Boarding the Beer Bus

A new venture by two lifelong friends combines a bus and brewskies—a combination they hope will prove irresistible. Granite State Growler Tours, LLC takes groups of 14 people around the Seacoast, touring breweries to taste the local flavors.

Owner David Adams, an engineer by trade, drives the tour bus, nicknamed Greta “the Growler Getta,” while Mark Chag Jr. shares the Seacoast’s foamy history with beer tourists. Tour stops include at least three breweries and a rum distillery.

“I live in the epicenter of the breweries in the Seacoast,” Adams says of why the duo started the business earlier this year. “I would take friends from out of town to try beer. There is too much good beer not to share it.”

Granite State Growler Tours run on weekends and take up to five hours. The $55 price tag includes water, snacks, brewery tours and beer tastings. There is no drinking on the bus, but coolers keep growlers (glass or ceramic jugs of beer) cold. So far, between 60 and 80 people have been on tours and the company has made a couple thousand dollars since opening, but Adams expects it will soon increase to a couple thousand a month.

Stops on the tour include Blue Lobster Brewing Company in Hampton, Earth Eagle Brewing in Portsmouth, Sea Hagg Distillery in North Hampton, Throwback Brewery in North Hampton, and Top Shelf Brews, a craft beer store in Hampton. Nicole Carrier, co-founder and owner of Throwback Brewery, says it didn’t take much convincing to sign on. “It seemed like a win-win.  When someone says we’d like to bring a busload of happy, beer-loving tourists to your brewery, you don’t say no,” she says. “This is a great way to gain insight into the small craft breweries in the state.” Carrier adds that tours bring in additional sales.

Adams says he’s open to expanding to restaurants that feature unique craft beer. He is looking to add more buses and additional routes, possibly in Manchester and the North Shore in Mass., with another that visits local wineries. The company is also growing its group tour business.

For more information, visit nhbeerbus.com.