook Trailhead around 8 am and after ensuring I was bundled up enough for the slightly above freezing temperatures, I was on my way.

After a fairly brief distance of easy hiking up a gentle incline, I reached the first of many gorgeous waterfalls of the day. That’s where things got very vertical.

Like the Ammonoosuc Trail up Mt Washington, the Beaver Brook trail followed a beautiful mountain brook for much of the way up the mountain, providing spectacular views of cascades and waterfalls, one after another.

Unfortunately, I didn’t realize until after the hike, that the Beaver Brook Trail is even better in the Spring and early Summer when all the snow melt guarantees a deluge of water cascading down the mountain at full capacity. However, even with the brook at low capacity in the Fall, it was still a beautiful sight to behold.

Overall, the view was a nice distraction of the sharp elevation gain I was making. Don’t let the beauty of the water fool you, this is a very difficult trail with wooden stairs anchored into the bedrock and plenty of opportunity to slip and injure yourself. This trail is on the Terrifying 25 list for a reason. Considering most thru-hikers on the AT descend this trail, it has been given a notorious name for being dangerous in icy or wet conditions. In fact, there are even signs at the top warning hikers not to attempt the trail during dicey conditions.

Frosty Conditions Atop Moosilauke

After two miles and many breaks gawking at the waterfalls, I finally made it to the ridgeline. From here it was relatively smooth sailing with a gently increasing incline to the peak with just a handful of steep sections.

As I gained elevation and became more exposed to the elements, I had to switch back into my jacket and put on the gloves I bought for my hike in Acadia. Soon the temperature dropped below zero and while the trail was free of ice, much of the plant life sported a thin layer of frost.

After another mile, I emerged from the tree-line and was greeted by a gorgeous field of alpine grasses, billowing in the powerful wind. Before I knew it I was at the peak, which already had a few groups who came up either the George Brook or Glencliff Trails.

After taking in the view of the Franconia Ridge, Mt Lafayette and the wide expanse of New Hampshire and the Eastern edge of Vermont, the wind chill was finally starting to get to me and my thin gloves. At the peak, there is a series of low stone circles, perfect for escaping the wind. I got myself settled in one with a beautiful view of Lafayette, and ate my lunch of granola and peanut butter stuffed pretzels. 

As I sat there, I imagined what it must be like for a thru-hiker to be greeted by Moosilauke as their first major climb in the White Mountains and what surprises awaited them on their descent via the Beaver Brook Trail. Hey, if anyone reading this wanted to sponsor me for a year to hike the entirety of the AT, I would take you up on that offer in an instance. Unfortunately, the 8 mile to Moosilauke and back was the only hike I had planned for the day and started my descent.

As I descended, I passed many groups on their way up to the peak. Some were enamored by the endless waterfalls, while others were struggling up the steep mountain side. As trail etiquette dictates, I was more than happy to allow those ascending to have right of way up those narrow wooden stairs, but more often was the case they were happy to take a break and allow me to descend.

I made it back to the parking lot and by that time the temperature had already risen above 50 degree – perfect weather to sit in a beer garden.

Damn Good Beer at the Dam Brewhouse

Minutes off the 93 in Campton, there is Dam Brewhouse, a small but charming nanobrewery taking its namesake from the dam down the street.

I arrived and headed indoors where they had a cozy tap room. I talked with the host and was given the option to either sit indoors or in the pond-side beer garden. Since it was a sunny day and a sweatshirt was more than fine to keep warm, I opted to settle myself in the beer garden after ordering a flight of beer and some snacks.

There’s two major points to raise that made Dam Brewhouse stand out. First of all was their ridiculously friendly brewery dog that lazed about the beer garden. The second is that most of their beer is gluten reduced, meaning this brewery is a great choice for those with gluten sensitivities.

One of the saddest discoveries of my quest to visit all 500+ breweries in New England is that relatively few breweries are dog friendly. Sure you have Rek-lis in Bethlehem and One Love in Lincoln, but so many prohibit our 4 legged friends, even if they have a sprawling amount of space. Rest assured that your pup will be welcomed at Dam Brewhouse and might even make some other canine friends. 

Soon my flight arrived and I digged right into sipping on the delightfully refreshing Dam Delight. After a long day’s hike of Moosilauke, there was no place I’d rather be than relaxing by a pond, beer in hand surrounded by the company of 4 legged friends.

After I finished my flight and some locally made pizza, I went back inside to pay; but not before ordering some four packs. One of the magical things about Dam Brewhouse is that they let you mix and match your four packs. This meant I was able to take home more variety of beers and have a taste of almost everything they had on tap.

What’s on Tap at Dam Brewhouse

• Dam Delight – Lager – This dam beer is light, crisp and refreshing, perfect for any dam occasion where lighter fare is in dam order.
• Dam Yummy – Cream Ale – As the name suggests, this damned delicious beer is light and offers a subtle Belgiany spice.
• Freestyle – NE IPA – A hoppy IPA on the juicy side the New England style is known for, the Freestyle is hoppy and sweet, but with a subtle bitterness.
• Teddy Hopper – IPA – Did you read Heady Topper too? I know I did when I first saw this on their menu. While it doesn’t completely live up to the legendary Vermont brewery it is a complex dark and hoppy brew with honey and caramel flavors.

These are the beers I ordered that came in cans to enjoy at home:

• Electric – Pale Ale – This well balanced pale ale is made with Amarillo and Centennial Hops bringing out a perfect blend of subtle maltiness and mellow sweetness.
• Campton #*&@ (Damn) – Irish Red – This effing red ale packs a lot of flavor with a smooth malty profile will have you shouting expletives in delight.
• Campton Mountain – IPA – Hoppy with a subtle mellow sweetness, this New England IPA is brewed with Amarillo, Cascade and Centennial hops.
• Mud Puddle – Dry Irish Stout – Roasty and malty, this smooth stout goes down much easier than its name suggests.

Final Verdict

Dam Brewhouse serves up great gluten reduced beers at their charming nanobrewery. It is a worthy stop for any beer or dog lover if you’re visiting the Western White Mountains or Lakes Region. 

Information
Dam Brewhouse
https://www.dambrewhouse.com/
1323 NH-175
Campton, NH 03223