Place has serious pub grub.  Walked in early sunday afternoon and was thrown off by  stale scent of too many saturday nights, this is where they lost a star.  However the lady was thrilled with the all you can drink mimosas for ten bucks so we settled in.  The meatball sliders are just awesome, homemade meatballs on garlic bread out of a brick oven.  The wings tried the hot and teriyaki were pretty close to the best I've had, taking over a spot Woody's bar and tap in Boston held for nearly a decade.  Smoked, then grilled, then sauced, incredible!  Prime Rib dip was a very good sandwich.  The hangover burger was stupidly good.  Attempting to plan a Portsmouth trip just to go back, that's how good it is.
Review Source:I don't know. I want to love it here, but both times we went here, they ran out of BOTH brews we chose from the menu. Also a local brewer I talked to wont let his product be sold here because he told me they don't clear out the tap lines enough.
The times we went here I signed up for the points program but never got receipts to scan like promised on the advertisements.
The onion rings were good, the service was very slow, and the draft selection was good- but be aware that what you see is not what you may end up getting as they tap out a lot it seems.
Food, prices, service, atmosphere, all great.
My only complaint is there are literally no windows. You walk all the way back and you're like in an enclosed space. I just wish I could see out to the streets. It's such an awesome location right downtown. I wish I could see people walking by, etc.
The Thirsty Moose Tap House is a surprisingly large bar located in downtown Portsmouth. Â Open until 1am daily, I found myself here for a couple of drinks to start off a weekend getaway in the area. Â This place certainly fit the bill with over 160 tap lines and 116 brews to pick and choose from! Â
Finding a couple of seats at the bar was pure luck as the place was quite busy in the late evening. Â Fortunately there was not a line and I was able to get my drink on in no time. Â No surprise, it took some time for me to decide on what to order. Â I scanned the menu over and over before ultimately picking my line up of beers for the evening. Â The beer itself was cold and tasty, no hangups there.
The bartenders themselves were running around like crazy, bumping into each other, taking order after order, and pouring beer after beer. Â They would have been extremely efficient if the beer coming out of almost everything single tap was not simply foam. Â I've never seen so much waste in my life. Â Glasses were either filled and left to settle for a while but more often than not, were simply poured out until the cup was mostly filled with beer. Â I can only imagine how sticky the bartender's hands are by the end of the evening with an enormous amount of beer flowing over them out of glasses with each pour. Â
There are specials and events on various days of the week such as a Ladies Night and Open Mic. Â Given the sheer volume and activity of this bar, it is likely I would return if in the mood for a rambunctious and lively evening. Â If this is not your thing, I would look elsewhere in downtown.
The Thirsty Moose is an awful establishment.
Last night I went to the Thirsty Moose for a friend's birthday and waited in line for a almost a full hour. Â Waited outside for 30 minutes TO WAIT in another line for ANOTHER 30 minutes to go downstairs. Would have just left after that, but half of the party had already been let in. Â Waiting in line for a bar in Portsmouth for an hour is unheard of.
After finally getting downstairs, it was not that busy. Â I understand fire codes, but it seemed very over-the-top to have waited for so long in line.
After leaving, my absent minded boyfriend realized he left his tab open and turned right around to go and close out. This was at 1am, and the rude doorman would not let him in to retrieve his card. Â I found this incredibly sketchy and annoying to have to come back in the morning to get the card. Â It was his property that he was not allowed to retrieve.
We went back as were told in the morning and the managers said the card was not there. Â My boyfriends card was indeed charged that night, but they did not have his card? Â The manager seemed to have no urgency or apologies for the inconvenience. Â We live an hour and a half away, so it's not like we could wait for it to turn up. Â The manager also kept saying that she had to wait to ask the bartenders who were working last night and ask them where it could possibly be. Â This is RIDICULOUS that she wouldn't have even tried calling them on their day off considering the Thirsty Moose is at fault here.
