When we went: July 16th, 2021
Where: 54 W Main Street, Mystic, CT 06355
Bank and Bridge Brewing is the newest brewery in downtown Mystic. Their grand opening was last week, but they’ve been opened since June. The brewery’s building stands out as it was built in 1831 as a bank, and the inside keeps that classic fancy bank feeling. They kept the old vault in the building and display it for visitors. There is plenty of seating both indoors and outdoors, with the former teller area being the natural location for the bar. Outside food is not allowed as we found out, but they do offer food made in-house. Being in downtown Mystic is both a hit and a miss. Downtown is a great place to visit with tons of restaurants, and now two breweries, ice cream shops, and all the great summer spots, but parking can be tricky. Street parking is limited, and the Mystic Museum of Art parking lot is expensive.
Chris: I always love buildings that keep the original look around, like Willy brew, and I am very happy that Bank and Bridge did the same. But when it comes to their beer, I think they have a long way to go. When we went in July, they only had 4 of their own beers, and only two of them were on tap with the others being canned. Their website shows they currently have 2 beers on tap and 3 canned. They supplement these with 3 guest taps, but of the 8 different beers, 5 are IPAs, leaving almost no variety. I recommend you check their menu before making the trip. This limited brewing capacity also meant that they did not do cans to go. I had their Manatee Porter, which was pretty good, it was really smooth and had a nice hint of coffee.
Nick: Bank and Bridge is definitely a cool location for tourists, but as Chris said, the lack of parking means you are likely going to have to pay for parking. The building is unique, but when I went back recently with my wife, we found that it was difficult to get seated inside as the table arrangement was quite congested. But sitting outside is definitely nice, although you can’t see the water from the brewery. The owner is apparently a huge Arsenal fan, that’s English soccer for those who haven’t at least seen Ted Lasso, and the trappings of the team are located all over the bar. They feature the TV schedule on their website, and they open for all their games, even the morning mid week ones. There’s also a special room for games, and they have custom jerseys that say Bank & Bridge Gooners. That being said, I kind of expected them to at least subtly lean into the soccer vibe with their Beer, like 2nd Bridge in Manchester does, but seemingly nothing yet. I had The Joker (a Pilsner) and Celestial Navigation (DIPA), neither of which were very interesting to me. However I would love to go back if and when they get some more beers on tap.
Other Cool Things:
- Lots of wine available
- Hard liquor available
- Decent size food menu
- Open 7 days a week
- Show Arsenal FC games
What we drank:
Chris: Manatee (Porter) 6.5% – 4 out of 5
Nick: The Joker (Pilsner) 4.5% – 3 out of 5
Nick: Celestial Navigation (DIPA) 8% – 2.5 out of 5
Brewing Persuasion: 3 out of 5
Feeling persuaded yet?
Brewing Persuasions 