Once, a long time ago, I was sitting on a porch overlooking a landscape with an acquaintance. I commented that if she removed or thinned a line of tall pine trees, she would have a lovely long view.
“Great idea! I’ll have them moved,” she said. Even though she was a woman of means, I explained that it wouldn’t be possible to move 60-foot white pines. She should either live with them or cut some down.
On the other hand, I move shrubs and perennial flowers regularly. When it’s done right, a plant barely knows it’s been moved. I have a number of reasons for moving a plant.
First, if the plant is not growing well. Perhaps the tag on it said, “sun or part shade.” Well, what is part shade? I define full sun as five or six hours of afternoon sun. Morning sun is less hot, and a sun-lover might want some afternoon sun in addition to the morning sun.
This drain spade is good for transplanting perennials and shrubs
Why else move a plant? We all change our minds. Or plants grow and start to crowd out their neighbors. We get new plants and decide to plant one where something else is already growing. Moving plants is a normal part of gardening.
I have a lovely shrub called Carolina sweetshrub or Calycanthus floridus. My reference book by Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, suggests planting it in sun or shade in deep moist loam. I planted it in full sun in deep, moist loam and the leaves burned that first summer. I assumed it had been grown in a shady place at the nursery, so figured it would be fine in Year 2. It was not. Its leaves burned again. So that fall I moved it to a shady spot.
For the next three years or more my sweetshrub did not burn up in summer, but neither did it flower much. I wanted those deep burgundy wine-colored blossoms, each more than an inch across. So I finally moved it again, this time under a pear tree that allowed filtered sunshine. Perfect! It has bloomed magnificently ever since.
My technique for moving a shrub is simple. I decide where it should go, and get the area ready by removing grass or plants and loosening the top layers of soil. Then I go to the plant in question with a drain spade that has a blade 16 inches long and only 5 inches wide. I slide it under the shrub on all four sides by thrusting the blade into the soil at a 45-degree angle. On each side I give the spade a gentle downward push to lift and loosen the shrub a little. By the fourth thrust it should be ready to lift out by sliding my two hands under the root ball.
I move the shrub into a waiting wheelbarrow and bring it to its new home. I measure the depth of the root ball and dig out a hole deep enough so that it will sit at the same depth it was at originally. I dig a wide hole so that the area around the shrub will be nicely loosened and ready for roots to grow in it once I backfill the hole. I water well that day and regularly all summer.
When I water a plant I have moved, I add something to the water: a capful (half a teaspoon) of something called “Superthrive” in a watering can of water. It was developed some 70 years ago and uses seaweed extracts and plant hormones to lessen transplant shock. I find it really helps. A small blurt of Neptune’s Harvest Fish and Seaweed fertilizer in the water adds some quick nutrition. I use both liquids on all my vegetables as I plant them, too.
Any plant that you planted this year can be moved now without damaging it. It takes several weeks before roots move far from their root ball. I don’t bother with a spade when moving new things. I use my CobraHead weeder, which is shaped like a long curved finger. It gets under the root ball easily, and by wiggling it around I can loosen the plant and gently lift it out, pulling from below with my CobraHead.
When I am moving an established perennial, I am more careful. Over the years, from experience and readings, I have learned much about the root systems of common perennials. You probably have, too. Some have roots near the surface while others are more like tubers that go deep.
Peony roots go deep and are not easy to move without breaking their fleshy tubers. Peony experts say to move them in the fall, when they are going dormant. But I once moved a hedge of peonies in June with about 50 plants, and not one showed ill effects.
It is best to move established perennials in the early evening, or on a cool or drizzly day. Some plants go into shock if disturbed in the heat of the day, so avoid doing so if you can. Others, like daylilies, don’t care at all about being moved on a hot dry day.
I recently was planting my front walkway garden and noticed a rudbeckia called ‘Prairie Sun’ that was too close to another plant, so I moved it at 11 a.m. on a hot day. After lunch the leaves were limp and it was in distress. My solution? I gave it another drink of Superthrive and placed an umbrella over it to provide shade. By the next morning it looked like it had never been moved!
So go ahead, move plants. Other than big trees, there are very few you can’t move.
Featured photo: Calycanthus or sweetshrub is a shade-loving shrub that I moved twice to find it a happy home. Photo by Henry Homeyer.
Back for a 49th year in downtown Concord, Market Days, the three-day street festival featuring vendors, musicians, a beer garden and a variety of other special events, is bigger than ever. It will run from Thursday, June 22, through Saturday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, along Main Street and connecting side streets.
This year there will be some new festivities, including a free photo booth, an inclusive art project and recycling. The art project is happening on Thursday and Friday on Capitol Street and all attendees are welcome to participate.
“Everyone can join the project and make a little picture, and just make an effort to do some positive messaging and be inclusive of everybody,” said Jessica Martin, executive director of Intown Concord, which organizes the festival.