We got back home and followed up by calling and asking if the card had turned up, and the manager was short with him and seemed not to care at all about his situation due to the lack of organization of this business. Â If he simply could have RETRIEVED his card last night, this wouldn't have been an issue. Â Canceling credit/debit cards is a REAL inconvenience, if you didn't already know that.
The Thirst Moose is an awful place with rude employees who seem to have NO customer service skills and I will absolutely NEVER go back.
This place is heaven for beeries. Over 100 taps and a great selection of hard to find beers. We decided to drink local and stuck to beers brewed in Maine and New Hampshire, but there were interesting selections from around the country and beyond.
It's dangerous because you'll feel like a kid in a candy store and want to try everything. I had a Monkey Fist IPA and Smashed Blueberry, both from Seadog/Shipyard. My husband and I could have stayed for hours. Picking out your next beer is half the fun. We also enjoying watching the bartenders and snickering at people who ordered Bud Lights. (Really! Who does that at a place like this?)
This place isn't too bad. Â Lots of beer. Â That is good. Good selection of beer. Â For a place that specializes in pizza, it isn't that great and the salad wasn't too good either. But its not a horrible place, but the food isn't too special. Â For a place which specializes in beer and pizza, the pizza should be better, however the beer is good. It's kind of weird, they used BX wire decorate the poles inside.
Review Source:So I finally made it into this place with some time to spare for a meal and a couple of beers.
Fantastic Tap selection and the beer lines appear to be clean and well maintained.
Waiter was friendly and in a general good mood although his beer knowledge was not fantastic he did know a fair amount about the beers on tap. 160 plus taps is quite a lot to know inside and out.
I had a Pizza burger which I have to say was absolutely amazing and quite juicy. My wife had the fish and chips which was extremely light and flavorful. It was not oily at all and it was obvious that the kitchen is also well maintained.
The food and beer were both definitely an A+ in this travelers book.
The downside to the place is that it is really loud... TVs, background music and lively patrons make the noise level extremely deafening. That being said the noise would not keep me from coming back again and again.
I very good watering hole that takes pub grub very seriously
Been here a few times so I guess I should write a review. Â The first time here was just after it had opened. Â Not an extremely busy Thursday night but we waited about 10 minutes at our table before we were greeted by a waitress. Â After about 5 or 6 minutes the hostess passed by and we asked her if she knew her our waitress was...she seemed very confused but promised to check and then never returned and it was still another 5 minutes before a waitress finally noticed that we had been sitting there for awhile and came up and offered to take our order. Â What really bothered me was that I think the manager was standing at the table behind us talking to customers the whole time and never noticed...not a good thing for a manager. Â Anyways our waitress was great...food was ok. Â The buffalo chicken dip was pretty good, my pulled pork was a little dry and had some burnt pieces. Â My husband's sandwich was good but the roll was tiny compared to the rest of the sandwich that made it hard to eat. Â They were out of the first 2 beers I ordered but the waitress was good about making other suggestions.
The next time I went with my parents to watch a Pats game. Â We sat at the bar and the bartender was attentive and good at making beer suggestions. Â We had a pizza which was very good. Â Cool place to watch a game with all the TVs although there were some on different feeds so some delays.
Came another time with coworkers for beers...tried a flight of 5 beers which I enjoyed. Â Also tried the pretzel which was good.
Went again 2 weeks ago on a Tuesday for their all day happy hour. Â We started with some wings which we thought were pretty good...got 1/2 smoked and 1/2 fried with 2 different sauces. Â I had a cup of chowder which was ok, nothing great and the meatball sliders which were pretty good as well. Â My husband enjoyed his sandwich.
All in all pretty good food and an impressive beer selection compared to many places in the area.
For a place that boasts having many beers on tap they don't have anything special that stands out. Seems they repeat the same style of beer from different breweries instead of spreading their wings into providing more styles. Food selection seems small. Pizza, wings and various daily specials. Tried the lobstah pizza and loved it. Would I go again? Yes. It wasn't horrible however it wasn't anything special.
