This post is in response to a comment I received on one of my previous blogs. The question that goes something like this, “Is Smuttynose (insert beer name here) the same as The Portsmouth Brewery (insert same beer name here)?” This question gets asked quite often. It is not a bad question by any means and l personally was a bit confused before I was working here. So here is the low down.

Peter Egelston opened the Portsmouth Brewery (PB) in 1991 right in downtown Portsmouth becoming the first New Hampshire brewpub. Making all the beer on site to serve from the taps, having no dedicated tap line to “yellow fizzy stuff”. The Portsmouth Brewery (PB) took off and after handing off the head brewing responsibilities at PB he decided to open up Smuttynose brewing company in 1994 to attack the distribution side of the brewing world. Rather than just keep making the same beers that the brewpub made on a bigger scale he gave his new head brewer at Smuttynose control and freedom to make bees how he wanted. Now through out the years the head brewer position at both companies have changed hands a few times. Now the Head Brewer at the Portsmouth Brewery is Tod Mott and the Executive Brewer at Smuttynose is Dave Yarrington and they are both making there own beers.

So to answer your question the Smutty Baltic Porter is not the same as the Portsmouth Baltic Porter. Same style of beer, but not the same beer by far!

Cheers,
Tyler