#20 Granite Roots Brewing – Troy, NH

Location: Troy, NH
Brewery Type: Nanobrewery
Opening Date: 2015
Website: https://graniterootsbrewing.com/
Features: Taproom, Beer Garden, Live Music, Food Trucks

Hiking Adventures on Mt Monadnock

In early May, I finally got the chance to climb one of America’s most famous mountains, Mt Monadnock. Inspiring classic poets like Emerson and Thoreau, the lofty peak offered commanding 360 views of the surrounding New England Countryside. 

Check out Part 1 of the series for my account of the hike.

The hike up Monadnock and back was a short 3.8 miles, leaving me plenty of time in the day for exploring the surrounding area. Conveniently located just a 15 minute drive from Monadnock State Park is Granite Roots Brewing in Troy, NH.

Granite Roots of the Mountain

I arrived at noon, just as Granite Roots opened their doors. The layout of the brewery was eclectic. There’s the small taproom and main brewing operations building, but the rest was an expansive beer garden featuring plenty of seating, fire pits and a greenhouse type building with covered seating, a corner dedicated to merch and a bar.

I got in line for the bar and was quickly served a flight of 6 beers. It was a gorgeous day, so I opted to sit at a picnic table in the sun. I happily basked in the sun as I sipped through my flight as I watched patrons filter in. Soon after I sat down, I was asked if I would like a freshly baked pretzel, fresh from the brewery. As a man of culture who appreciates the godly pairing of tasty beer and freshly baked pretzels, I eagerly accepted the proposition.

The pretzel was amazing – warm and the perfect accompaniment with my flight. Seriously, it is one thing for a brewery to produce great beer, but it takes things to the next level when they also produce soft pretzels in-house. Serious street cred here.

Having hiked over 1,700 feet in elevation gain – almost straight up – just a few hours prior, I was ready for a main course. Thankfully, there was a BBQ truck on premise and I was able to order myself a massive pulled chicken sandwich. This featured tender melt-in-your-mouth chicken making for a delicious second course to go along with my flight.

After finishing my meal and slowly sipping through the rest of my flight, it was time to head out, but not without buying some cans to go first.

What’s on Tap at Granite Roots

Granite Roots is a nano-brewery, producing smaller batches of beer, often brewed with fruit. The coolest part is that they actually grow their hops on premise for an added unique factor to their brews. Generally the best part about nanobreweries is that they’re generally able to easily produce creative beers – for better or for worse (in the case of Granite Roots, the better).

• Lemon Drops and Gum Drops – New England IPA: This light citrusy brew had the perfect hint of lemon that didn’t overpower the beer. 
• Trail Candy – New England IPA – Offering full tropical flavor with a soft hoppiness, this brew was my favorite from Granite Roots. This beer is the definition of smooth, going down easy despite its 7.9% ABV.
• Velvety Antlers – Brown Ale – Dark, malty and velvety smooth, this brew offered some great roasted smoky flavor.
• Golden Hour – Gose – Another smooth beer, offering a complex combo of mango and pineapple flavors. The Golden Hour is extremely well balanced between having a slight sweetness with a muted tartness. This beer was a close runner up to Trail Candy among my favorites.
• Golden Acres – Pilsner – Light with some malty undertones, Golden Acres offered a subtle sweetness to its profile.
• Gose Well with Hiking – Gose – This full flavored tart and dry gose offered a strong pronounced berry profile brewed with fresh blueberries and blackcurrents grown at the brewery.

Final Verdict

Granite Roots is producing some outstanding well balanced beers with a focus on fresh farm grown ingredients. Even if you have no interest in summiting nearby Monadnock (though you’re seriously missing out), Granite Roots is worth the trip off the beaten path for any beer geek. We all knew Mt Monadnock had strong roots, but who knew that the strength of those Granite Roots was planted in beer.