Review Source:Stephanie was our bar person. Lovely  young gal with great recommendations for beverages.  Brooklyn - there will be black! We had your wings for a second time, smoked & grilled . They are certainly the best we've EVER had! Citrus chipotle , chirracha, & garlic sauces delicious additions ! The celery & carrots: veggies w/ blue cheese & ranch dressing  welcome "coolers" too! OMGosh a place to revisit often!!!! We thought u were a long time establishment ! Only 7 months! ? WOW! So so GOOD!
Review Source:After visiting a few times thought I would share my views.
Fairly large restaurant with 2 good size bars, great beer selection,  may have a bit of delay with everyone in your party getting their beers as they will most likely be coming from 2 different places.  If you are beer geeks like us, take a few minutes to look at chalkboard on way in as well as the board at the back bar telling you what has kicked as it can be disappointing to find your selection is not available. Not  too much of a problem because with so many taps there is bound to be another one you want to try.
we had a great server at the front bar area one night, Â his name was Paul and he knew beer!! Â We like that at a place with so many especially if looking for a suggestion when a choice is not available. Â Food here is pretty good, not a huge menu and it is basic pub food. Â the pizza is quite good, Â burgers as well, Â not a fan of the "buffalo chicken tenders" as they were just frozen breaded chicken tenders served with a sauce of your choice on the side. Â
We are locals so are really happy to have a place with such an extensive beer selection. Â They have ironed out a lot of kinks since they first opened and I will be going back. Â nuff said.
Thirsty Moose is in the old Muddy River Smokehouse space and is quite large inside. A longish bar greets you as you make you way to the tables area out back. 100+ taps gets your mouth watering, but don't get too excited as my first couple of choices were not available on my visit.
The service was a bit spotty, as the bartender seemed more happy to be chatting it up with the other employees rather than attending to customers.
My major gripe with this place is the beer menu. Not only do they not list the serving sizes but not even the prices! I guess it's buyer beware as they serve a standard strength IPA in a 10oz glass for $6.00. Yes, I know I could ask the price and serving size on any particular beer I might want, but really..Should I have to?
If one were to take the tap selection as listed as gospel, then you have the best tap selection in NH here. The problem is there is no way to tell which beers are out without ordering one. There were at least four beers that were out on my visit and who knows how many more.
The apps (wings and onion rings) we got were tasty and a good deal during happy hour and the brews were $1.00 off. You just have no idea if you are actually getting the $1.00 off of you beer because you have no idea how much it costs to begin with.
Hopefully the Thirsty Moose gets the kinks out and makes a go of it because with the limited selection at Portsmouth Brewery these days, we need some help in Portsmouth.
After visit #3 I thought it was time to write a review. Â Went here 12/30/12 to watch the Detroit Lions play the Chicago Bears. Â Our server named Sam F. was very good and personable. Turns out her dad is a huge Lions fan. Â
The first time my boyfriend and I went, we had a server that could care less about customer service or checking on us- she was not friendly at all and the only reason I wanted to return was b/c my boyfriend loved their beer selection. Â
Visit #2 was better and that was when I discovered their Deconstructed Sammy- I ordered it w/ 1/2 lb. turkey, pretzel roll, don't remember the cheese and the tangy bbq sauce- so good. Â My boyfriend loves their chicken wings. Â Let me stop for a moment and just say that wings are his all time favorite and he's a hard sell- he absolutely raves about these wings.
Now, back to our 3rd and final :( visit- we are moving to CA. Â Sam was great and the food was delicious- we ordered basically the same as our last visit. This time I enjoyed a glass of Cellar #8 Pinot Noir and my boyfriend had 5 different beers w/ the Throwback Oma's Tribute and Woodstock Ear Brown Ale being his favorites.
This place is awesome!!! My wife and I regularly drive from Manchester to come here. On top of the amazing beer list, we think they have the best wings we've ever had. We are constantly comparing other places to these wings, b/c they are the best. The pizza is pretty good and we've never had bad service. The atmosphere is pretty good, what you would expect for an upscale sports bar, but defiantly one of our favorites!
