Notch Brewing

Microbrewery in Salem, Massachusetts, United States 🇺🇸
Associated with 2 Venues

Established in 2010

Contact
283R Derby St, Salem, MA, 01970, United States
Description
Launched in 2010, Notch Brewing – named for the nick made to keep a record when you're having more than one – was the first brewing company in the U.S. to focus exclusively on session beer. At the time, we simply wanted to brew the beers we loved to drink because finding them was a challenge. Session beer has been enjoyed in every great beer brewing nation for centuries, yet in the U.S. it was overlooked. So we set out to brew the world’s classic session styles from the Czech Republic, Germany, England, and Belgium, as well as explore how session beer could fit with the U.S.’s hoppy beer infatuation. Over a decade later, we have a brewery built on the back of session beer and it’s proven two things: beer consumers like options, and session beer is a great one.

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7

Tried on 09 Mar 2026 at 23:56


7
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Can from the Packie
Pours a light gold color with a touch of haze and a decent sized bubbly white head that slowly recedes. Crisp bready crackery with earthy floral to counter. Seems lacking in body, but tasty.

Tried from Can on 07 Mar 2026 at 02:43


7
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Can from the Packie.
Pours a dark brown with ruby highlights and a creamy off white head that persists. toasty crackery bready maltiness with hints of dark chocolate. Bubbly light earthy spice, pretty nice.

Tried from Can on 02 Mar 2026 at 23:31


8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Pours clear mahogany into a willi. Tan head with good retention pancakes and recedes leaving spot lacing. Dark caramel, pumpernickel and spice aromas. Medium bodied with sweet toasted raisin bread upfront turning to sharp spiced bread in the medium length finish.

Tried on 02 Mar 2026 at 22:48


7
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

pours blonde with a white head. Aroma is bready and sugary. Taste is low bitterness. Bready sweetness. Smooth and easy.

Tried from Can on 23 Feb 2026 at 18:05


7.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Reviewed from notes.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: golden color with a good transparency about it. Two and a half fingers of white foamy head dissipated nicely to leave some light lace.
Aroma: mixed berry-ish to citrusy and slightly citrusy fruits seem to be blended in their hops and a clean maltiness underneath
Flavor: blends the prior noted aromas to a good bittersweet hoppy to malty blend; finishes citrusy and malty
Texture: medium bodied, sessionable, smooth along the tongue
Overall: pretty good blonde ale worthy of coming back to.

Tried from Can on 22 Feb 2026 at 14:41


7.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Reviewed from notes.
Can to stange glass.
Appearance: clear yellow color with light carb seen rising to fill a two finger white foamy head which ended up trailing off and left a little bit of lace
Aroma: fruity estery tones, biscuits, earthy to floral qualities, sly spicy hop tones
Flavor: meshes the prior noted aromas to a malty sweet fruity estery character and a subtle spicy underneath; finishes crisp slightly dry malty sweet
Texture: medium bodied, sessionable, very smooth along the tongue
Overall: nice Kolsch I would have again.

Tried from Can on 22 Feb 2026 at 14:33


7.6
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Reviewed from notes.
Can to lager glass.
Appearance: yellow color with some transparency and a three finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: lemon, grassy, floral hoppy tones with a clean crackery malt
Flavor: blends the prior noted aromas to a fine sweet quality; finishes semi-lemony & grassy
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable, fairly smooth along the tongue
Overall: nicely done German pilsener worthy of coming back to.

Tried from Can on 22 Feb 2026 at 14:20


7.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Reviewed from notes.
Can to lager glass.
Appearance: yellow semi-cloudy color with a two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: herbal, floral, grassy, lemony hoppiness - subtle spicy character underneath with clean crackery malts
Flavor: blends the prior noted aromas to a semi-sweet to underlying spicy vibe; finishes floral/grassy hopped to a crisp malty vibe
Texture: light bodied, very sessionable, pretty smooth along the tongue
Overall: nicely done Czech lager worthy of coming back to.

Tried from Can on 22 Feb 2026 at 14:06


7.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Reviewed from notes.
Can to lager glass.
Appearance: dark maroon/brown color with a two finger off white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: nutty, caramel, toasty, dark bready, earthy spicy and a little bit of biscuit
Flavor: blends the prior noted aromas to a nice dark malty sweetness; finishes dark bready and nutty
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable, good smoothness along the tongue
Overall: good Dunkel lager worthy of coming back to.

Tried from Can on 22 Feb 2026 at 13:56