Lithermans Brewing always wanted to be intentional and strategic in growth. The central New Hampshire brand recently announced that it will open a second location this month, this time on the Seacoast in Portsmouth.
“Our plan coming in was always to open a satellite taproom but our intention was to be strategic about the location so we could share our beer with more people,” said co-owner Chet Schrader. “It wasn’t ‘sped up’ per se, but we jumped on a real opportunity to be able to focus on Congress Street in Downtown Portsmouth.”
Founded in 2016 in Concord, Lithermans will be introducing its beer, music-inspired merchandise, and craft kitchen to the new location.
Schrader said this expansion will completely open up what they can do under their current brew system, and they said it would allow head Brewer Luca Giordano the opportunity to continue to be creative.
“We can run things at different times in the different taprooms,” Schrader said.
Lithermans did have some distribution in the Seacoast area already but this addition of a taproom versus just being a can on a shelf or a tap handle in a bar can help build more of a local base of fans.
“We’ve had patrons from Portsmouth that we know have visited us in Concord that we’ve already heard from,” Schrader said. “We’ve already been talking with some of the local businesses nearby about how we can collaborate.
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“We were really well known — and I’d like to think well respected — in Central New Hampshire,” Schrader said. “I’ve said all along that I feel like we offer really high-quality beers. I think being in Portsmouth just allows people to come try it for themselves. I’d like to think they’ll enjoy what we’re offering.”
It also means bringing in a new set of employees and hiring from the area can help cement that local bond.
“The key is building engagement with the new employees,” Schrader said. “Making sure we’re present and help set vision. If we do that, we’ll find people who will want to be part of the Lithermans family.”
Food is an added part of the experience that helps consumers be able to enjoy a place, Schrader said. With that, Lithermans also partnered with 603 BBQ — an authentic Texas-trained BBQ kitchen — to provide food at both its original flagship location in Concord as well as its satellite taproom in Portsmouth.
Concord will feature a bar menu consisting of smaller plates while Portsmouth will feature a full menu.
“We definitely think 603 BBQ is unique,” Schrader said. “Ben is creative with his offerings and so authentic in his style. The quality of his BBQ — I think — is among the best in New England. All that being said… it made it really easy for us to want to work together.”
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