Review Source:They certainly have a good selection of beers to choose from. Â The tvs are well disbursed - so this is a good spot for guys to watch a game. Â However, the place feels dirty, smells dirty, and is dirty. Â The food is what you expect in such an establishment. Â Probably better to just get some appetizers and beer. Â A good option for guys - your wife/gf probably will not want to be there.
Review Source:What a great addition to Portsmouth! I have been here a few times now, and I absolutely love it! The selection of beer is absolutely incredible, and the prices are decent, too. I really enjoy their wings, the sauce is great and not too spicy, just how I like buffalo wings. After eating there a few times now, I really have taken to their burgers. I've had the Burgonzola every time I've gone... it's just a delicious burger. Their sauteed onions are to die for.
And let's not forget about the massive selection of beer! It's just overwhelming in a good way! I try something new every time, and it's always a winner!
We made the mistake of trying to get dinner here too late on a Saturday night, so the bar crowd for the night had already moved in and was kind of hovering around our table by the bar. I don't like being jostled or elbowed while trying to eat, not comfortable at all. But we had already waited 20 minutes for a table, and would have had to wait longer if we requested to move.
The waitress, however, was awesome and apologetic about the cramped/awkward seating arrangements. If it weren't for the above-average service, I would have been an angry elf. She put the football game that we wanted to watch on the TV near our table and made the experience way better.
On our way out, the line was wicked long to get into the bar, so I'd imagine it's a pretty hoppin' place to drink on the weekend. Notwithstanding the really awful table set up, I'd recommend the Thirsty Moose if you're looking for an extensive beer menu, and don't mind the crowd.
A beer-lover's paradise. Â The Thirsty Moose Tap House offers a very diverse selection of the finest domestic micro-brews and imported beers. Â I was very impressed with the seasonal Oktoberfest sampler - a nice offering of both domestic and imported interpretations of that beer style. Â The food was a slightly different take on familiar pubfare - buffalo chicken dip, poutine, and meatball sliders. Â Like I said, a little different, but nothing that will feel entirely foreign to you. Â I should also note that the food and beer was reasonably priced given the broad selection and quality afforded. Â I really wish that there was a place like this where I lived...
Review Source:It pleases me to know that there's a place I can go when I'm craving that one obscure beer that I can't find anywhere else. The Thirsty Moose has an impressive draft list that only motivates me to come back more often. Their staff was incredibly friendly and attentive when it came to hosting our company's post-work gathering. I'd love to come back here again either on my own or with a large group - it's the perfect place for both.
One of the things I like most is that they don't necessarily play football on every screen. For us, they flipped on the Jason horror series. Made for a "festive" Halloween celebration. :)
Just awesome! We had a great time here this past Sunday night. We were in Portsmouth for our anniversary, just to have a nice night sans baby. Â We bar hopped a little before dinner and this is one of the spots we landed. It was on a recommendation of a friend. I used to live in Portsmouth and remember the spot as the Muddy River Tavern. Well it's now new and much improved! Bar is very big with one of the largest selections of tap beer I have ever seen. The atmosphere is fun sports bar and there are tons of TVs for good football watchin'! Our waitress was very knowledgeable and gave us great craft beer recommendations. The snacks were yummy and the beer was too! Would recommend this place to anyone in the area. The crowd was also a nice mix of ages too! Not just a college spot.
Review Source:The short story is, awesome beer selection but pretty disappointing menu. Really,the menu is a few standard-fare apps, then pizza and burgers and sandwiches. That's about it. It's a big place, not sure how they are going to survive on pizza and burgers. Past few tenants have had a hard time. I had a burger, it was ok, nothing special. Onion rings were really good.
Hopefully they expand the menu.
Meh, the brother in law is crazy about this place but I was less than impressed. A good choice if you are a beer snob and want to have a few rounds with friends, or if you want to look at the "scenery" but the food menu was small and the food was mediocre.
