When Chris Went: July 2nd, 2021
Where: 817 Farmington Ave, Berlin, CT 06037
Coles Road Brewing opened in 2020 during the middle of the pandemic, which is why it took me so long to finally come to the their taproom. I couldn’t find out a lot about the breweries history online, but it is the first brewery for the town of Berlin, located right next to the train station. So if you feel like getting a drink before you hit the rails, its just a short walk away. If you are coming just for the beer, they have a nice large parking lot and their taproom can fit a pretty large crowd. They have a mix of high tops, tables, bar seating, and some outdoor seating. Both the tables and the decor is a strange mismatch of items and furniture. I am not going to be mad at a place for finding good furniture for good prices and not caring as much about the aesthetic, but I confused by what they were trying to do with their decorations. On the walls are guitars and road signs, and I do not see the connection between the two. The logo is also a little strange as it appears to be a tree, and I don’t see what that has to do with Coles Road, but I might be missing some history of the town or neighborhood.
All of those things are me just being nitpicky though; the most important part of any brewery experience is the beer. Coles Road has a huge selection with 20 beers on tap with every popular style highly represented. This is a place to take your picky craft beer friend who only drinks wheat beers or double IPAs. Don’t expect large pours though as the largest size is 12oz instead of 16oz. I don’t think you will care that much about the smaller drinks though because they have some pretty great beer. With such a large selection, I of course had to do a flight with some sours, stouts, and even a fruit beer. My favorite of the bunch was the Key Performance Indicator Sour with Raspberry and Vanilla. I had never had a sour with vanilla before, but it worked perfectly with the raspberry. Overall, while the aesthetic is forgettable, Coles Road makes up for it with a huge selection and quality beer.
Other Cool Things:
- Crowlers to go
- Live music
- Trivia
- Food trucks
What I Drank:
Chris- Searchlight Casting Mexican Pancake (Stout) 11.4% – 4 out of 5
Chris– Low Hanging Fruit (Fruit Beer) 4.5% – 4 out of 5
Chris- Loose from the Axis (Stout) 6% – 4 out of 5
Chris- Key Performance Indicator (Sour) 4.2% – 4.5 out of 5
Brewing Persuasion: 4 out of 5
Feeling persuaded yet?
Brewing Persuasions 