Our Beer
The beer at the Northampton Brewery is made with the finest ingredients available. English 2-row malt and hops from the pacific northwest, along with water and brewer's yeast are what we use to create the many popular beers served through the taps at the Northampton Brewery. The variety of beers are as diverse as the range of people who enjoy them, so we strive to have a little something for everyone. You can find everything from a light bodied golden ale, refreshing crisp pale ale, delicious nut brown ale to rich creamy stout, and everything in between.
Our brewing system has a 10 barrel capacity which is 310 gallons or roughly 20 kegs of beer per batch. Our fermenters vary in size from 10, 20, and 30 barrels, which requires multiple batches from the brewhouse to fill them. Our many conditioning and serving tanks can hold up to 120 barrels (that's 29,760 pints), so we hope you're thirsty! Through the course of the year we make around 25 different styles of ales and lagers, consisting of our regular line-up and the many wonderful seasonal beers that rotate in depending on the time of year.
Year Round
- (Snow)(Sand)(No) Shovel ESB: This extra special bitter is a well balanced representation of the English style. This beer has a malty presence with a lingering hop finish.
- Altbier: Our Altbier is a deep copper colored, full bodied and generously hopped ale. It has the flavor complexity of an ale, the Nobel hop bouquet of a pils and the smooth finish of an Octoberfest.
- Black Cat Stout: A full bodied, rich and creamy, stout. It is deeply complex with lingering notes of roasted coffee. Great on its own, but even better with dessert.
- Blue Boots IPA: This East Coast-style India pale ale is everything you want an IPA to be; floral, hoppy, and bitter. A favorite of staff and regulars alike; try one and you’ll see why.
- Byzantine Blonde: After a long hiatus, this beautiful golden blonde is back! Slightly fruity with a dry crisp finish.
- Daniel Shays Best Bitter: This English style best bitter starts off malty on the palate and finishes hoppy; named for our area's historic "bitter" rebel.
- Golden Child: A touch of wheat malt gives this golden ale a light, crisp finish. American hops add a level of complexity to the palate making this beer truly the “Chosen One”.
- Golden Lager: Our version of a classic pilsner, light bodied and crisp finish with imported Czech saaz hops. Thirst quenching and smooth drinking.
- Hoover's Porter: This delicious, dark ruby colored ale is full bodied, with a roasted malt palette and plenty of hops to back it up.
- Northampton Pale Ale: A medium bodied, copper colored American pale. Well balanced, with a solid hop finish.
- Old Brown Dog: An old favorite, "a malty beer with a little hop bite" best describes this nut-brown ale. It won a silver medal at the 1989 Great American Beer Festival in the Brown Ales category.
- Paradise City Gold: A light bodied golden ale, crisp, easy drinkin' beer.
- Redheaded Stepchild: Our "adopted" version of an Irish red ale is medium bodied and surprisingly hoppy.
- Unquamonk Amber Lager: A crisp, slightly sweet version of a Vienna style lager. Imported Czech saaz hops lend a hint of spiciness to the finish. Compliments any meal or snack.
- Weizenheimer: Our version of a German style wheat beer. We use a 60/40 ratio of malted wheat to barley. Unfiltered and light bodied with just a hint of hops and citrus.
- Windbreaker Hefeweizen: Our unfiltered wheat beer made with a 70:30 ratio of malted wheat to malted barley. This beer is cloudy and full-bodied.
Specialty
- Alpha Project: A rotating series of pale ales with the same grain profile, intended to showcase a single hop variety which is used from bittering through to dry-hopping.
- Black Boots: The evil twin of our Blue Boots IPA, it's our first Black India pale ale. A dark ale that's anything but malty, it has all the hoppiness you expect from our IPAs
- Conundrum: This German-style Schwarzbier is our first black lager. Dark in color and light flavor, it’s as confusing as it is delicious.
- Dunkelweizen: A German style dark wheat beer. It has a light body despite its dark hue and is a touch hoppier than you might expect
- Forty-Love: A cream ale style beer fermented with 60 lbs of strawberries and dry hopped with 30 more lbs. Inspired by Wimbledon, this unique American beer style is very dry with a crisp, tart finish that has just the slightest hint of strawberries. Yum!