The hubster got a Cajun pizza but some slices were much better than others and my burger was simply run of the mill. Definitely worth hitting if you want to try a new beer but I wouldn't go for a meal. Also, it's a bummer that they can't validate parking.
For anyone that thinks this place was going to be the Novare Res of Portsmouth, you are sadly mistaken. Â Beer geeks - you will not like this place.
In hopes that this would be Portsmouth's premier beer bar we anxiously attended their opening night and waited outside to get in. Â The tap list was OK. Â Nothing crazy that you can't really get anywhere else if you know where to go. Â
BUT (and this is where the lone tear starts to well up)...the first half dozen beers on the list are things like Bud, Bud Light, Coors, etc. THIS WATERY SHIT HAS NO PLACE ON THE MENU, LET ALONE AT THE BEGINNING. Â PEOPLE LOOKING TO GO TO A BEER BAR AREN'T GOING TO ORDER THIS AND THEY WILL BE OFFENDED. Â The rest of the beer menu was very oddly organized as well, but at least a decent selection.
Food was ok pub food. No complaints, no raves either.
The guys at the bar were very nice, but they clearly didn't know anything about the beers on tap, couldn't really talk about any of them or make suggestions. Â
In essence, this is NOT a beer bar. Â It's a bar with a lot of beer.
Much better times can be had at the Portsmouth Brewery or the Coat of Arms. Â
The lists may not be as long and their taps may not be on moose antlers, but at least they know what they're selling and the atmosphere isn't a frat guy sports bar.
First and foremost, they have a great beer selection! But they really need to work on the food. Appetizers were very sloppily done and meals are nothings special. What is most frustrating was the service. They seem to have a lot of staff on hand, but we consistently had to stack our empty glasses as well as our plates as no one ever came around to bus the table. They also didn't check back on what we thought of the food. I want to give it another chance, just for the beer..but they need to work on the menu and the service.
Review Source:For a "Tap House" with 110 taps I would have expected better bartenders and a better selection of beer. Â We stopped by at 4pm this weekend and were greeted by too many chairs at the bar. Â After squeezing in we waited at least 15 minutes till we received our first beer. Â I am sure it will get better over time however I was not impressed.
Review Source:We went there for the first time last night. For the most part we loved it!
Great beer selection and the menu was geared towards a relaxed bar fare. Nothing fancy yet also not the same old stuff either.
For and appetizer we shared a pretzel which we both enjoyed.
For our meals, my wife had the buffalo chicken dip and I got the pulled pork burger. I loved my burger. It was cooked the way I asked, it was a big beefy burger and it was topped with pulled pork and cole slaw. Kind of messy and I loved every bite. I can't wait to go back and have another!
The only problem I had was we were seated next to the bar. (Actually the bar is HUGE) As our meal progressed the place got busy and people began to filling in behind the people at the bar and crowding around us. If we were just one set of tables to the left we would have been fine.
Server was great. Food was great! Â Prices were reasonable for the portion size. Loved all the huge TVs and really loved they didn't have the sound on. Good music was playing, all around a fun place. looking forward to going back.
This is a review of lunch at the Thirsty Moose. Â Two of us went and had some good burgers and some beers that we never had before. Â The good news: Â Decent food, quick service, and a beer list as big as a Cheesecake Factory food menu. Â And for those of you familiar with Portsmouth, the inside has been expanded and changed more than ever before. Â
Things that could be better - The burgers are at the high end of the price range, parts of the menu are nearly unreadable (yellow letters on a red background in dim light), and there are no prices for any of the beers. Â Fortunately the two that we picked were a reasonable $4.50 for what seemed to be 12-16 ounces.
The Thirsty Moose is first and foremost, a bar. Â As lunch places go, you can't miss the fact that you're sitting in a large windowless bar. Â If no one in your party is drinking, I'm not sure why you'd pick this place except to check it out. Â But if your business lunches frequently involve beer and long winded conversations, especially on days when the weather isn't great, this could be a decent place for lunch. Â The background music was good with blues and old rock (I remember hearing Boston and the Stones), and it's not too loud to have a conversation.
