New Hampshire breweries and taprooms are places to gather with friends to quench your thirst, perhaps after a day of hiking, mountain biking, shopping or sightseeing.

With more than 75 craft breweries across the state, locals and visitors can always find a reason to stop at one or more to relish a cold beer on a hot summer day and have a hoppin' good time (pun intended!).

Some breweries serve wine and cocktails as well, and up the ante with live music and a variety of events, so don't forget to check out their calendars to get in on the fun.

Several welcome dogs in their outdoor seating areas. Check ahead before you set out with Mitzi, Flo and Bruno because they'll have worked up a thirst, too, although for a different kind of liquid refreshment.

The New Hampshire Brewers Association puts out a paper beer trail that can also be accessed via a mobile app. Get a stamp at each brewery visited for prizes that range from a NH Beer Trail Sticker Packet to a trail hat or trail t-shirt, depending on the number of breweries visited. 

Reminder: Drink responsibly and have a designated driver, especially if you plan to sample the brews at several stops during your outing.

White Mountains & Great North Woods

Located in a renovated 18th century gristmill alongside the Ammonoosuc River in Littleton, Shilling Beer Company serves European-inspired lagers and American ales. Wood-fired pizza, deck seating, beer gardens, a store and tasting room and the rushing river add to the vibe.  

The Rek'•lis Brewing Company on Bethlehem's Main Street offers a selection of Rek'•lis beers, along with spirits, wines and cocktails and a restaurant menu of favorites like burgers, fries and tacos, with indoor and outdoor seating. The Pint House tasting room is a new addition to their lineup. 

Sample beers from local nano- and micro-breweries around New England at the Littleton Freehouse Taproom & Eatery, along with spirits and wines. Soups, salads, starters, sandwiches, and a selection of entrees top the Freehouse menu.  

Wildbloom Beer on Littleton's Main Street sources 99 percent of its hops, grains and malts from farms in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The brews, on tap and in cans to go, have intriguing names like Gnome Shoes and Party at the Moon Tower. Food is available at Jack & Fin's in the same building.  

Franconia's Iron Furnace Brewing Company taproom serves a variety of NE IPA, pale ales, stouts, porters, goldens and sours, along with wines and ciders, and food choices like pizza, paninis, salads, snacks and desserts. Bonus: the Iron Furnace historic site is just across the road. 

Find Copper Pig Brewery at the corner of Middle and Main streets in Lancaster in a renovated brick bank alongside the rushing Israel's River. Little Piggy Porter, Kilkenny Irish Red and Ice Jam Lager are among the staples to sample along with a burger, taco, sandwich, salad or vegetarian option.  

The Coös Brewing Company in Colebrook is the state's northernmost brewery with handcrafted on tap beers to enjoy with nachos or a slice of pizza, along with a selection of 4-pack pint cans, crowlers, growlers, and bottles to go.  

One of the state's oldest craft beer breweries, the Woodstock Inn Brewery in Woodstock offers daily tours, individual beers and brew samplers, along with a full menu in the adjacent restaurant. 

Cap off a day of sightseeing with a selection from the extensive menu and a house beer like the brewery's German style amber lager at One Love Brewery in Lincoln.  

Twin Barns Brewing North Taproom in North Woodstock is an outpost of Twin Barns Brewing in Meredith. The taproom is a BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) to enjoy with your beverage. 

Mount Washington Valley

Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewing Company in North Conway is a popular destination known for both its specialty ales and lagers and a substantial menu of favorites, from wood grilled pizza and BBQ to burgers and wraps.  

At its indoor tasting room and outdoor beer garden Tuckerman Brewing in Conway is widely known for the first beer it produced: The Tuckerman Pale Ale. It serves a variety of pints and flights, along with beer to go and a menu that includes brick oven pizza.  

Ledge Brewing Company in Intervale is a craft brewery and tasting room located at the base of the Presidential Range in the Mount Washington Valley and says it brews "beers that pair well with outdoor adventure" making it the perfect spot to stop and sip a brew after a day of hiking or trail biking. Outside food is welcome.  

Check out Hobbs Tavern and Brewing Company, at separate locations in Ossipee, for a refreshing beer like the Raspberry Gose brewed with Isles of Shoals sea salt and a helping of raspberry. Classic comfort food like burgers, sandwiches, salads and soups top the menu. Recent specials included fried pickles, shrimp scampi and a mushroom ravioli with brownie sundaes for dessert. 

Lakes Region/Central New Hampshire

Whatta Corka is White Mountain Brewing Company's signature pale ale. The Ashland brewery's lineup of draft beers pairs well with the brewery's pub food like nachos, pretzels, wings, wraps, quesadillas and an assortment of flatbreads including a build-your-own. 

Located in an 1850s antique barn, Twin Barns Brewing Company in Meredith serves up beer on tap and cans to go. Choices range from IPAs and lagers to stouts and German and Italian pilsners and a menu of burgers, wings, salads, small plates and unusual items like fried bologna (a favorite from my childhood!). 

A tasting room and beer garden bring the community together at The Dam Brewhouse in Campton. Up to 10 of their beers rotate through their taps, with a trio of staple brews anchoring their selections: Dam Delight, a light lager, Mud Puddle a dry Irish stout, and Freestyle, a New England style IPA. A light menu of snacks is available.  

Sole Track Brewing in Rumney uses local ingredients when possible in crafting its brews "in the concept of a New England farmhouse brewery." The brewery features world-class IPAs and unique spruce brews. Enjoy with an item from the food truck on the premises.  

Choose your favorite or try a new brew from the nice selection of drafts and cans to go at Last Chair Brewery in Plymouth. The restaurant menu ranges from entrees like mac and cheese and chicken and waffles to burgers, pizza, wraps, salads and lots of sides.