Photo Courtesy of Dan Mathers
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.
“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.
Photo Courtesy of Dan Mathers
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.
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.
Photo Courtesy of Dan Mathers
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.”
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.”
Photo Courtesy of Dan Mathers
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