#19 The Last Chair Brewery – Plymouth, NH

Location: Plymouth, NH
Brewery Type: Brewery & Restaurant
Opening Date: 2018
Website: https://www.thelastchairnh.com/
Features: Patio, Restaurant, Dog Friendly

Foreword: After a long winter, it appears that the end is in sight for the pandemic. People are getting vaccinated – myself included, cases are down and things are starting to get back to normal. Also back to normal, is visiting breweries! While I avoided the indoor dining scene throughout the colder months, with the return of warm weather patios are back open and once fully vaccinated I’ll be venturing back indoors once again. Stay tune which will hopefully be a very busy summer of visiting the top breweries in New England. I might even review some in Vermont and Rhode Island!

The Hike Up Mt Cube

It is Mid-Spring, which means the awkward season between ice and mud in the White Mountains. Trying to avoid the mud and soft slushy snow of higher elevations, we elected to climb Mt Cube. At 2,909 ft, this is no Mt Washington, but it still managed to make the 52 With a View List – and yes there’s a badge for you peakbaggers upon completing the list. Avoiding the snow was impossible however, thanks to a freak snowstorm a few days prior coating everything in a frosty layer of snow. We arrive at the trailhead at 9:30 am which is down a fairly long dirt road with the occasional home dotting the landscape. As we arrived, the only other hiker was just leaving, warning us that we’ll encounter all possible conditions on the ascent, from icy mush and snow to mud and exposed rock. 

We opted to take the Rivendell Trail the 2 miles to the summit. The Rivendell Trail is part of a longer 36 mile trail that connects various towns and mountains in the region – sounds like the perfect weekend backpacking trip. The trail started fairly flat, until we started to gain some serious elevation about 1 mile in. However, due to the switchbacks – a rarity for the White Mountains – the trail was never too steep to be out of breath. Besides some mud and a few slick spots, this was an easy climb to the top.

Views at the Summit of Mt Cube

After just a short two miles, we found ourselves at the peak, with a commanding view of neighboring Mt Smarts and Vermont’s Green Mountains in the distance. The summit had a ton of space, was mostly bald, but had plenty of trees too, away from the view. However, we didn’t encounter a single person on our hike up, allowing us to enjoy the views in peace for a time. However, the real prize was farther down the trail at the Northern subpeak. After another quarter mile or so we found ourselves with a commanding view of the Southern White Mountains with Moosilauke enshrouded in clouds. While Moosilauke is an amazing climb in itself, It probably would have been less enjoyable in today’s conditions. We had the peak to ourselves, so we ate some snacks and deliberated until it was time to leave this magnificent view.

On our way down, we passed by dozens of groups of hikers, so we must have started out at the perfect time, right before the crowds. While temperatures had warmed up, this had the side effect of melting the snow overhead, causing it to shower down upon us for much of the hike back. While we expected it to be on the chilled side, we didn’t plan to be rained upon.

The Last Chair off the Mountain

We opted to sit in their front beer garden and were happy to learn that it is in fact dog friendly. Unfortunately, we also learned that 1766 Brewery that brews their beers has permanently closed and that The Last Chair is under new management. This also meant that they only had a single inhouse beer on tap due to the transition. In around a month, they should have a decent array of inhouse brews.

However, that didn’t ruin our experience. We ordered some pretzel bites, poutine and their Beyond the Stars IPA. As we waited for our order, we enjoyed the view of the nearby hills from the beer garden. This is a really great spot if you’re planning to do any of the nearby hikes. While the temperature had risen above 50 degrees, there was a cold breeze to contend with. We were happy when the warm poutine and pretzel bites arrived.

What’s on Tap at The Last Chair

• Beyond the Stars IPA – A solid New England IPA that didn’t disappoint.

As mentioned, inhouse brewed beer is back on its way and there should be expanded options on tap by the end of May 2021.

Final Verdict

With a solid beer garden at a great location with delicious food, it is better to catch the first chair at Last Chair Brewery. We’re excited to be back once beer production is once again fully up and running.

Information
The Last Chair Restaurant & Brewery
https://www.thelastchairnh.com/
5 NH-25
Plymouth, NH 03264