Estimates vary, but since opening its doors two and a half years ago in Portsmouth, Earth Eagle Brewings has brewed somewhere around 75 beer varieties. What might be more impressive than the sheer volume of beers are the names bestowed upon them when they’re ready for the public. Whether it’s an oatmeal stout known as Ghetto Defiant or a gruit called Love Potion #9 — for its use of African and South America aphrodisiacs — the nanobrewery has been piquing patrons’ curiosity and taste buds. For an inside look at how Earth Eagle names its brews, we caught up with bar manager Sarah Bryan.
I’ve heard you describe what’s going on here as an “emotional experience.” What do you mean by that?
In a way, a lot of what we do is experimental. We like to pull from a lot of diverse environments for our ingredients. We have a house forager, who’s wonderful — her name is Jenna (Rozelle) — and she’s constantly traveling all over the Seacoast to find things for us. We use invasive species from time to time, so it’s really fun, and kind of a constant challenge, to see what we can and can’t brew with.
And what names you can give them?
The naming of the beer ties in a lot with our own personal history, the history of the area, the history of some of the ingredients we use, and there’s also a whimsical aspect to it. We’ve named beers after Roman gods, Greek gods, Aztec gods and goddesses. That being said, we’ve also named beers after the “Trailer Park Boys” show and in-house jokes, so it’s kind of a fun and constantly rotating process for us.
Estimates vary that from 60 to 80, maybe 100, original beers have come through here. What are some of your favorites?
My favorite off the top of my mind would have to be Samquanch, which is a lower alcohol sour gruit. It’s namesake (is) from “Trailer Park Boys,” a Canadian comedy show featuring mostly low-brow humor. It definitely reflects some of what we love to indulge in outside the business.
I’d imagine it’s hard keeping all these stories and names straight. Does it make your job trickier, because you find yourself explaining the names a lot?
I definitely think it’s part of the consumer experience for us. It does kind of lend our own personal take. We’re not exceptionally self-serious. That being said, we do our best to master our craft, and there is a lot of history involved in it, which is part of the fun.
Has your memory improved, having to recall all these factoids and stories?
Well I do try. We do a lot of one-offs, so sometimes when you’re searching for that one beer, that one ingredient, you do have to dig pretty deep. But we do try and we’re trying to catalogue ourselves a little more efficiently these days.
Not to put you on the spot, but how many Earth Eagle beers can you name in 30 seconds, starting — now!
Half Jack, Jackwagon, New England Gangsta IPA, Ancestral IPA, Red Ryder, Puca, Nocturnal (which is our American stout), Engine Joe (which is our espresso porter), Antoinette, Antoinette with Pears … [quick pause] … Ruby, Albert II, John Paul Agnus II, Retriever, Schizzam … [quick pause] … shoot!
No worries — we’ll let the record show I interrupted you.
Top of page: Sarah Bryan of Earth Eagle Brewings. photo by Scott Kaplan of Yankee Brew News