Maple for Adults
Leave the candy to the kids — enjoy your maple syrup infused with a grown-up beverage
Leave the leaf-shaped candy and pancakes to the kids and try these six local concoctions for a tipple infused with New Hampshire’s sweetest culinary export.
The Maple-Kissed Wheat Porter from Throwback Brewery in North Hampton is a smooth, velvety brew that won’t make your teeth ache. They call it “maple-kissed” for a reason — there’s just enough local maple syrup to impart nice flavor without making it too sweet. You can find it in some specialty beer stores or go direct to the source. Throwback’s brewing operations and brewpub are located in a gorgeous renovated barn on a historic farm.
Throwback Brewery
7 Hobbs Rd., North Hampton
(603) 379-2317
Blue Alchemy is a delicious way to warm up on a cold March night. This blueberry port-style wine celebrates the winery’s long history of making fine wine from blueberries. It is a deep, complex after-dinner wine that displays rich structure and body. 200 pounds of vanilla beans are hand-split and soaked in apple brandy for six months while the Blueberry wine ferments – then they come together with NH maple syrup for sweetness.
LaBelle Winery
345 Route 101, Amherst
(603) 672-9898
For wine drinkers, Zorvino Vineyards in Sandown created Mapplez, an apple wine with a hint of local maple syrup. Sample and purchase at their beautiful winery tasting room along with their selection of other fruit wines, red and white grape wines, blends and dessert wines.
Zorvino Vineyards
226 Main St., Sandown
(603) 887-8463
You’ll have to make the trip for this one as Woodstock Inn, Station & Brewery doesn’t bottle this seasonal and specialty brew. The Kanc Country Maple Porter is a dark, full-bodied porter with real maple syrup. It’s silky, smooth and well worth the drive. Plus, the Woodstock’s Best of NH award-winning restaurant is a great place to enjoy a burger along with your beer.
Woodstock Inn, Station & Brewery
135 Main St., North Woodstock
(603) 745-3951
Mead is wine made from honey, but despite its source, it isn’t sweet. Sap House Meadery in Center Ossipee has a Sugar Maple Mead that blends local honey and maple syrup. Again, you’re expecting sweet, but it’s really not. It has hints of caramel, apple cider, honey and a light touch of maple. This award-winning variety is delightful. You can find Sap House meads in some specialty shops, but you really should visit the new Mead Pub or stop in for a tasting and tour.
Sap House Meadery
6 Folsom Rd., Center Ossipee
(603) 539-1672
