With a final stamp of approval last week, Smuttynose Brewery was granted final approval to begin construction on their new brewery in Hampton, NH, a stone’s throw from their current location in Portsmouth. Peter Eggleston, Smuttynose president, plans to have the building, which will almost double their current size, LEED certified, which will be no small undertaking. A restaurant will be part of the new complex, which will be sure to draw visitors from across New England and even further afield. As a resident of the seacoast region, this is all very exciting news. However, it is tempered by the fact that this also represents a wasted opportunity by the folks who roam the halls of Portsmouth’s municipal offices. Eggleston makes no bones about the fact that Hampton was not originally his first choice. So what happened?

Smuttynose on the move

Red tape, that is what happened. And a lack of imagination on the part of a small group of individuals more interested in protecting their fiefdoms than in holding on to a productive business that draws more than simply the tourist dollar to Smuttynose. Well, and a petition against the plan by area residents. Thus, instead of being able to trumpet what would have surely been a marvel of reclamation and revitalization, the site on Lafayette Rd. will remain a blight to the eye. Rather than have a gold star in its listing of businesses, the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce is now losing a productive member, one that gave back to the community in a number of ways. Granted, that work will continue through the efforts of the company’s sister venture, the Portsmouth Brewery, but Hampton has gained a company that will surely draw even more visitors to its streets, and not all of them will be wearing flip flops and slathering on sunscreen.

Smutty beers

In the end, traveling an extra ten minutes down Rt. 95 will make no difference to me. Either of these locations would require travel by car. I just see this as a loss for Portsmouth, a town I have spent a considerable amount of time roaming around in. For those people who will be traveling from points south when the Hampton location opens, I would recommend getting some directions before you leave:


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In other news, the Portsmouth Brewery has announced that Kate the Great will be released again on February 9, 2009 at 1:14 p.m. No doubt the tickertrons have already booked their flights or set up schills to wade through the feet of snow to pick up bottles for them in six months’ time. What follows is a video that a media company took during the release day last June, along with some interviews with head brewer Tod Mott. You will note that once the video ends, some other beer-related videos pop up, including the one about that trader that I referenced in my earlier Kate post: