MANCHESTER, NH – If you live in or near Manchester, but you have not yet been to To Share brewery, then I am overcome with sympathy for you, mixed with a healthy dollop of outright pity. No, wait, maybe it’s just plain puzzlement. What the Hefeweizen, man? It’s not like they’re hard to find. Head north on Union Street then you really have to work to miss them. Map below.
To Share Brewing Company, billed as “your neighborhood brewery,” is the brainchild of Aaron and Jenni Share. Aaron has roots in the Delaware and North Carolina area, while Jenni hails from the vast midwest, having lived in both North and South Dakota. They met in Washington, D.C., and began to live happily ever after, but then a software job in Manchester snaked out its tendrils to them and began to reel them in. Soon they moved to Manchester. They loved the city, put down roots here, and decided that they wanted to give back by providing great craft beer to the citizens of New Hampshire. Thus was born To Share Neighborhood Brewery.
The Space
The interior is industrial. Red brick and corrugated steel. Exposed overhead air ducts. Glass, iron and concrete. Softened a tiny bit by a wooden bar top, a bit more by analog tunes coming from a sizable vinyl record collection. But glance to the south and a giant mural filling the wall quickly dominates your impression of the room, portraying a space alien and robot clinking their beers together — clearly having just settled interstellar war. Whew, close one!
The mural wonderfully illustrates a paragraph from their website: “To Share Brewing Company is about community and providing a safe space for all people to put their differences aside and come together over a pint of great, locally produced craft beer.”
The room is softened further by clusters of smiling patrons. One wandering dog (named Blue) greets newcomers with a sniff and, for the lucky, a lick. On a recent almost-100-degree day he was belly down on the smooth concrete floor, making me jealous.
The main door faces Union Street, adjacent to a tall glass-paned garage door. Entering the main door, you see the bar straight ahead. This main room holds five tall four-person tables, one low six-person table, two long medium-height tables for eight. On the wall behind the bar is the list of their current beers, typically about 10.
To the right of the bar are the records and turntable.
They are happy to play requests (their website lists all albums in their collection, roughly 900), and you are invited to bring your own albums.
Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits was the soundtrack for my last visit. They also host occasional live music, such as the pictured performance by local duo Jam Tomorrow.
To the left as you enter is a smaller room for games, maybe one-quarter the size of the main room. It holds a few board games, one pinball machine, one shuffleboard table, and a full wall of chalkboard for the graphically inclined. Also, three tables that will seat six each, two high and one low. This space can be reserved for meetings or discussions of up to 30 people. (The entire brewery can be booked for meetings of up to 80 people.)
To the right of the main room is a side door leading to their outdoor space, an alley-sized area on the north side of the building. This space holds five five-person tables. A six foot high solid fence grants the neighbors some privacy.
Behind the bar, and partly obscured by a wall, is their 7-barrel brewing space, where the magic happens. Tours are available, just ask.
They have parking for three cars in front, more on the south side of the building, and plenty of nearby on-street parking.
The Food
Food is typical brewery fare — tacos, taquitos, mac & cheese, potato skins, 1/4 lb. hot dog, chicken nuggets, etc. During our last visit my wife got the 1/4 lb. dog, done chili-cheese style, and offered to share it with me. But I was a little slow finishing my conversation, and by the time I made it over to her, the dog had disappeared. Darn! But, you snooze, you lose. She assured me it was delicious.
The Beers
They typically have 10 of their own brews, plus a few offerings from elsewhere, such as a cider or a non-alcoholic beer.
Beers available on my last visit:
| Title | Style | ABV % | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use Less Words | Pilsner | 5.6 | On draft and 16oz 4-pack |
| Secret Wizard Handshake Hurricane | Sour Ale | 5.4 | On draft and 16oz 4-pack |
| Hugs & Belly Rubs | Cold Brew Coffee Stout | 7.1 | On draft and 16oz 4-pack |
| See Sun | Saison | 7.5 | On draft and 16oz 4-pack |
| For Heck Yeah | American Light Lager | 4.0 | On draft and 32oz Crowler |
| Gold Civic | NEIPA | 6.7 | On draft and 32oz Crowler |
| Swotter | DIPA | 8.0 | On draft and 32oz Crowler |
| Baby Sweluga | American IPA | 5.0 | On draft and 16oz 4-pack |
| Secret Wizard Handshake Pride | Mango and Pink Guava Sour | 5.4 | On draft and 32oz Crowler |
| Secret Wizard Handshake Cara Berry | Sour Ale | 5.4 | Can Pour and 16oz 4-pack |
| Citizen Cider Unified Press | Cider | 5.2 | Can Pour |
| Woodland Farms West | Non-Alcoholic IPA | 0 | Can Pour |
| — To Share Beers in late August 2022 — | |||
My current favorites? Use Less Words is a very tasty pilsner. Hugs & Belly Rubs will definitely satisfy any coffee yearnings you may have. Bably Sweluga is a great American IPA. All three versions of Secret Wizard Handshake are good, but the Mango and Pink Guava version is a truly outstanding sour.
To Share is located at:
720 Union St., Manchester NH 03104
They are open:
Wed. 4-8
Thu.-Fri. 4-9
Sat. 1-9
Sun. 1-7
(closing times approximate, based on business)
Website: https://www.tosharebrewing.com
Email: info@tosharebrewing.com
