Beer in Connecticut

It is time for the next installment in our “Beer in New England” Series. If you missed the previous posts on this topic you can find them here:

• Beer in Maine
• Beer in Massachusetts
• Beer in Rhode Island

Up this time is the State of Connecticut. While Connecticut may physically be the second smallest state, in population it is New England’s second largest. Given that one might expect to find more breweries and brew pubs then we found. Be that as it may, there is still a vibrant “beer scene” in Connecticut with a good number of breweries and brew pubs to get acquainted with, and we are told that there are many other breweries in the development phase so there will be more to look forward to…

Connecticut Breweries

• Back East Brewing Company, in the planning phase in Bloomfield, CT
• Cavalry Brewing Company, Oxford CT
• Cottrell Brewing Company, Pawcatuck, CT
• Half Full Brewery, Stamford, CT
• New England Brewing Company, Woodbridge, CT
• Olde Burnside Brewing Company, East Hartford, CT
• Overshores Brewing Company, Madison, CT area (looking to locate new brewery)
• Relic Brewing, Plainville, CT
• Thomas Hooker Brewing Company, Bloomfield, CT

We should also mention the The Hartford Better Beer Co.. They, however, brew their beer at the Shipyard Brewery in Maine.

Connecticut Brew Pubs

• BAR, New Haven, CT
• The Brew Pub at Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT
• Cambridge House Brew Pub, Granby, CT
• City Steam Brewery Cafe, Hartford, CT
• SBC Restaurant & Brewery, Branford, CT
• SBC Restaurant & Brewery, Hamden, CT
• SBC Restaurant & Brewery, Milford, CT
• SBC Restaurant & Brewery, Southport, CT
• SBC Restaurant & Brewery, Stamford, CT
• Tullycross Tavern, Manchester, CT
• Willimantic Brewing Company, Willimantic, CT

Connecticut Beer Festivals

• Brass City Brew Fest in Library Park in Waterbury, CT
• Brewfest at the Beach in New London, CT put on by the Rotary Club of New London

Connecticut Brewing Organizations

Connecticut does not really have an active brewer’s guild or other brewing organizations, although we hear that one may be in the process of forming. Until then, the best resource for Connecticut beer is Bryon Turner’s CT Beer Trail.