BREWERY SCENE
by Jeff Rogers
EXETER, NH – Walk west from the band stand on Water Street in Exeter (it’s not a long street), and you will soon pass Water Street Books on your right. After you pause for that irresistible distraction, continue on and soon you’ll see Center Street forming a T with Water Street, coming in from the left. Turn left and take a few steps up Center Street. You’ll see welcoming chairs set up along the side of the building housing Citizens Bank. Pass these chairs and you’ll soon see your destination, Czar’s Brewery, on your left.
The Space
Go inside and you’ll see a comfortable space, neither huge nor tiny, with plenty of wooden tables and chairs and a small bar with six stools at the back. The right wall has two highly positioned windows providing light.
The left wall features a sign saying “Wall of Gratitude” along with four chalk boards crammed with innumerable things, each making someone happy. When I visited recently, at least three tables were filled with groups of drinkers. I dropped my jacket on the back of a chair and approached the bar where three clients were already seated.
One of the two young men behind the bar approached me right away. I asked if they did flights or small pours. “Sure, we can do that, we have 5 ounce glasses,” he said, followed by “What would you like?” I asked for a minute as my eyes were still roving over the wall behind the bar, scanning the many and widely spaced individual signs describing their beers.
The first one to hook my attention was a Marzen named SpaceX: Oddity. The drinker on the stool to my right volunteered, “Excellent choice, that’s my favorite beer here.” He then recommended several others, starting with Bleek Maanlicht (Pale Moonlight in Dutch), describing its subtle flavors lovingly. He also recommended Abdiy Weg (Abby Road, again in Dutch), but cautioned me on its high ABV. I added each of those to my selection with the bartender. Finally, I added Vienna Waits. Later I would also try Smiling Eyes.
As I stood by the bar and completed my selection with the bartender, my friendly neighbor invited me to join him at the bar. “Sure, just let me grab my jacket.” I walked back past a large table of six 50+ year-old men, retrieved my jacket and headed back to the bar, where I pulled out the stool and draped my jacket over the back. As I sat on the stool and scooted up to the bar, my neighbor volunteered that his name was Jeff. What are the odds, I wondered.
“Did you say Jim?” I asked as confirmation. “No, Jeff,” he replied. “My name’s Jeff, too,” I said as we shook hands. Then we had the conversation about “-ery” vs. “-rey” and he told me how, as a small child, he’d encountered a school teacher who’d informed him that he was misspelling his name. He could still remember feeling mortified. Days later at a parent-teacher conference his mom let that teacher know that her son was spelling his name precisely the way they intended and that there was nothing wrong about it. Good for her! We then both agreed we were happy our names began with J instead of G. (No offense to readers named Geoff!)
Jeff had plenty of stories, and I have a strong suspicion there were plenty more I didn’t hear. Of all the places I’ve visited for this column, this one had the most feeling yet of a second home, conjuring the Cheers theme song line “where everybody knows your name.” Certainly while I was there I heard the bartenders greet many clients by name. And Jeff looked at one of the bartenders (whose name Jeff knew well) and asked, “If I were to just walk in the door, what would you pour me?” Without hesitation the bartender replied, “A Marzen.” Jeff smiled, happy to demonstrate how well people in the space knew each other.
At one point he pointed to the large table behind us holding the six men. “That’s known as The Table of Knowledge,” he said. “That’s where all the world’s problems get solved.”
Jeff had only returned to New Hampshire two years ago, after living in the Caribbean for 16 years, on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Jeff is a pilot, and had been contacted 18 years ago by an aircraft mechanic on Tortola who had a problem: they were spending way too much money replacing tires, and he needed to reduce that cost. Jeff asked a few questions, then asked for the mechanic to send him two close-up photographs: one showing the tread on a brand new tire, the other showing the tread on a tire that had just been replaced. Then he looked at common wind patterns over the island. Before long, he was on a plane to Tortola. Their pilots needed help with landing in crosswinds. This turned into a job offer that both he and his wife found hard to refuse. Before they knew what happened, Bob’s your uncle, and they were living on the island. He said it was mostly great, though the hurricanes could be pretty devastating.
After learning that I grew up in the tornado country of Indiana, Jeff described how he’d flown several times to Kendalville, IN, population 10,271, and landed on a strip surrounded by cornfields. He was able to fly from New Hampshire to Kendalville in about half the time it would take me to drive there. He said that was pretty typical for small aircraft, given (a) their greater speed and also that (b) they did not have to follow zig-zagging roads but could instead fly mostly in a straight line.
As our conversation went on, one of the men at the table behind us rose and approached Jeff with a question. Jeff took this opportunity to introduce me to Thaddeus. Later Jeff would emphasize what a regular Thaddeus was, adding, “Thaddeus even has his own cushion. Thad’s Pad.” I wasn’t sure whether that was my cue to groan.
The Food
The Czar’s has a wide variety of hot dogs, mac & cheese, sandwiches, soups, something called Russian Baklava, salads, and heroes with names like:
- Mad Myrna’s Monster Meatball Sub
- Thee Holy Hand Grenades Of Antioch (sliders)
- Darkness on the Edge of your Fork
After seeing those names & the accompanying descriptions, I regret that I did not sample their sandwich menu. But it’s a reason to return!
The Beers
- SpaceX: Oddity – Marzen … ABV – 7.0% — IBU – 19.8
- Abdij Weg – Belgian Tripel … ABV – 9.2% — IBU – 20.6
- Bleek Maanlicht – Belgian Pale Ale … ABV –? — IBU – ?
- Vienna Waits – Vienna Lager … ABV – 4.6% — IBU – 22.4
- Smiling Eyes Nitro – Irish Red Ale … ABV – 5.25% — IBU – 17.3
All were good, and the Marzen, SpaceX: Oddity was my favorite. After checking, the bartender disappointed me with the news that they had no cans to be taken home. Probably the only disappointment I had that day, so not bad!
Upcoming Festival Appearances
Czar’s will be participating in the following events:
1) Craft Beer Tasting Fundraiser
September 28, 6 – 9 PM ET at Czar’s Dover location
Twenty-One Senses will host a craft beer tasting fundraiser at The Czar’s Brewery in Dover. Enjoy the Czar’s finest offerings while learning how Twenty-One Senses is creating an inclusive community for individuals with invisible disabilities.
2) 12th Annual Powder Keg Beer & Chili Festival
October 5 · 12-4 pm
Swasey Parkway, Downtown Exeter, NH
3) Fifth annual New Hampshire Brewfest
October 12 from 12 – 4
Cisco Brewers, Portsmouth NH
Just the Facts
Czar’s Brewery is located at:
2 Center Street
Exeter NH 03833
Phone: 603 583 5539
Dogs are allowed outside
Hours:
- Sun Closed
- Mon Closed
- Tues 3 – 9
- Wed 3 – 9
- Thur 3 – 9
- Fri 2 – 9
- Sat 12 – 9
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