When Chris Went: September 26th, 2020
Where: 180 Johnson St, Middletown, CT 06457
Forest City Brewing opened their taproom in the Remington Rand building in Middletown in 2017, and since then the building has become a hotspot for alcohol. Today, the Remington Rand complex has two breweries, Forest City and Stubborn Beauty, and a cidery, Spoke + Spy. In normal times you would be able to stop by and hang out at all three, but during COVID-19, Forest City is currently the only one that lets you hang around with your beer. Because of all the modern day craziness they have added expansive outdoor seating and an ordering window so you never have to go inside. The Remington Rand building where they are located has a pretty crazy history itself. Built in late 1800s, it housed a number of industrial businesses, including a few vehicle companies like Eisenhuth Horseless Vehicle Co., but its name comes from the Remington Rand Corp. which made “noiseless” typewriters and other office equipment. As factories across Connecticut shut down in the 1970s, the Remington Rand building fell on hard times. By the 1990s it had become a hellhole with chop shops, drugs, dog fighting, pollution, and prostitution (I am not making this up). The city stepped in to renovate the old factory and bring businesses back. This has helped turn Middletown into a mini-craft beer city in the center of Connecticut.
Chris: I have been to Forest City a few times, but my most recent visit was this fall after they added a bunch of outdoor seating. The place was pretty popular when we went, and they were selling more food options than normal, including apple cider donuts which were amazing and went great with our beers. Forest City doesn’t have that big of a tap list, but they had beer cocktails (hard liquor mixed with their beer) and New England Cidery (which is confusing to me since they’re so close to Spoke + Spy). I had Stone’s Throw Sour which had a nice tart refreshing taste to it. I’m not sure what a lot of these outdoor only breweries will do now that it has started getting cold and COVID-19 is getting worse, but if you are able to go there I highly suggest it. Especially considering how big Middletown has become for food and drinks. The city has three breweries, a cidery, and now a meadery (Bergen House) with tons of great restaurants like the Whey Station so you can spend an entire day in Middletown.
Shannon: Forest City Brewing is a relaxing place to spend some time with friends and family. The taproom itself is on the smaller side and not the most aesthetically pleasing, but it’s the beer that’s important. I will say, the main bar has some beautiful woodwork on it though! With a smaller draft list, I tend to gravitate towards getting a flight. It let’s me try some of their new stuff while ensuring that I get to have one or two of their flagship brews. While not every beer is a rock star, my two favorite Forest City beers are the Brown Cow and Melange Saison. Brown Cow is a 6% ABV milk stout with light chocolate roast flavors making it a great stout for warmer weather. On the other side of things, Melange is a 6.2% ABV saison that tastes like an apple cinnamon explosion. A unique blend of spices and some traditional Belgian flavors make for a delicious, fragrant, dry brew that I highly recommend!
Other Cool Things:
- Merch for sale in store and online
- Limited food options thanks to visiting food trucks
- New England cider available
- Outdoor “Beer Forest” for seating
- Located in a historic factory with a truly WILD history
- Beer cocktails which is pretty cool
- Grab some to-go cider from Spoke + Spy Ciderworks or beer from Stubborn Beauty Brewing Company since they’re all in the same building
What Chris Drank:
Chris: Stone’s Throw (Sour) 5.5% – 4 out of 5
Chris: Coniferous (Kolsch) 7% – 4 out of 5
Brewing Persuasion: 3.5 out of 5
Feeling persuaded yet?
Brewing Persuasions 