Recycling is also new to the event this year, and there will be a sustainability effort represented through three recycling stations and vendors to do composting.
Nearly 200 street vendors are participating, including the Concord Arts Market, which will be on Pleasant Street. Several vendors will be serving food, like Temple Street Diner, Twelve 31 Cafe, Eatxactly Sweet Cafe and fan favorites Yankee Farmer’s Market Buffalo and Let the Dough Roll.
Over the course of the weekend more than 75 live local performances will take place on three separate stages. According to Martin, this is the second year that performers will be paid, thanks to a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.
The Club Soda Band, for example, is a Concord-based cover band playing a mix of pop, rock, classic rock and some country music from the 1960s to now. A mainstay of Market Days over the last 30 years, the group will perform on the Main Stage on Thursday at 7:45 p.m.
“I just like being part of this event. There’s a history to it,” Club Soda Band keyboardist Carl Smith said. “I’m a lifelong resident of this town … so it’s one of those days that I look forward to every year.”
Other events to take place throughout the duration of the festival include balloon animal demonstrations by Lollipop the Clown, a drum circle courtesy of the Concord Community Music School, a dog show from Pawskies, salsa and champeta dancing from Barranquilla Flavor and even a roller derby demonstration.
Worthy Mind and Movement, an alternate fitness studio based in Concord, will host a Buti yoga class and zumba class. Buti yoga incorporates dynamic movements, biometrics and yoga poses. The studio aims to make fitness fun and accessible for all people, according to owner Cassie O’Brien.
“We’re excited to showcase what we do and it should be a fun time,” she said. “Market Days is always a good time.”
Market Days Festival When: Thursday, June 22, through Saturday, June 24, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Where: Main Street and neighboring streets, downtown Concord Visit: marketdaysfestival.com
Statehouse lawn Thursday, June 22 – Concord Public Library storytime: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Concord Community Music School storytime and Music and Movement: 2 to 3 p.m. – Girl Scouts offering face- and arm-painting, as well as tattoos: 3 to 6:30 p.m
Friday, June 23 – Storytime with Miss New Hampshire Brook Mills: 10 to 11 a.m. – Concord Public Library storytime: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – The Friends Program makes friendship bracelets and buttons: noon to 5 p.m. – Worthy Mind and Movement Zumba class: noon to 12:30 p.m. – Worthy Mind and Movement Buti yoga class: 12:30 to 1 p.m. – Girl Scouts offering face- and arm-painting, as well as tattoos: 12:30 to 6 p.m.
Saturday, June 24 – Boy Scouts of America: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. – Music & Movement with the Concord Community Music School: 10 to 10:45 a.m. – Girl Scouts offering face- and arm-painting, as well as tattoos: 10:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. – Concord Community Music School Folk Jam Session: 11 a.m. to noon – Concord Community Music School drum session: noon to 1 p.m. – The 501st and Rebel Legions – The Star Wars Fan Costuming Group: 2 to 6 p.m. – Granite State Roller Derby games for kids: 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
City Plaza Thursday, June 22 – Element Booth Company takes pictures with friends and family: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. – Music & Movement with the Concord Community Music School: 10 to 10:45 a.m. – Lollipop the Clown and balloon twisting: 3 to 6 p.m. – Darbster Rescue adoption showcase: 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Friday, June 23 – Element Booth Company takes pictures with friends and family: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. – Music & Movement with the Concord Community Music School: 10 to 10:45 a.m. – Pawskies dog show: 2 to 4 p.m. – Cumbia dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 4:30 to 5 p.m. – Salsa dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 5 to 5:30 p.m. – Cardio sculpt classes with Thrive Fitness: 6 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 24 – Element Booth Company takes pictures with friends and family: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. – Champeta dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 10:30 to 11 a.m. – Salsa dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 11 to 11:30 a.m. – Cardio sculpt classes with Thrive Fitness: 1 to 2 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. – Granite State Roller Derby demonstrations: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
• Thursday night live: Joey Clark and the Big Hearts is the band slated to play this Thursday, June 22, for Art After Work at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144), which runs from 5 to 8 p.m., when admission is free and the Winter Garden will have its menu and a lineup of cocktails available for purchase. This week, catch a 15-minute “Looking Together Conversation” focused on Mark di Suvero’s “Origins.” Current exhibits include “A New Scheier Medium” featuring the works of Mary and Edwin Scheier; “Seeing is Not Believing,” a photography exhibit on display through Sunday, June 25; “Celebrating the Art and Life of Tomie dePaola,” which commemorates the USPS’s release of a stamp honoring dePaola’s work, and “The Living Forest: UÝRA.”
• From the water: “Ocean Gems,” a show featuring works by Sandra Kavanaugh, is on display at Sullivan Framing and Fine Art Gallery (15 N. Amherst Road in Bedford; sullivanframing.com). See the pieces at an artist reception on Saturday, June 24, from 1 to 3 p.m. The gallery is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The exhibit will run through Saturday, Aug. 26.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) production of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat wraps up with this weekend’s shows: Friday, June 23, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 24, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 25, at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $30.
