Many of you have asked, and surely the rest of you have wondered, “Who is Martha”?
It all began with Katherine, the great aunt of Bill Fokas, when she immigrated from Greece to Nashua 84 years ago. In 1936, she founded the original Martha's Sweet Shoppe. She named it after the popular candy of that era known as “Martha Washington Candy”. The original store was only one tenth the size of the existing Martha’s.
In 1944, Bill’s father, James Fokas known to most as Mitch, came home from WWII and began running his Aunt’s candy shop. He soon expanded it to include a luncheonette with 28 stools; it quickly became the most popular lunch spot on Main Street. “Martha’s Sweet Shoppe and Luncheonette” was a landmark in Nashua for 50 years. Every political candidate that came to Nashua had to stop at Martha’s and they still do today. Many longtime residents and politicians planned Nashua’s future here at Martha’s. Mitch’s next expansion came with the addition of an extremely successful catering company which catered nearly every major function in the city for decades.
Mitch Fokas married Ethel Scontsas in 1959. They had three children who all grew up working for the family business. It was Bill who decided to take over in 1985 after he had graduated from college. He began working with a restoration team on a two year renovation of the Merchants Exchange building which consists of an entire block of Main Street. It was at this time that the luncheonette and candy shop transformed into “Martha’s Exchange”. In December 1988 he reopened; the first floor being a restaurant and bar, which was five times larger than the original diner. On the second floor he designed a large function hall that allowed them to cater on site, they even kept the Sweet Shoppe which helped to keep the nostalgia alive.
Five years later in 1993, Bill had the insight to capitalize on the excitement surrounding the hand crafted beer industry. That’s when he added Nashua’s first and only micro-brewery, doubling the size of the bar and adding 90 more seats. He also included a bar which was originally used in one of Al Capone’s speakeasies in Chicago.
Martha’s has grown and changed throughout the years and will continue to do so in the future in an effort to keep downtown Nashua alive and vibrant. It is our goal for all those who visit to enjoy a home-brewed beer, steak, burger, or simply a piece of candy, and leave with great memories.
on tap-pours a white head and hazy yellow color. Aroma is banana, bubble gum, wheat. Taste is sweet banana, bubble gum, wheat-bread, some spice hops. Soft carbonation.
on tap-pours a tight white head and yellow color. Aroma is spice/fruit hops, some light malt. Taste is spice/earthy hops bite, clove/pepper, ceocner5y light malt. Drying finish. Good effervescence.
Big thanks to jcwattsrugger for bringing this to the tasting so I could give it a try. I’m honored. It pours clear copper with ruby hues and tan head. The aroma offers up rich levels of citrus hops, lime, malts and bitter smelling pine hops. The taste is smooth sweet malts mixing with rich citrus hops like orange peel and malt sweetened lime juice. It then flows into some tasty pine hop goodness as the taste heads toward midway. This is good stuff for sure as the flavors carries smoothly and cautiously into the finish.
on tap-pours a tight foamy head with trailing lace and brown with some red color. Aroma is resin, roasty. Taste is resin hops bite, roasty-medium malt, some wood/peat, secondary spice hops. Hint of clove/banana at finish. Drying.
on tap-pours a thin white head with trailing lace and cloudy yellow/orange color. Aroma is banana, clove. Taste is banana/clove, rock candy, wheat/grain, secondary spice hops. Almost some pepper at finish.
on tap-pours a retaining thin tan head and amber +/- gold color. Aroma is spice/herbal, raisin, brown sugar, medium malt. Taste is spice/herbal hops bite, raisin, brown sugar, medium malt. Drying finish.
on tap-pours a thin light tan head and gold color. Aroma is orange/spice, sweet light/medium malt. Taste is orange/spice, sweet light/medium malt and grain.
on tap-pours a thin white head and yellow color. Aroma is soft spice/wood, light malt/grain, dry. Taste is spice/cedar/lemon, light malt/grain, dry finish.
Growler courtesy of jcwattsrugger. Pours clear deep copper with thin white head. The aroma is nice and spicy with hops, some earthiness and leading into a modest level of earthy skunked tea. The taste is pretty spicy with hops and then moving into a decent spice hop bitterness. Toward the finish mild earthiness show up towing along a mild level of malt sweetness and malt roast.
Growler courtesy of jcwattsrugger. Pours clear brown with copper hues and micro thin off white head. The aroma is malt roastiness, plenty of hoppy spice, firm earthiness and a touch of caramel. The taste is nice and smooth with roast, some spice and then running into a bit of dry roasted malt astringency. Nice smooth tasty brew.