Anheuser

We came up to Merrimack on Friday so as not to have to leave home at Oh Dark Thirty on Saturday for the Antique construction Equipment show in Wilton NH on Saturday. We had made reservations at the Quality Inn and on the way there we spotted the A-B Brewery which is also home to some of their famous Clydesdale horses. After checking in at the Inn (ha!) we went back down the road to the Brewery to look at the horses. After admiring these tremendous beasts we went over to the Brewery gift shop and found that a tour was just about to leave so we joined up. No charge for the tour or for the visits to the horse barns, which was nice.

The tour was very impressive and it is astonishing how much beer they can make in that one facility and how quickly is goes! The operation runs 24/7/365 to keep up with the demand in New England.

The stables and grounds were immaculately kept and the horses were, as might be expected, spotless. It was evident by the beautiful flower beds that they don't have deer problem on the grounds. Around here (CT) any plant that costs more than $9.99 is a target for the deer! From the stables it was on to the brewery.

These are hops plants. Hops are used in beer to give it flavor and are importer from Germany in most cases.

Various ingredients arrive in rail cars, wheat, corn, rice and others.

The process starts in these huge kettles and it was very warm in this area.

From there into these huge chilling tanks. We saw one floor but the operation extends up and down several more floors

Then into primary fermentation

Finally into the "Beachwood Ageing" area. That hatch in the end of the tanks are used by workers to enter the tank, remove exhausted Beachwood chips and replace them as needed.

Almost at the end of the tour looking down on the bottling floor. So much beer so little time!!

The tour ends in a pub with two (no more!) free glasses of the various brews made here in Merrimack.

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