I liked the Thirsty Moose more than I thought I would and I'm sure that I'll be back. Â It seems like the kind of bar that would be too loud and crowded for me at night, but I'll probably be back for lunch within a few weeks and I'll be bringing the rest of the office with me.
The Thirsty Moose!! Â I showed up for the Grand Opening last night, July 12, 2012. Â One of my friends is friends with an owner so we drive from Concord to show our support! Â We were not disappointed...the thirsty moose was PACKED with beautiful scenery...and by scenery I mean 116 beers ON TAP...and of course lovely women. Â It was a great mixed crowd of young professional type girls and guys. the bars are set up very nicely ( one in front, one in back ) and they have HUGE projection TVs out back...I think I'm going to be watching a lot of Bruins games here in the winter! Â It's a perfect place to bring your friends and watch the game, socialize and meet new young people, OR check out the downstairs and catch some live music! Â YES, the downstairs will open soon and will have live bands! Â This bar has it all, so do your Thirsty Moose self a favor and get your ass down there! Â It's open!
Thank you Jeff W! Â Keep up the great work, and we wish you success!
- John & Jodi
I'd like to start this by saying my experience was wonderful, if you don't need to read more than that in a review, then you don't need to keep reading, but I'm a bag of hot air with fingers that itch to type so here goes:
There's quite a difference between beer geekery and beer snobbery, I don't think I need to elaborate if you read other reviews. I will say that for having 116 beers, few of them are what I would consider "rare" and they do have Bud and Coors, but in their defense: They opened YESTERDAY. They're a NEW business. My uncle would not eat here if they didn't offer Bud/Miller because he is not a beer guy, and, this is after all a business, and not beer-fucking-mecca. They need to cater to those people with less taste than us *points between me and my buddy-ol'-pal the beer snob*. I do kinda wish they had Racer 5, but the bar down the street from my house has that on tap, so, not a big deal, as I would drink something that bar DIDN'T have. Annnyways..
I like the atmosphere, the food, the service, and just about everything. Even the cheesy name. I mean, Thirsty Moose Tap House sounds like The Thirsty Whale (nbpt), and even though both sound like family businessy friendly names, the Thirsty Whale is chock full of crazy ass townies who make for a great time. I'm sure the Moose will be at some point too. So who cares about the name.
My wife and I both got burgers, I got the Ruben burger (yes, it's a Ruben sandwich with a burger under it), and my wife got the gorgonzola burger which looked great too. They also have a "Hangover" burger with a fried egg on top. I'd give them 5 stars just for this heart attack inducing indulgence. I love eggs on burgers...
All in all, a great experience, and will certainly come back. It won't put the brewery out of business, but it's got more beers, and it won't put the Black Birch out either, but it's got waaayyy nicer/hotter staff (seriously, the hostess was smokin', sorry, I'm just being honest) GO FORTH, AND BE MERRY.
So 116 taps, but why have Bud and Coors Lights among them? People who drink those 1. don't count(JK) 2. don't really understand the reason why tap is better. It has been discussed(please view the craft beer industry group on linked in) about necessity of appealing to Bud/Miller/Coors drinkers at craft beer centered places, and most professionals agree that catering to them does not improve the bottom line and only serves to offend the targer audience.
Lots of beers, but very few gems, though they did have couple good ones.
Taps are spread out between two bars, so if you are sitting at the wrong bar, it may (did) take a while to get it(5-10 minutes).
The bartender was unprepared for very basic questions. He was very pleasant and willing to find out and to come back with an answer, BUT I would have a hard time imagining this at a wine centered place, as restaurants that want to sell wine usually provide good amount of education to their staff.
Food menu is limited, though has couple items that are not too common to the area(poutine, pulled pork chili)
The name Thirsty moose sounds like a family restaurant with stuff on the walls and at least 32 pieces of flare. Not sure if beer geeks will know that this is a must visit.
For now Portsmouth Brewery/Black Birch/Coat of Arms are in no danger.
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