Top New Breweries
(less than three years old)
Notch Brewing (Salem, Massachusetts) is as close to brewery perfection (of this size) that I’ve come across. Brewer/Owner Chris Lohring is an industry veteran who after years of working for others (and then contracting out his canned session beers) hung out his own shingle. Only lagers and Pilsners of lower ABV strength. Grab a liter, sit along the canal, and bask in the company of good friends and beer.
Hoops Brewing Co. (Duluth, Minnesota): After a career spent producing flavorful ales and lagers at Fitger’s Brewing Co., a Minnesota mainstay, Dave Hoops opened his own brewery on the site of a former steakhouse in a hotel lobby near the shores of Lake Superior. With up to twenty beers on tap at any given time, he’s done away with clever names and opted to have us order by number. From his pale ales to wizenbocks, barleywines, and pilsners, a respected brewer has given us a sprawling and comfortable place to taste the diversity of beers.