Fresh From the Farm
Slow down and taste the beer at Nye Hill Farm in Roxbury
In the age of fast food and instant gratification at every turn, Nye Hill Farm chooses to keep it slow. Specifically, it’s a proud member of the Slow Food Movement, which is all about connecting the increasingly disconnected population with where their food comes from and how it all impacts the world we share. At this Roxbury farm tucked into the rural corner of western New Hampshire, farming its organic produce is a true labor of love – and therefore isn't to be rushed.
And now, the Nye Hill team pours that same attention to detail into crafting its own beer.
The Brewers of Nye Hill Farm brew one 31-gallon barrel at a time. Their single-barrel, three-tank setup is nestled inside a barn overlooking the farm’s scenic orchard and pastures.
“We do our beer with organic ingredients and take our time to make sure the product comes out perfectly every time,” Nye Hill manager and brewer Sue Benik says. “Nothing about what we do is uniform.”
Since they started making beer last fall, Nye Hill Farm has brewed using ingredients from right here in New Hampshire and, of course, their own produce. The Maple Homestead Dark Mild Ale is made with real maple syrup from at the Maple Homestead Farm in Marlborough. The ale is fermented in the fresh syrup for a full 30 days before the masterpiece is complete. Old Gent, the brewery’s popular pale ale, is the signature beer. It is surprisingly smooth not overly bitter.
Unless you live in the area, then you’re going to have to travel to try these for yourself (we think it’s worth it). Nye Hill distributes to just three locations in Keene, including the Monadnock Food Co-op, BrewTopia craft brew store and Fireworks Restaurant. Nye Hill is also available at Harlow’s Pub in Peterborough. Keep an eye on the website – they note that availability is constantly expanding.
Benik says the brewery’s location alone has inspired many locals to taste Nye Hill beers.
“We’re local and that makes a big difference for a lot of people,” Benik says. “It dawns on people that they are drinking something from right around the corner. We are just a local farm with a brewery setup, and the town of Roxbury and the community as a whole has been really incredible to us.”
Nye Hill’s care and attention to crafting a great tasting product rather than aiming for mass production is a welcome reminder that places of its kind still exist. As computers and machines dominate more industries in a rush to win the race of bigger and faster, many New Hampshire residents are drawn to local, smaller-scale restaurants, breweries and farms that take exceptional care and pride in what they do.
That is what Nye Hill is all about – one barrel at a time.
