When: June 21st, 2024
Where: 285 Nicoll Street, New Haven, CT
East Rock Brewing Company is a staple of New Haven brewing and German style craft beer. Most of the beers that East Rock produces are derived from traditional German style beers such as Bocks, Lagers, and Weisses. The name of the brewery comes from the famous East Rock landmark in the city, and the neighborhood where the brewery is located was once known as goatsville due to its large goat population. Unlike most breweries in a city, East Rock has plenty of parking options. The inside of the taproom is massive, with a huge amount of indoor seating and a separate game garden with shuffleboard, bocce, and corn-hole.
Chris: I had been to East Rock before but had never gotten around to reviewing it. I decided to get a flight of lagers, wheats, and sours, with my favorite beer being the Blueberry Vienna Lager. Lagers seem to be big right now, so I always appreciate it when breweries add some flavor to them to distinguish the beer. Their Summer Wheat was also pretty good as a typical wheat ale, and their Blackcurrant and Tangerine Gose had a nice light flavor to it.
Nick: It was a great day to visit East Rock. My favorite beers was the Black Currant and Tangerine Gose. I loved the setup inside; you can easily see why it’s such a popular event place. Looking down into the production area from the taproom was a really cool view, and the curved bar area was really inviting. I love a brewery with a great atmosphere, and East Rock definitely has one.
What we drank:
Chris: Blueberry Vienna (Lager) 4.8% – 4 out of 5
Chris: Summer Wheat (Ale) 5.7% – 4 out of 5
Nick: Blackcurrant and Tangerine Gose (Gose) 4.5%- 4 out of 5
Nick: Weisse Bier (Wheat Beer) 5.4%- 3.5 out of 5
Other cool things:
- Merch for sale
- Cans to go, and growler fills
- Lots of events
- Pretzels available
Brewing Persuasion:
Beer: 4 out of 5
Location: 4 out of 5
Atmosphere: 5 out of 5
Brewing Persuasions 