Breweries throughout Connecticut and nearby breweries in Massachusetts & Rhode Island
Signature Beer: Outer Limits IPA
Five-second Description: A very fun place with good beer, a cool rooftop deck, and a game room. The beer is also very good including the IPAs and the Pumpkin beer we tried.
Why you should go: Lots of fun and the rooftop deck.
Originally Visited: Oct 14, 2023
My Rating
Beer: B+
Setting: A-
Food: They have a BBQ place in the brewery
Website: Dorchester Brewing Company
86 Main St Unit E, Stafford, CT 06076
(860) 971-7095
Signature Beer: Fade to Black (with a coconut finish)
Five-second Description: Small well-themed place on an older Main Street area. Lots of decorations tied to the train derailment theme. Very cool bar that has HO tracks and hops epoxied into the top. Six very diverse beers that are decent. Good stop if you are passing by. Cool space and exterior, but not what I classify as a reuse.
Why you should go: To support another old Main Street area, and when you are done, there is an ice cream shop down the road a bit.
Food: None, other than snacks.
My Rating
Beer: B-
Setting: B
Website: Off the Tracks Brewing Company
First visited: August 27, 2023
101 N Branford Rd, Branford, CT 06405
(203) 433-4660
Signature Beer: Cleopatra IPA with New Zealand Hops, still early though
Five-second Description: Fantastic high-quality beer, a very refined interior, and a lovely outdoor space. They use ancient people as the names for all their beers which can be a bit confusing. Love their branding, but again the beer names throw me. If you want to stop at a great unique vineyard close by I recommend Rosabianca Vineyards.
Why you should go: They have very high-quality beer and it is not just IPAs. Very crowd-pleasing beer selection. Great space with some really cool decorations.
Food: They often have food trucks, check their website.
My Rating
Beer: A-
Setting: B+
Website: Caius Farm Brewery
First visited: July 30, 2023
Signature Beer: Hindsight or Insight
Five-second Description: Very unique setting set up to look like an old lumberyard. They do have bar food as well as other drinks. A bit dark inside, but could have promised if there is entertainment there. On my second visit, they had expanded the outdoor area significantly and it is nice and open with plenty of seating. They also had someone performing on the stage indoors.
Why you should go: For the beer and the unique setting.
Originally Visited: July 29, 2023
My Rating
Beer: A-
Setting: B
Food: There is a kitchen in the brewery
Website: Timberyard Brewing Company
Signature Beer: Honey
Five second Description: An afterthought in their new brewing facility.
Why you should go: I can’t recommend going to this facility, It is a small cramped and dark room in the corner of their new brewing facility. I would steer you towards their Pub in Sturbridge. Not sure why they left the farm they were on, but it looks like they opted to build a brewing facility and also a pub and then close the farm.
Origonally visited: May 2017.
Food: No Food when we were there
My Rating
Beer: B-
Setting: C
Website: Rapscallion Brewery
5 Draper St. Woburn, MA
(781) 281-0809
Signature Beer: Boom Sauce IPA
Five-second Description: Quite a large building off the beaten path in Woburn. Great tasting room and several other large rooms for lots of people. They do a great job having a ton of beers on tap. Fantastic merchandise at very reasonable prices.
Why you should go: You have seen this beer everywhere, this is the mothership.
My Rating
Beer: B+
Setting: B+
Food: They have a pizza restaurant in the brewery
First Visited: July 16, 2023
Website: Lord Hobo Brewing
Signature Beer: Pulp Daddy NEIPA
Five-second Description: The IPAs here are fantastic and the brewery has a well-appointed interior and a pretty good outdoor area close to the building.
Why you should go: The beer is the main reason as long as you like IPAs, sours or stouts. Bring a cooler to take some home.
Food: None when I was there, may have food trucks
My Rating
Beer: A
Setting: B+
Website: Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company
34 Front St Suite G21, Indian Orchard, MA 01151
(413) 273-7166
Signature Beer: Not Sure
Five-second Description: I love that this is a reuse space, but it is an odd entrance that needs some better signage, finding the door was a challenge. It is in a basement space with no natural light, I do like all the games they have there and am not too happy about their aversion to IPAs.
Why you should go: It is an old factory with a very cool bridge over the stream near the door.
My Rating
Beer: B-
Setting: B-
Food: None
Website: Rustic Brewing Company
909 E Main Rd, Middletown, RI 02842
Signature Beer: F-Bomb IPA
Five-second Description: This is actually inside the Newport Vineyard facility and it is hard to tell where the winery ends and the brewery begins. Their IPAs have a little room to get better but are very admirable for a vineyard brewing beer. The setting is fantastic you can enjoy your wine or beer flights in an outdoor area overlooking the vineyards
Why you should go: How many place can you get beer and wine made on the premises? The wine is very good and the beer is worth the stop.
Food: Snacks are available or you can sit in their restaurant
My Rating
Beer: B+
Setting: A-
Website: Taproot Brewing Company
175 Sterling St, Clinton, MA 01510
Signature Beer: Otherwise IPA
Five-second Description: In an industrial building right on a main road. They have converted the front lot to outdoor seating, but there is constant traffic going by at high speeds. The beer was good, especially the IPAs which I really enjoyed. We did encounter the rudest staff that I have ever seen at a brewery. My wife asked for a beer and they said they were out, when she asked if there was anything similar, the woman behind the counter said “no” and then walked away.
Why you should go: Other than the beer, I am not sure I would recommend this place.
My Rating
Beer: B+
Setting: C-
Website: Sterling Street Brewery