• Rare finds: Balin Books (Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St. in Nashua; 417-7981) has joined with rare and collectible book dealer Richard Mori to present a bookcase featuring out-of-print titles of local and regional interest, according to a press release. See balinbooks.com.
• Seeking sculpture: The Peterborough Night Market, MAXT Makerspace and Friends of Public Art are looking for five sculptures to be displayed in a sculpture exhibition in downtown Peterborough between Tuesday, Aug. 1, and Tuesday, Oct. 10, according to a press release. The works will be a highlight of the Peterborough Night Market scheduled for Friday, Aug. 11, the release said. This year’s theme is “Retro Funk and Soul.” The deadline for application is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 30; selected pieces will receive a stipend of at least $250 to assist with installation, the release said. See maxtmakerspace.org/peterborough-public-art for details and to submit an application.
Three One-Acts The Granite Playwrights, a Concord-based writing group and production company, will present “Three One Act Plays” — The College Game, It Happened One Afternoon and Soup’s On — at the Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com) for two weekends, according to a press release. Opening night is Friday, June 23, at 7:30 p.m. The show runs through Sunday, July 2, with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 ($19 for students and seniors).
• Author talk: Monadnock Writers’ Group is hosting Carol Mabbs-Zeno on Thursday, June 22, at 11 a.m. at the Peterborough Town Library (2 Concord St. in Peterborough; peterboroughtownlibrary.org, 924-840) to discuss his book A Literary Guide to Bridge Construction, which is set in Peterborough, according to a press release. Register at the library’s events page, the release said.
• New exhibits: 3S Artspace (319 Vaughan St. in Portsmouth; 3sarts.org) has two new exhibits: “If You Knew, Let It Be Us” featuring the drawings, paintings and collage of McKinley Wallace and “Why Am I Here?” featuring the works of Natalie Fisk, which replicates “papel picado,” a form of Mexican folk art created with paper perforations, according to a press release. The exhibits will both hang until Sunday, Aug. 20. A multimedia exhibit called “Peripheral Vision” from Tom Canney is also on display through Sunday, July 9. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Saturdays at 11 a.m. through 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. You can also see the shows via a virtual gallery at galleryat3t.org.
Feed me, Seymour! This year’s Prescott Park Arts Festival’s annual outdoor production at Prescott Park in Portsmouth is Little Shop of Horrors and it starts Friday, June 23, at 7 p.m. Shows will run most Thursdays through Sundays at 7 p.m. through Sunday, Aug. 13. See prescottpark.org for information on reserving a blanket or table for a performance.
Poetry Society of NH begins search for new poet laureate
The last four years for state Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary have been filled with readings, assorted projects, and making poetry as accessible for people as she could.
“It’s been a total joy to serve the state,” Peary said about her tenure. “I’m really happy with the initiatives I’ve started and that they are continuing. I feel like it’s been a whirlwind of all these activities and engagement, and I hope people have benefited from it.”
Her appointment will be over in March 2024. As of now, the submission gates are open for the Poetry Society of New Hampshire, as it begins the search for the next state poet laureate.
Melanie Chicoine, the president of PSNH, said that, while this will be her first time leading the search for a poet laureate, she was excited to be finding the new statewide voice for the artform.
Chicoine said the process for finding the next laureate will be a long one. Submissions are currently open online and will be until Tuesday, Aug. 1. She said that applicants could be nominated by a third party or self-nominated, so long as they meet the criteria the committee is looking at.
The guidelines are simple, Chicoine said. The writer must be a Granite State resident, must have published a full-length book of poetry (with a hardcover copy sent into PSNH) and must indicate what they plan to do with the position once they are appointed.
“That’s the really important part,” Chicoine said about the last requirement.
To her, a winning application will have something like what Peary has done through her international literary magazine Under the Madness, which relies on a teenage staff to sift through submissions and to edit and design. She also spent her time as laureate doing readings and workshops with poetry lovers of all ages and setting up a time to read poetry submissions on air with New Hampshire Public Radio.
Chicoine wants nominees to set goals in their submissions about making poetry available to study, read and create for as many members of the state as possible.
“Bringing poetry to people all over the state in different contexts that makes it something relatable is something important,” Chicoine said. “‘Make poetry more accessible,’ that’s my mantra. [The poet laureate] is representing poetry in the state; what is their plan for how to do that?”
Peary said that while the last four years have been exhilarating she’s also excited to have time to spend with her family and at her profession as well. Being a laureate is an unpaid appointment, and Peary said she would easily work 30 hours a week in addition to her teaching schedule.
While it has been demanding, Peary said it was equally rewarding, remembering a time she met an amateur poet whose work she had read during her poetry hour on NHPR. She said she remembered his poem clearly, and to see his excitement meeting her and expressing what he experienced was amazing.
