MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Inside a butterscotch vinyl-sided Victorian edifice on the outskirts of Manchester, family-owned CANDIA ROAD BREWING COMPANY began operations way back in 2011. Originally a homebrew shop, Candia Road soon ventured into brewing the worthy Nepenthe Ales lineup of beer before upgrading its cozy facility.

The wood floored interior featured a five-seat stainless steel-topped bar with six draught handles, six community tables and low ceiling. At the left side brewroom, Mike Neel crafts his somewhat stylishly conventional elixirs.

I quaffed all seven available draughts at the large outdoor patio on my Saturday afternoon September ’22 junket.

Softly creamed pale lager, Homestyle, buttressed its delicate citrus sway with crisp mineral graining and bready sour mash respite.

Lemon-limed Skittles candied pale ale, Flow “N Glow – Single Hop, ventured thru wispy Columbus-hopped fungi earthiness and musky graining.    

Slightly lemon-soured plantain starching contrasted mildly spiced banana sweetness for Subtle Banana, a moderate-bodied wheat ale with herbal nuances.

Tart floral-daubed sumac spicing caressed the limey bergamot orange tartness and wavering acidulated malts of Pinky Tart Saison – Sumac, hiding its dry farmhouse rusticity.  

Soft-toned double dry-hopped NEIPA, Tina, let lemony orange-bruised pineapple and peach tanginess absorb mild pine resin above tidy pale malting.

Another fine NEIPA, Cone Zone, plied lemony orange, grapefruit and mango zesting plus subtle gooseberry, guava and papaya souring to minor piney herbage.

Dark chocolate syrup coated the nutty coffee bitterness and wispy earthen truffle pungency of creamy oatmeal stout, Squoke, drifting off into a whiskey-daubed Irish Car Bomb cocktail coupled with Yoo-Hoo soft drink by its pronounced cocoa bean finish.