Breweries, Brewpubs & Cider Mills

Beer! Beer! Beer!

I have a different page on which I drink every CT Beer. It’s rather impressive, actually.

I wrote the following paragraph in 2008 or so:

Even though Boston is relatively close by, and Boston is known far and wide as a beer town, Connecticut is somewhat lacking in the brewery and brewpub department. This has a lot to do with the insane restrictions placed on them by the state I would guess. However, the number of breweries is growing and the existing ones are doing very well. And it’s also pretty cool having some really historic and cool cider mills too.

I’d like to update it in late 2012:

Yeah, Boston is relatively close by, and Boston is known far and wide as a beer town. Connecticut is somewhat lacking in the brewery and brewpub department, but the landscape is rapidly changing, thanks to a relaxation of some previous legislative restrictions. The number of breweries will more than double from 2011 to 2013, which is pretty crazy. So this page will be (hopefully) changing a lot.

[2014 Update: With breweries now opening every couple of months in Connecicut, I need to amend something. Whenever you read "I will drink every beer in Connecticut" or some variant thereof on any pages on CTMQ, do not take it literally anymore. For it has become impossible. I suppose if I was unemployed and childless, but somehow had a running car and disposable income I could theoretically keep up with it all... but... that's not me. I never give up on lists, but come on. This one went from "doable and noble cause" in 2011 to "mind-blowingly impossible" in 2014 and beyond.]

I’ve also included some really historic and cool cider mills below as well.

And there are also a bunch of Connecticut Wineries to check out too. Sidenote: our beer is way, way better than our wine.

hook.jpg

Breweries

For simplicity – because the landscape is constantly changing – I have lumped all the breweries in one list. Some of these are not commercial breweries (but may be some day), some are not even operational (but hope to be some day), and some are sort of in between. As I wrote above, this list is constantly in flux, so bear with me. If you know of anything missing or outdated, just shoot me an email.

Visits

Back East Brewing Company, Bloomfield
Beer’d Brewing, Stonington
Broadbrook Brewing, East Windsor
Cavalry Brewing, Oxford Closed, 5/7/2014
Cottrell Brewing Company, Pawcatuck
Firefly Hollow Brewing Company, Bristol
*Lasting Brass Brewing*, Waterbury
Hooker Brewery, Bloomfield,
New England Brewing Company, Woodbridge
Relic Brewing Company, Plainville
Thimble Island Brewing Company, Branford
Top Shelf Brewery, Manchester
Two Roads Brewing, Stratford
Shebeen Brewing, Wolcott

*Unlicensed but impossibly good homebrewer

To Be Visited

(1-5 Liklihood of opening scale where 1=Probably not and 5=Already operational)

Black Pond Brews, Danielson (4)
Black Hog Brewing, Oxford (2)
Blind Pug Ales, Plymouth (2)
Brenner Brother’s Brewery, New Haven (1)
Charter Oak Brewery, Norwalk (2)
Compo Hill Brewing Company, Westport (1)
Dawley Brewing Company, Newington (1)
DuVig Beer Brewing Company, Branford, (4)
East Haddam Brewing Company, East Haddam (1)
Good Day Brewing, “Tolland County” (2)
Half Full Brewery, Stamford (5)
Hog River Brewing, Hartford (2)
Kent Falls Brewing Company, Kent (4)
Maltose Express Brewery, Monroe (2)
No Worries Brewing Company, New Haven (3)
Olde Burnside Brewing Company, East Hartford (5)
Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores (OEC) Brewing, Oxford (4)
Overshores Brewing, East Haven (5)
Powder Hollow Brewing, Enfield (2)
Steady Habit Brewing Company, Haddam (3)
Still Hill Brewery, Glastonbury (3)
Stony Brook Brewery, Branford (3)
Stubborn Beauty Brewing Company, Middletown (5)
Ten Point Brewing Company, Wilton (1)
These Guys Brewing Company, New London, (3)
United Nutmeg Beer Company, New Haven (2)
Witchdoctor Brewing, South Windsor (2)

brew

…………………………………………………….

Local Non-Chain Brewpubs

Willimantic Brewing Company, Willimantic, (multiple visits)
Cambridge Brew House, Granby (multiple visits)
City Steam Brewery, Hartford (multiple visits)

Bru Room at BAR, New Haven
The Crossings Restaurant & Brewpub, Putnam
Guvnor’s Brewery, Norwalk
Pies and Pints Brewpub, Waterbury
Southport Brewing Company, 5 sites
Tullycross Tavern and Microbrewery, Manchester Closed, 11/6/13

…………………………………………………….

Hard Cider (and some historic soft mills)

The oldest Cider Mill in the US, Glastonbury, 10/18/2008 (no cider though)
Bishop’s Orchards, Guilford, 8/24/2009
Beardsley’s Cider Mill, Shelton, 10/1/2009
BF Clyde’s Cider Mill, Old Mystic – Oldest continuous producer of hard cider in US & Only remaining steam powered cider mill, 10/24/2009
Hogans Cider Mill, Burlington, 10/31/2010

…………………………………………………….

2 responses to “Breweries, Brewpubs & Cider Mills”

  1. Jon says:

    Hey what did you base your likelihood of opening scale on? Where the breweries are in the process? Just want you to know that Steady Habit will be operational as we are in the process of making that happen. Cheers man!

  2. Steve says:

    Good question!

    Firstly, never forget that I’m just a clown and I make all this stuff up. So now I will make up an answer for you:

    1. Just a guy (or gal) with a dream and a few bucks.
    2. Have plan, money, and actively seeking brew site.
    3. Found legit site, legal work starting.
    4. Sited, build-out nearly complete, legal work nearly complete.
    5. Open for business

Leave a Comment

The Out Campaign: Scarlet Letter of Atheism