“To basically do good like that for other writers, from anyone from a kid just starting, to someone older, or someone struggling with writer’s block, just helping out, that’s one of the purposes of life, to cause some good in the world,” Peary said. “I’ll miss that. I’ll miss giving people those bursts of pure joy and pleasure about writing.”
Submissions for New Hampshire Poet Laureate Detailed guidelines can be found at psnh.org/2024-laureate-nomination-guidelines. Submission deadline: Tuesday, Aug. 1
On the tap list of just about every local craft brewery across the state is a New England IPA, the hazy, floral and citrusy brew that has taken the craft beer scene by storm in recent years.
“You can’t have a brewery these days, especially in this area, without having a very solid New England-style IPA,” said Aaron Share, co-founder and brewer at To Share Brewing Co. in Manchester. “I mean, our Gold Civic New England IPA probably makes up 40 percent of our sales. … We brew it about every three weeks.”
At Feathered Friend Brewing Co. in Concord, owner Tucker Jadczak estimates more than two-thirds of the beers they’ve put out since opening their doors in March 2022 have been New England IPAs. The brewery has a rotating roster of options available throughout the course of the year. Even currently, four out of their 12 taps, Jadczak said, are of that distinctly hazy variety.
In Londonderry, Pipe Dream Brewing keeps around 20 different IPA options in rotation, according to assistant brewer and can artist Curtis Dopson, several of which are New England-style.
Share said he views the New England IPA as a sort of gateway beer for many people.
Li’l Irie session IPA from Pipe Dream Brewing in Londonderry. Courtesy photo.
“I get this a lot, where people come into the brewery and they say, ‘Oh, I don’t like IPAs,’ and a lot of times what they’re thinking of is the IPAs from the ’90s or the 2000s, where there was this race to get the highest IBUs [International Bitterness Units], so the most bitterness you can get out of it,” Share said. “And then so I’ll say, ‘Well, try this instead,’ and I’ll hand them our Gold Civic, [which] has flavors of mango and tangerine and things like that. Then they’re kind of wowed because it’s not this bitter bomb. Instead, you’ve got these nice fruit flavors.”
Indeed, the New England IPA is a relatively new concept within the overall craft beer landscape. Here’s a look at how this juicy beer has come to dominate tasting rooms in New Hampshire and beyond, as well as how it differs in flavor, aroma and color from other popular IPA pourings.
What’s in a name?
The term “IPA” stands for India pale ale, although the style did not originate in India, but rather in England. According to Share, the story goes that, during the height of the British colonization of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th and 19th centuries, shipping merchants would brew strong, heavily hopped beers designed to survive the long voyages between England and what is now India. The pinecone-like hop plant, also known as humulus lupulus, has many varieties and is an essential ingredient in craft beers, especially IPAs.
“They realized that adding more hops to the beer actually preserves the beer, because there are some antimicrobial and antibacterial properties that the hops help,” Share said. “So, they started adding more hops to their beer to ship it to India, and that’s where the term IPA came from.”
The popularization of the style would eventually migrate to the United States, and it became prominent by the mid- to late 1990s and early 2000s, especially in California and the Pacific Northwest — the latter continues to be one of the largest hop-growing regions in the country, said Brian Parda, sales and marketing manager for Great North Aleworks in Manchester.
While the term “IPA” has been muddied over the years since, Parda said that today it generally refers to any type of hop-forward beer.
“[The hops] are kind of the main feature of the beer, the star of the show, in an IPA. Every IPA that we make has more than one variety. It’s usually a combination of varieties,” Parda said. “Then when you get into what is ‘hoppy,’ I think that means different things to different people. Hops can be anywhere from kind of spicy, earthy and grassy all the way to fruity. … New hops are being developed all the time from all kinds of breeding programs … to create new expressions.”
Ali Leleszi, who has owned Rockingham Brewing Co. in Derry with her husband, Rob, since February 2015, said that while all beers are made with hops, it is their flavor profiles that set them apart from other beers.
“There’s only like one big change for an IPA versus any other beer, and it’s the amount of hops you add and when,” Leleszi said.
Hops are grown all over the country and the world today, including even New Hampshire. Share said part of the fun of being a craft brewer involves experimenting and playing around with different hop varieties, not only for IPAs but for a wide array of other beer styles.
“The vendors that sell hops, their sales reps will come around and give you little sample packs of the hop so you can try them out,” he said. “What you can do is you can open the package up and kind of crush it in your fingers and you can smell it, and then get kind of an idea of what the aroma is going to be.”
Concord Craft Brewing Co. brews several IPA options, according to owner Dennis Molnar — they are perhaps best known for Safe Space, a New England IPA that is available in more than 500 stores and 300 restaurants and bars across New Hampshire.
