Doug Pominville spent a decade plying his trade at Ballast Point Brewing, Fall Brewing and Thorn Brewing, before pulling up stakes and jetting across the country to head up brewing at 603 Brewery in Londonderry, New Hampshire. It was a bittersweet move for Pominville. Though he was returning to family and his old stomping grounds, as a popular and collaborative member of San Diego’s beer scene he was leaving behind the family he’d chosen. It’s been a year since he made the move, so we reached out to find out how he’s adjusted to life on the East Coast, what he’s brewing and who he’s collaborating with there.
How have things been in your first year at 603 Brewery?
It has been an amazing rollercoaster of an experience. Unlike beautiful sunny-and-70 San Diego, the industry in the northeast can be very seasonal. The pros are that we get to brew a much wider range of styles to match the seasons. In turn, I get to drink a lot more than IPA and crispy lagers. A challenge is that the business is very seasonal. We have a lull in the winter and go warp speed in the spring and summer.
Describe an ideal experience if we were to visit you at the 603’s Beer Hall right now?
When you first walk in you will be greeted by one of our amazing team members who will give you a run down of our layout, new releases and the specials we have going on. With 16 taps and three different bars, we are sure to have something for everyone. Start with our staff-favorite Beer Hall Lager to quench your thirst with something crispy and refreshing, then move on to our rotating New England IPA, Turn Table, to kick up the hop flavor. Next, cleanse your palate with one of our kettle sours brewed with my house culture, which made the journey here from San Diego. We currently have a fun collab on that was brewed with some good friends at Able Ebenezer using Skagit Valley maple smoked malt, peaches and Tahitian vanilla beans. After that you’ll want to go for our flagship IPA, 603, it’s a tropical fruit salad brewed with Mosaic, Citra, Motueka and Ekuanot hops. Finally for dessert, have the rum barrel-aged Mitz, an imperial stout named after our CEO (Cat Executive Officer). This beer was aged in Cutwater Spirits barrels for nine months, and then we added chocolate, coconut, coffee and Madagascar vanilla beans.
What are some cool projects you’ve worked on or initiatives you have coming up at 603 or elsewhere (collabs, events, etc.)?
One of my favorite things we did this past year was a 14-brewery collab we hosted here at 603 back in May to release for our ninth anniversary in June. It was a great way to bring some of the collaborative magic of San Diego to New Hampshire, and we will be doing that again this year. We will also be hosting a festival for our tenth anniversary next June with the release of a special double-barrel-aged cuvee, that is a blend of imperial stout aged in bourbon, rum and rye barrels blended with a barleywine aged in rye and bourbon barrels. The cuvee is currently aging in Merlot barrels from a local winery. We are also working with my good friend, Melanie Pierce, to bring everyone’s favorite pink-beer festival to New England!
What are some parallels and differences between San Diego and New Hampshire, as well as the West and East Coasts?
Everyone loves IPAs, especially well-made hazy IPAs, although I was also able to show folks in NH that a well made SD-style IPA can do just as good, if not better, than a hazy in this market. Like on the West Coast, the new beer drinkers are always looking for something fresh and exciting, so our E09 program always has a new beer coming out three-to-four times a month. The big difference is the seasons, and being able to brew a much wider range of styles. Last year, we actually sold 120 barrels of pumpkin beer in less than 48 hours.
What are some of the breweries and beer-centric spots you like to frequent in your area?
My go-to local brewery is To Share Brewing. They are making some consistently tasty beers and are set up in a residential neighborhood about one-and-a-half miles from my house. They are like my Fall Brewing on the East Coast. My other favorite place to go is Able Ebenezer Brewing, they treat everyone that comes in like family. It’s no coincidence that we’ve done collabs with both breweries this past year.
You came back to town for San Diego Beer Week. How was it?
That week went by so fast, and you can never have enough burritos. I ended up brewing a New England-style IPA at Fall Brewing with former 603 employee, Dan Ouellette. The beer is called Rainbow in the Dark after a song from NH native, the great Ronnie James Dio. Dan will be flying out to NH next year to brew a San Diego-style IPA with us as part of a 603 former brewer reunion tour to celebrate the brewery’s 10 years in business.