Colin Finn, the founder of Coös Brewing Company, stands behind the bar in his brewery in Colebrook, New Hampshire. Three beer taps stick out of the dark wall behind him, with several rows of small tasting glasses on a counter underneath. To his right, an area about the size of a single bay at a small auto repair shop is filled with stainless steel kegs, large bags of hops, and rows of tall beer cans waiting to be filled.

“I’ll give you a tour,” says Finn. Staying behind the bar, he points over to the kegs, bags of hops, and large, shiny tanks, and laughs. “There it is.”

Located in a building not much larger than someone’s garage, Coös Brewing Company is certainly a small brewery. But what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in taste. Coös Brewing offers several flavorful craft brews that Finn hopes will add to the character of the North Country region he loves and grew up in, a region he hopes will become as popular for its own craft beer as it is for its wide array of outdoor activities.

Finn officially opened the brewery in May. It’s located in the center of Colebrook, but unless you know where to look, you might miss it. The brewery is on Merrill Street, a small side street that runs off of Route 3 as it passes through the center of town. The building itself is set back about a hundred feet off Merrill Street in a small building that used to be a garage for an ice cream truck. A large sign over the door is the only thing that lets people know a brewery is there, unless the large bay door is open to give passersby a view at the brewing equipment inside.

A native of Columbia, New Hampshire – a town just south of Colebrook – Finn became passionate about craft beers while living for a while in Burlington, Vermont, a place that is legendary for its craft beer scene. While many craft beer enthusiasts talk about someday opening their own brewery, Finn wanted to make it a reality. He ended up learning from the best. He got an internship with Vermont’s Hill Farmstead Brewery, a brewery that has been named the best brewery in the world the last four years and five of the last six years by RateBeer.com, the world’s largest, most popular beer review and rating website.

Following the internship, Finn decided that rather than open another brewery in Vermont, he wanted to bring craft beer to his home region of northern Coos County, which didn’t have a brewery of its own. “We deserve good beer,” says Finn. “So I opened the brewery.”

Finn wasn’t sure how the local community would take to craft beer, so he started small. He says people who aren’t familiar with craft beer can sometimes be intimidated by it because they think it’s going to be too dark or they think you need to know the jargon to drink it and talk about it.

“I just tell them ‘Taste it.’ You know good beer by taste,” says Finn. “Everybody will know when they taste the beer whether it’s good or not. And that’s the only standard you need.”

There’s something about riding through the woods that’s in our DNA.

When you were a kid – regardless of whether your preferred mode of transportation was a bicycle, go cart or even a motorized dirt bike – there’s a good chance you enjoyed the thrill of cruising over a wooded trail with friends, kicking up clouds of dirt, getting jostled as you leapt and dropped over rocks and bumps.

Today, you likely have a job, a mortgage, maybe even kids of your own. But there’s probably a part of you that never truly outgrew that love of speed and adventure.

There’s no need to deny yourself that fun, no matter what your age. In fact, thanks to the rising popularity of ATVs, you have lots of great opportunities to enjoy motoring over wooded trails today. And it makes a great family activity.

Arguably the best place to ride is up in northern New Hampshire, where you can enjoy more than 1,000 miles of interconnected ATV trails known as the Ride the Wilds trail system.

As the largest ATV trail system in the Northeast, the Ride the Wilds trails offer something for every kind of rider, whether you’re a novice looking to enjoy a gentle ride or an experienced driver seeking the adrenaline rush of challenging trails and rugged climbs. The trails are open each year from Memorial Day Weekend through the end of September.

With so many miles of trails in the Ride the Wilds system, riders can cruise for days on end without getting bored or having to ride the same trails over again. The trails weave through the vast wilderness of the North Country, providing ATV riders with breathtaking views of mountains, fields, forests and waterways.

Communities along the trail system allow ATVs to use many town roads to access services or connect to other trails, making it easy for riders to fuel up or get something to eat when they need to.

If you don’t have your own ATV, don’t worry. You can still enjoy the trails thanks to several local businesses that rent ATVs. Among them are Bear Rock Adventures in Pittsburg, and Let’s Ride Rentals in Stewartstown.

This September, as the trees of the North Country transform from green to a brilliant mixture of red, orange and yellow, athletes from around New England will flock to the region to test themselves in one of the most challenging and enjoyable athletic events in the Northeast.
The Metallak Race is a unique three-stage endurance event that involves mountain biking, kayaking and running (or, maybe, walking) along a course that winds through some of the most beautiful areas in northern New Hampshire. Popular among both experienced racers and first-time athletes, the scenic race is an outdoor-lover’s dream.
The race combines many of the concepts of a traditional adventure race with a well-marked route, so competitors don’t need to navigate the terrain on their own. Athletes can choose between the 8-hour course, which is nearly 50 miles long, or the 4-hour course, which covers nearly 30 miles. They can also choose to race solo, as a two-person tandem team or as part of a relay team of up to four members.
Much of the biking during the race will take place on trails and roads. Because of the varied terrain, mountain bikes are recommended, but competitors can also use gravel bikes.
You don’t need to own a canoe or kayak to take part in the paddling portion of the race. Boats are provided for racers, with solo racers paddling in kayaks and teams using canoes.
Both courses begin and end at Mohawk Falls, where on-site camping will be available. Mohawk Falls will also have local food, craft beer and a spectator-friendly race transition area, making the event as fun for friends and family as it is for the racers they are cheering on.
This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, September 15. To learn more about the Metallak Race, visit the race website at www.metallakrace.com.