Concord Craft also pours brews, like Conquered (a single New England IPA), Finding NEIPA and Safer Space (session IPAs, defined by their lower alcohol by volume), and Double Safe Space (a double IPA, popular over the last 15 years and characterized by its higher ABV).
“West Coast and other IPAs tend to be filtered or packaged without most of the hops and yeast,” Molnar said in an email. “It is actually quite challenging to brew and package a beer with haze that stays consistently suspended over time.”
Traditionally, and especially prior to the rise of the New England IPA, Parda said, the bitterness of added hops served as a balancing agent to the sweetness of a beer’s malt.
“A perfectly balanced beer has the best of both of those, where you’ll go, ‘Oh, wow, this is really smooth and really refreshing.’ All of that comes from the back and forth between the bitterness and the sweetness,” Parda said.
Not only the varieties of the hops themselves but the combinations of certain varieties, and even at what point they are added in the brewing process, aid in creating different flavor profiles of a beer. These, Share said, are all among the factors for how the New England IPA would eventually be created.
The haze craze
A New England IPA is commonly characterized by several factors — its hazy, opaque appearance, milky yellow or straw-like color, soft mouthfeel and juicy, fruity or citrus flavors.
“You get very strong, juicy aromas from the hops, and typical flavor notes include anything from sweet citrus to tropical fruit like pineapple, guava or mango,” Dopson said in an email. “[They have] little to no bitterness and little to no malt profile; all you taste is the hops.”
One of the earliest brews credited with popularizing this style is known as Heady Topper, an IPA produced by The Alchemist, a brewery that originally opened in Waterbury, Vermont, in 2003.
“What they revolutionized in the beer market is something that we call dry-hopping, or more specifically, adding hops at the peak of the fermentation of a beer,” Jadczak said.
Heavy Weight double IPA from Kettlehead Brewing Co. in Tilton. Courtesy photo.
Hops can be added in at various times of the brewing process, according to Scott Karlen, a former firefighter and the current head brewer at TaleSpinner Brewery in Nashua, but dry hopping is key to the creation of a New England IPA. The first step in making beer, Karlen said, is putting the wheat through a mill, and opening the shell of the grain, exposing the endosperm. The endosperm is then broken down into fermentable sugars by mixing the grain and hot water in a mash tun.
“The different temperatures in the mash create different sugar contents,” Karlen said. “If we go at a higher mash temperature, we create a sweet beer. At a lower mash temperature we create a drier beer.”
The mash is then circulated, rinsed, boiled, and spun during what’s called the whirlpooling process. Karlen prefers to do this at a cooler temperature, in order to extract more hop oils and for flavor and less bitterness. Once the mixture is cooled, it goes into a fermenter and yeast is added. It is at this point that hops would be added for the dry hopping method.
“We add them in at warmer temperatures, so about 68 degrees, where a lot of dry hopping back in the older days of brewing used to be at like 30 degrees,” Karlen said. “At warmer temperatures we found a thing called biotransformation occurs and the yeast and the hops start to interact, creating … those tropical fruit flavors. This is really to me [where] all that big hop flavor comes from in a New England IPA.”
Different hops known for imparting more of a fruity flavor, Share said, are also commonly used.
“A traditional hop for a New England-style IPA is one that’s called Citra. It’s kind of known for that. You see Citra hops and a lot of times it’s going to be in a New England-style IPA,” Share said. “Galaxy is another one. That’s an Australian hop that gives a distinct pineapple flavor.”
To Share Brewing Co.’s flagship beer, the Gold Civic New England IPA, is dry-hopped with Mosaic and Azacca hops, Share said, two other varieties known for imparting fruity notes.
While it’s named for its place of origin, a New England IPA does not necessarily need to be brewed in New England; in fact, its popularity has spread all over the country. As recently as 2018 the Brewers Association officially recognized the juicy or hazy IPA as its own separate beer style for the first time.
“You go to any brewery, almost anywhere in the country now, and they’re going to have at least one hazy IPA on,” Share said. “Back then, people expected clear beers, but now, the haze is what people look for. They want to see their hazy IPAs, and so it’s really evolved since then.”
Among the craft brew offerings at Great North Aleworks are a series of New England IPAs called Hazy Rotation — each features a distinct combination of hops.
“Every three months we release a new batch of Hazy Rotation with a new blend of hops,” Parda said. “It’s an opportunity for us to experiment with different hop blends and combinations.”
At Feathered Friend, Jadczak similarly features a rotating lineup of options, starting with Second Sun, its flagship IPA, before then introducing Let It Be and So Says I around the middle part of the year — Let It Be is a hazy New England IPA made with Cashmere and Citra hops, while So Says I utilizes Nelson Sauvin, a hop known for pulling a white wine-like flavor profile.
Because of the amount of hops that are often used and when they are added to the beer, Jadczak said New England IPAs are best enjoyed as fresh as possible.
