Uptown Goes Upcountry

This week the Uptown Tavern of Manchester intends to apply to the New Hampshire Liquor Commission for a beer festival license to sell beer at the Weirs Drive-In Theatre throughout Motorcycle Week. Roy Arsenault, the principal owner the Uptown Tavern, said "we're pursuing a beer festival permit. We do it all the time in Manchester, but never for Motorcycle Week before."

The legislation authorizing beer festival licenses, which became effective in 1998, allows holders of liquor licenses to conduct events of not more than three days duration to promote the products of breweries.

Aidan Moore, Chief of the Enforcement Division of the Commission, said the tavern's application, together with a similar application from Naswa Resort, will pose "a number of novel issues for the commission." He explained that the legislation introducing the festival license was intended to help local craft breweries attract customers and develop markets for their products. He did not think the Legislature foresaw or the Commission expected that the beer festival license would be used to enable a licensee operating in one part of the state to cater an event in another part of the state. Nor did he think the Commission contemplated that a local licensee denied a license for a beer tent at Motorcycle Week would seek to do business under a beer festival license as Naswa Resort has done.

"We're not trying to upset the applecart," Arsenault said. He said the tavern had received 10 beer festival licenses to serve at events in Manchester and had never been denied a license. "Beer festivals have always been associated with other things that are going on like the Jazz and Blues Festival, Riverfest, fireworks displays and so on. The only difference between Motorcycle Week and what we've done in Manchester is distance," he said. "Instead of a mile or two away, it's thirty or forty miles away. "

Arsenault explained that Chesley Foods, which caters events and fairs, originally leased space at the drive-in and encouraged the tavern to apply for the license. "They figured we could make some money and pay a percentage to them for rent," Arsenault said, adding that the Uptown Tavern and Chesley Foods had frequently worked events together in Manchester in the past.

Since the beer festival license requires the approval of the local police, fire and health departments, the tavern has approached city officials. "We've met with a little reticence," Arsenault said, indicating city officials may not have expected interest from a Manchester licensee. "People from out of town do come in for this event," he said. "I've known people who've gone up there and sold food." City officials could not be reached for comment by press time.

The tavern intends to seek three consecutive three-day licenses, enabling it to serve during all nine days of Motorcycle Week. "There is nothing that says you can't get three consecutive licenses," Arsenault said, "but if the commission has a problem with issuing consecutive licenses, that's okay. We'll pick the best three days of the week and apply for that."

Arsenault said the tavern would seek "pretty much the maximum capacity we'd be allowed." He explained that a beer festival license forbids service after 11 p.m. and entitles the licensee to limit the number of drinks served to individuals and even to increase the age limit of customers. "We're looking at not serving past 9 p.m.," he said.

In keeping with the spirit of the beer festival statute, Arsenault intends to offer New Hampshire craft brews on all nine days and craft beers from Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts for three days each alongside national brands. "Motorcycle Week means prime people who like to drink beer and drink different kinds of beer," he said.

Arsenault stressed that "everything is always contingent on being responsible. We are very experienced serving alcohol and dealing with problems arising from it. We'd really like to do this and we know we can do it responsibly," he said.