Tucked away in a mixed-use neighborhood in Portsmouth (homes, apartments, offices, shops) you will find (with a little perseverance) the true gem that is Liars Bench Beer Company. There you’ll find delicious fresh beer on tap, amazingly good food, and a beautiful biergarten out back under golden shade sails. Recently I stumbled across their pilsner at a restaurant in southern Maine, and it was exceedingly good. With a few taps on my phone, I discovered that I could easily visit the source on the way home. Presto! My agenda was set.
The Space
As you stroll west on Islington Street in Portsmouth, you will pass Goodwin Park on the south side of the street, beautiful in the spring. Continue on and soon you’ll come to Washburn Plumbing & Heating on the north side of the street at number 459. In the same building, but behind the plumbing contractor, is Liars Bench Beer Company. Look around the west side of the building and you’ll see the OPEN flag next to the entryway.
Stepping inside the front door will bring you into a vestibule. When we entered it was quite dark after the bright sun outside so we had to wait a moment for our eyes to adjust. Even after that, it was not immediately apparent which door led where, so we had to explore a bit. But we quickly found our way to the bar shown below, where some mellow down-tempo reggae was playing. This is a great room with some funky artwork spread around. The owners and team have curated a delightful visual space.
The same room has plenty of table seating and a door to the left of the bar that leads out to the biergarten. The server assured us we could sit wherever we wanted, inside or out, and she would be with us shortly. Given how gorgeous the weather was, after a few days of nearly non-stop rain, we opted for some outdoor seating, under a shade sail.
Outback three tables were occupied, and plenty were still available. We grabbed one and sure enough, the server came out and took our order right away.
The Food
While waiting for our beer we browsed the food menu. Being a fan of steak and cheese and also of portobello mushrooms, I naturally went for the Fungidelphia. My wife opted for the Falafel, requesting no pickled onion. Then we sat back to enjoy the sun, warmth, and our beers while we awaited our sandwiches. They arrived pretty quickly.
Both were delicious. I lost track of how many times my wife said, “This is SO good,” between bites or around a mouthful. I have to admit I said precisely the same thing several times. My sandwich was filled with enormous meaty slices of portobello, and plenty of melted cheese. It was a bit messy, and I asked for a fork so that I could feel a bit less like an animal. Our server was happy to oblige.
Just in case we had forgotten we were in New England, the Wachusett potato chips removed any doubt. Hidden under the sandwiches were two very crisp dill pickles. Perfect!
Even leaving out consideration of the beer (which was great), I would happily return here for the food alone. It was fantastic.
The Beer
To start us off, my wife ordered a
JOHN GRADY KÖLSCH — 4.8% ABV
while I ordered a
MILDRED — Dark English Mild — 4% ABV
Just like the sandwiches, both were delicious. The Kolsch was extremely flavorful, and the Dark English Mild was a tasty brown ale, but not heavy, actually light in texture. Both also made great accompaniments to our sandwiches.
To expand my sample I ordered a
FLOWER POT — Spring Saison — 6.5% ABV
Also very good, and quite different from our first two. A bit floral on the nose, decidedly so on the tongue. I had a bit of my sandwich left when the saison arrived, and I must admit that it was not a good match for the mushrooms and cheese. But I soon finished off the sandwich with the last of my Dark English Mild, then the saison was a great beer to have by itself. I’m also sure there are plenty of foods that would go well with it. As I write I’m thinking chocolate. But maybe that’s just because I like chocolate with just about anything.
So that was only three beers, plenty left to try on the menu. This was a great place, I look forward to visiting the seacoast again and including Liars Bench in my visit.
Just The Facts
Liars Bench Beer Co. is located at…
459 Islington St. #4
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: 603-294-9156
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Hours:
Sunday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Monday – Thursday: 11:30 am – 9 pm
Friday – Saturday: 11:30 am – 10 pm
Map
