When Shannon Went: March 5, 2020
Where: 199 Old Hartford Road, Colchester, CT 06415
Stranger Tides Brewing, which opened in 2019, is a small startup microbrewery and the only brewery in Colchester. Located right in the middle of Connecticut farm country, it’s fun to walk into such a nautical space. The walls are a beautiful water-like color with different tall ships and light house prints lining the walls. They even went as far as to cover the bar with seashells. Stranger Tides had about 6 to 8 beers on tap when I visited back in early March before the COVID-19 shut down. Something I found really cool was that all of Stranger Tides beers are inspired by and named after the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series. I have a good feeling the movies are the inspiration behind their logo too.
Shannon: Stranger Tides is a small, one-man brewing operation. The owner Jeremy does all of the brewing himself. His brewery is in a mini strip mall just off one of the main roads in Colchester. Inside the taproom, the space is bright and open with a nautical theme plus some Día de los Muertos accents. There are tons of picnic tables inside, so seating is not a problem at all. I ordered a flight since this was the best way for me to sample close to all of their beers on tap that day. I had an ESB, stout, and two milkshake IPA’s. Now, back in March I was on a huge milkshake IPA kick, so I jumped at the chance to try their tropical and strawberry vanilla milkshake IPA’s. Both sounded really good to me. I really wanted to love them, but each one felt as if something was missing, I just couldn’t put my finger on it though. With a few years growth, I think Stranger Tides will have something special, but in the meantime, they’re still finding their way.
Other Cool Stuff:
- Currently planning to reopen on-site August 22nd and 23rd!
- Taking the steps to transition from a brewery to a gastro pub
- Curb side pick up available!
- Food trucks every now and then
- They’re doing a new beer series where they try out different hops
What Shannon Drank:
Shannon: One Eyed Riley (ESB) 6.3% – 2.5 out of 5
Shannon: Imperial Bootstraps (Imperial Stout) 9.5% – 3 out of 5
Shannon: Three Sheets to the Wind (Milkshake IPA) 8.3% – 2 out of 5
Shannon: Mermaid Tears (Milkshake IPA) 6% – 2 out of 5
Our Persuasion: rating 2 out of 5
Feeling persuaded yet?
Brewing Persuasions 