- Hoppily Ever After: A little sweet, a little bitter and complex, just like a relationship. Hopping gives this dry ale a great, citrus aroma. Brewed in celebration of a special wedding here at the Northampton Brewery.
- Hopzilla: An aggressive IPA brewed with 575 Lbs of grain in honor of our Beerku contest. Light, clean, and bitter; this hop monster is not for the faint of heart.
- Jess' Goodbye Rye: An India pale ale brewed with rye. It has a hoppy, spicy bite, a dry finish, and some say the bitter sweetness of a friend leaving. Brewed to commemorate 9 years of hard work.
- Magic Carpet Rye: A German style rye beer made with pilsner malt. Light in body, spicy with a crisp, dry finish, this is a summertime session beer. You’ll want more than one, and at 4.5% ABV, you can.
- Nonotuck IPA: The brewery’s original English-style India Pale ale has a pleasant balance of malt to soften the hops while still maintaining the bitter finish we love in the style.
- Spring Bock: A smooth, malty, medium-bodied lager.
- Spring Fling: Brewed specially for the opening of our deck, this IPA is light an low in alcohol. With a mild bitterness for the hop content, this ale invokes the green of spring.
- Wild Blue Funk: Take wild Maine blueberries and our funky Belgian yeast strain and add it to a Wit beer. The result is not too sweet and all together tantalizing.
Seasonal + High ABV
- Decadent Ale: This is a rich full-bodied English style strong ale, malty, hoppy and full strength. Originally made to commemorate our 10th anniversary.
- Double Take IPA: A amber colored double IPA with citrus and floral aromas, a hop lover’s dream! 9% ABV please enjoy responsibly.
- Graduation Ale: A light bodied wheat ale that has been fermented with fresh raspberries and strawberries.
- Humbug: Our Holiday ale for 2008 a hybrid IPA, darker in color with an intricate hop aroma. Strong enough for the holidays.
- Imperial Stout: Our imperial stout is as bold, black, and bitter as dark chocolate or French roast coffee…and just as addictive. 9% ABV. *Available in snifters only.
- Maggie's Wee Heavy: A wee heavy style Scotch ale with a rich, robust, malty pallet. Full strength, full bodied and full of flavor! Available in 12oz and 8oz sizes only: 8% ABV
- Mean Green: This double India Pale Ale is a hop hammer. Loads of hops and a solid malt backbone, this balanced ale is the dry-hopped until delicious.
- Oatmeal Stout: A deep rich stout made with organic rolled oats, this beer imparts a silky body and a smooth finish.
- Octoberfest: An authentic Marzenbier, this lager is full bodied with a red-copper color and nice malty palate.
- Parking Ban Porter: Our first rauch-style porter uses smoked malt from Bamberg, Germany. Dark, malty, and as enticing as a winter campfire, it will help you forget all about that flashing blue light.
- Pumpkin Ale: Made with lots of fresh sugar pumpkins in the mash, and pumpkin puree in the fermenter. It is then dry hopped with spices. This ale is light bodied with a mild sweetness from the malt and pumpkins, with a dry finish.
- Rabble Rouser: One who stirs the passion of the masses. An American barley wine that’s bigger, bolder, and hoppier than its British cousins. The solid malt foundation and generous hopping make for a dangerously drinkable beer at +10% ABV.
- Solstice D'ete: Our first ever Belgian! This light bodied, light colored ale has a crisp spiciness you want from a saison. Expect an earthy, funky smell reminiscent of a farmhouse ale.
- Steamer: This American original is a hybrid lager, which is fermented at ale temperatures. Dry hopping, which is a third addition of hops, gives it a crisp, refreshing finish. Only brewed once a year for St. Patrick’s Day so enjoy it while it’s on tap!
Now on Tap
Prototype #2 IPA
Oatmeal Kooky Stout
Graduation Ale
Daniel Shay's Best Bitter
Northampton American Pale Ale
Baltic Porter
Scuba's Marzen
~Collaboration Brew~
Twenty Six Two American Ale
~Guest Brew~
Element Dark Element
BBC Steel Rail
Smuttynose Start Island Single
*Guest Beer
Our brew kettle - where the magic happens.