“After a certain amount of time the flavors from the hops start to fall off of the beer,” he said. “You want to keep it stored cold, as well. That’s how you preserve the flavor of the beer.”
Where to enjoy New England IPAs
Here’s a list of craft breweries in southern New Hampshire that offer their own IPAs, with styles that run the gamut from New England to West Coast. Check out their tap lists for the most up-to-date details on the availability of each brew.
603 Brewery & Beer Hall 42 Main St., Londonderry, 404-6123, 603brewery.com Try this brew: Scenic Session, a New England IPA dry-hopped with Mosaic and Azacca hops
Able Ebenezer Brewing Co. 31 Columbia Circle, Merrimack, 844-223-2253, ableebenezer.com Try this brew: Glory Not the Prey, a hazy IPA dry-hopped exclusively with Citra hops
Backyard Brewery & Kitchen 1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-3545, backyardbrewerynh.com Try this brew: Full Send, a New England IPA and collaboration beer with the New England Mountain Bike Association
Blasty Bough Brewing Co. 3 Griffin Road, Epsom, 724-3636, blastybough.com Try this brew: Boonie-Cruiser, a juicy New England IPA dry-hopped with Centennial hops
Border Brewery & Barbecue 224 N. Broadway, Salem, 216-9134, borderbrewsupply.com Try this brew: Border Brewery’s New England IPA bears the juicy aromas of grapefruit and pineapple, and also features bright citrus notes
Candia Road Brewing Co. 840 Candia Road, Manchester, 935-8123, candiaroadbrewingco.com Try this brew: Tree Streets, a New England IPA featuring Ella and Belma hops
Canterbury Aleworks 305 Baptist Hill Road, Canterbury, 491-4539, canterburyaleworks.com Try this brew: Galaxius Maximus, a New England IPA featuring Galaxy hops
Concord Craft Brewing Co. 117 Storrs St., Concord, 856-7625, concordcraftbrewing.com Try this brew: Safe Space, a New England IPA with a full mouthfeel and bursting flavor of tropical fruit
The Czar’s Brewery 2 Center St., Exeter, 583-5539, theczarsbrewery.com Try this brew: Flabbergasted and Bewildered, two popular New England IPA options
Daydreaming Brewing Co. 1½ E. Broadway, Derry, 965-3454, daydreaming.beer Try this brew: Awareness, a New England IPA with passion fruit, orange and guava flavors
Feathered Friend Brewing Co. 231 S. Main St., Concord, 715-2347, featheredfriendbrewing.com Try this brew: Let It Be, a New England IPA featuring Cashmere and Citra hops
The Flying Goose Brew Pub & Grille 40 Andover Road, New London, 526-6899, flyinggoose.com Try this brew: Rags to Riches, a hazy IPA brewed with Galaxy and Enigma hops
From the Barrel Brewing Co. 1 Corporate Park Drive, No. 16, Derry, 328-1896, drinkftb.com Try this brew: Back on the Train, a New England IPA with Citra and El Dorado hops
Great Blue Brewing Co. 84 N. Water St., Boscawen, find them on Facebook Try this brew: Fire Tail Finch, a New England Double IPA featuring a blend of Australian and New Zealand hops like Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin and Vic Secret
Great North Aleworks 1050 Holt Ave., No. 14, Manchester, 858-5789, greatnorthaleworks.com Try this brew: Hazy Rotation, a rotating series of New England IPA varieties featured throughout the year. Available right now is a New England IPA with a blend of Mandarina Bavaria and Simcoe hops.
Henniker Brewing Co. 129 Centervale Road, Henniker, 428-3579, hennikerbrewing.com Try this brew: Granite Trail, a piney New England IPA with a citrus-sweet aroma
Kelsen Brewing Co. 80 N. High St., No. 3, Derry, 965-3708, kelsenbrewing.com Try this brew: Battle Axe, Kelsen’s flagship beer, is an IPA featuring a variety of American and Australian hops that create notes of pineapple and citrus fruits
Kettlehead Brewing Co. 407 W. Main St., Tilton, 286-8100, kettleheadbrewing.com Try this brew: The Agent, Kettlehead’s flagship beer, is double dry-hopped and features orange and grapefruit flavors and a malty backbone
Liquid Therapy 14B Court St., Nashua, 402-9391, liquidtherapynh.com Try this brew: Light Therapy, a New England Double IPA with notes of cream, citrus and gentle oak tannins
Lithermans Limited Brewery 126B Hall St., Concord, 219-0784, lithermans.beer Try this brew: Misguided Angel, Lithermans’ flagship New England IPA, is brewed with Golden Promise, Oats, Vienna and Wheat malt, and double dry-hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic hops
The Loft Brewing Co. 241 Union Square, Milford, 672-2270, pastaloft.com/brewery Try this brew: Weekend Hangover, a New England IPA dry-hopped with Mosaic, Citra and Amarillo hops
Long Blue Cat Brewing Co. 298 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 818-8068, longbluecat.com Try this brew: Latchkey is a New England IPA known as Long Blue Cat’s flagship beer, while other options include Big Blue, a New England-style Double IPA; and Hopical Island, a West Coast and New England-style hybrid IPA
Martha’s Exchange Restaurant & Brewery 185 Main St., Nashua, 883-8781, marthas-exchange.com Try this brew: Green Dragon, an IPA brewed with “monstrous amounts” of aromatic Citra hops
Millyard Brewery 25 E. Otterson St., Nashua, 722-0104, millyardbrewery.com Try this brew: Karaka, a hazy New England IPA featuring a mix of New Zealand hops and a juicy orange and fruit punch flavor
Mountain Base Brewery 553 Mast Road, Goffstown, 935-7132, mountainbasebrewery.com Try this brew: South Peak, a New England Double IPA, is Mountain Base’s flagship beer, featuring juicy grapefruit notes and lemon and honey flavors.
Northwoods Brewing Co. 1334 First New Hampshire Turnpike, Northwood, 942-6400, northwoodsbrewingcompany.com Try this brew: Preservation Line, an IPA brewed with Mosaic and Citra hops and featuring notes of mango and guava fruits
Odd Fellows Brewing Co. 124 Main St., Nashua, 521-8129, oddfellowsbrewery.com Try this brew: Vision, a citrusy, fruity New England IPA
Oddball Brewing Co. 6 Glass St., Suncook, 210-5654, oddballbrewingnh.com Try this brew: Ignition, a New England IPA double dry-hopped with Azacca and Idaho Gem hops and boasting juicy pineapple and mango flavors
Ogie Brewing 12 South St., Milford, 249-5513, find them on Facebook @ogiebrewing Try this brew: Good Blaster, Ogie Brewing’s newest hazy, citrusy IPA
Out.Haus Ales 442 1st New Hampshire Turnpike, Northwood, 942-6036, outhausales.com Try this brew: NúDIPA, a New England-style Double IPA with juicy mango flavors
Pipe Dream Brewing 49 Harvey Road, Londonderry, 404-0751, pipedreambrewingnh.com Try this brew: Straight Outta Quarantine, a New England IPA with a unique tropical hop blend
Rockingham Brewing Co. 1 Corporate Park Drive, No. 1, Derry, 216-2324, rockinghambrewing.com Try this brew: Hammer Time, an easy-drinking New England IPA heavily hopped with El Dorado, Citra and Cashmere hops, producing notes of candied orange, melon, tangerine and lemon lime
Sawbelly Brewing 156 Epping Road, Exeter, 583-5080, sawbelly.com Try this brew: Eastbound Galaxy, a New England IPA featuring Citra and Galaxy hops
Spyglass Brewing Co. 306 Innovative Way, Nashua, 546-2965, spyglassbrewing.com Try this brew: Binary Stars, a New England IPA featuring Citra and Galaxy hops
TaleSpinner Brewing Co. 57 Factory St., Suite B, Nashua, 318-3221, ramblingtale.com Try this brew: Coosane, a New England IPA featuring Citra and Mosaic hops
To Share Brewing Co. 720 Union St., Manchester, 836-6947, tosharebrewing.com Try this brew: Gold Civic, a New England IPA featuring Mosaic and Azacca hops
Topwater Brewing 748 Calef Hwy., Barrington, 664-5444, topwaterbrewingco.com Try this brew: Simple Life, Topwater’s flagship beer, is a New England IPA featuring Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe hops
Twin Barns Brewing Co. 194 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-0876, twinbarnsbrewing.com Try this brew: Palmer’s Town, one of Twin Barns’ flagship New England IPAs, features a tropical and citrusy flavor, while the other, Lake Cruiser, is known for its piney character.
Vulgar Brewing Co. 378 Central St., Franklin, 333-1439, vbc.beer Try this brew: Mill City, a juicy New England IPA with tropical notes of papaya, pineapple and creamy peach and a citrus finish from a mix of Ekauanot, Mosaic and an experimental hop.
Find your IPA
Here’s a short glossary of IPA terms commonly found on the tap lists of local breweries, defined by owners and brewers themselves.
American IPA: The term “American IPA,” according to Aaron Share of To Share Brewing Co. in Manchester, is generally used as a catch-all for a wide range of hop-forward pale ales. “We have one on tap right now that we call an American IPA which is Not an Exit,” Share said. “We’ve made it with kind of a West Coast-style malt bill, but the hops that we use and the way that we use them are more of a New England-style.”
Black IPA: Rather than the straw-like golden color of its New England-style cousin, a black IPA is known for being very dark brown, almost black, in appearance. “A black IPA … would be an IPA made with some dark malts, so it’s almost got a darker appearance like a stout or a porter, but it’s still very hoppy,” Share said.
Brut IPA: This IPA is known for being very dry, with a mouthfeel almost like that of a Champagne, according to Tucker Jadczak of Feathered Friend Brewing Co. in Concord.
Cold IPA: Brian Parda, sales and marketing manager for Great North Aleworks in Manchester, said a cold IPA is a kind of IPA and lager hybrid that was born out of the Pacific Northwest. “The temperatures are a little cooler than [what is] typical of an IPA fermentation,” he said.
Double IPA: Also known as an Imperial IPA, this a stronger version of any kind of regular IPA with a typically higher alcohol by volume. “The term ‘imperial’ just denotes very high alcohol, [it] doesn’t matter what beer style,” Curtis Dopson, assistant brewer and can artist of Pipe Dream Brewing in Londonderry, said in an email.
English IPA: Unlike the hoppiness of its New England counterpart across the Atlantic, Jadczak said an English IPA tends to be more malt-forward.
Milkshake IPA: An offshoot of the New England IPA, the milkshake IPA adds lactose and occasionally fruit to give it a creamier flavor, Jadczak said.
New England IPA: It’s generally accepted that this style of IPA originated in Vermont in the early 2000s. Share said this brew is best characterized by its hazy, opaque appearance, milky yellow or straw-like color, soft mouthfeel and juicy, fruity or citrus flavors.
Session IPA: Like double or imperial, “session” is a term that can be applied to any style of IPA. “It just means they are lighter in alcohol,” Share said. “It’s sessionable, meaning you can drink multiple ones in a drinking session. That’s where that came from. … We do a New England-style session IPA every now and then.”
Triple IPA: A Triple IPA is characterized by a high ABV, even higher than what would be considered a Double IPA. “As a general rule of thumb, an IPA goes up to anywhere from 5 to, say, 7, 7-and-a-half [percent ABV] and then once you get over 7-and-a-half, you’re getting into the Double IPA range,” Share said. “You get over into like 9 or 10 percent, then it would be more like a Triple IPA.”
West Coast IPA: West Coast IPAs are typically more balanced between their malt and hop profiles. “They tend to be much, much less opaque, almost clear, with little to no haze in appearance,” Dopson said. “They typically last much longer before the hops diminish, due to when hops are added to the beer. You … get much softer and more floral aromas and a much more bitter flavor profile.”
Featured photo: Tree Streets New England IPA from Candia Road Brewing Co. in Manchester. Courtesy photo.
Tonight is Cue Zero Theatre Co.’s opening night of Be More Chillat the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway). The show is a sci-fi coming-of-age story about listening to the voices in your head. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Additional performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 25. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased at cztheatre.com.
Saturday, June 24
Visit The Big Little Garden (11 Brackenwood Drive, Nashua) for the garden conservatory’s Open Days and Plant Sale event today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The garden will be open for people to take walking tours, and the plant sale will have a variety of local plants for people to choose from. Proceeds from the plant sale will go to Kitty Angels, a no-kill cat rescue, shelter and adoption agency, and to Merrimack Community Hospice House. Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased at thebiglittlegarden.com.
Saturday, June 24
Join in the fun at Nashua’s Pride Festival on Saturday, June 24, at 2 p.m. The main location for the festival will be in the parking lot of the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St.). The festival begins with a parade starting at the Elm Street School (117 Elm St.) and traveling down Main Street. For more information about this event, visit nashuanh.gov.
Saturday, June 24
Celebrate man’s best friend at the Second Annual Good Dogs Fest today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Northwoods Brewing Co. (1334 First NH Turnpike, Northwood). The festival will have more than 30 artists selling their wares, as well as live music and other entertainment. At 2 p.m., there will be a Pet Gala Costume Walk, and all leashed dogs are invited to participate. Mary’s Dogs, a local rescue and adoption agency, will be on site with dogs looking for a forever home. For more information, visit northwoodsbrewingcompany.com.
Sunday, June 25
Attend the ARTalk at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) today at 2 p.m. The talk will be with photographer Gary Samson, a former Artist Laureate of New Hampshire, and will focus on the exhibition “Seeing is Not Believing: Ambiguity in Photography.” This is the final week for this exhibit. Registration for the program costs $15 and can be done at currier.org.
Tuesday, June 27
The Shana Stack Band is performing at the Angela Robinson Bandstand in Henniker today at 6:30 p.m. The six-piece country band has won several awards, including Country Band of the Year and the Fans Choice Award by the Independent Country Music Association. For more information about this event, visit henniker.org.
Save the Date! Friday, July 14 It’s the first day of NASCAR Weekend at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1122 Route 106, Loudon). The weekend will be packed with high-octane entertainment, including the annual “Magic Mile” Crayon 301 on Sunday, July 16, at 2:30 p.m. The ticket gates open at 11 a.m. on all three days. Adult tickets cost $59, kids ages 12 and younger are $10. Visit nhms.com for more information or to purchase tickets.
