Myrcene Ale Company

When: January 16, 2026

Where: 39 Ragged Rock Rd, Old Saybrook, CT

Myrcene Ale Company is located inside the old 30 Mile Brewing Company space. After the closing of 30 Mile and Thimble Island in Old Saybrook, that leaves Myrcene as the only brewery in town. If you ever stepped inside 30 Mile’s taproom, you will have some pretty heavy deja vu, as the space looks almost identical. There is a large indoor area with some outdoor seating. It is a comfortable and clean environment where someone can have a nice conversation without having to shout. They have a few events on their calendar, and there is a decent variety of beers, with stouts, lagers, sours, and IPAs. Like many breweries, they do have some cocktail, wine, and cider options with some snacks available.

Chris: Nick and I went to Myrcene on a Friday and there was a decent crowd. They had some snacks available, including some Zuppardi’s frozen pizzas, but there was nothing fresh, no food truck or real kitchen. When it comes to their beer, I liked their variety, but nothing seemed unique. My favorite was their Bloom sour, with a mixed berry flavor that was more tart than sweet. Other than that, the beer was fine, but I’ve been to their taproom multiple times now, and there doesn’t seem to be anything pulling me back for more.

Nick: Chris and I both liked the Bloom. I also enjoyed the Harvey’s Beach Sunset sour. The location is far from everything in Old Saybrook, and they sponsor a team I play against in my Ice Hockey league. Chris and I went to both Creature and Myrcene on the same day, and unfortunately, neither place stood out to either of us in almost any way.

Other cool things:

  • Events
  • Beers to go

What we drank:

Chris: Bloom (sour) 5% – 4 out of 5

Chris: Captain’s Cask (stout) 10% 3.5 out of 5

Nick: Harvey’s Beach Sunset (sour) 5.2% – 3.5 out of 5

Nick: Dunk’s Island (Lager) 4.8% – 3 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion:

Beer: 3.5 out of 5

Location: 2.5 out of 5

Atmosphere: 3.5 out of 5

Creature Brewing Company

When: January 16th, 2026

Where: 635 Broad st, New London, CT

Creature Brewing Company started as two homebrewers that eventually opened up a brewing supply store, and just last year, turned it into New London’s newest taproom. If you remember, Tox Brewing company packed up and moved to their new downtown New London location in 2024. This left their old location on Broad street empty, and Creature Brewing Company moved in. There are no frogs or mushrooms in the new taproom, but there are plenty of brewing supplies available for purchase. The owners/brewers of Creature strive to keep their beer as beer like as they can, without tons of additives or sugar. They keep their lineup stocked with traditional styles of beer from Europe and the U.S.

Chris: The taproom had a good variety of beers so I made sure to get a flight with darks, a sour, and even a light beer. I was most impressed with the Zombie Porter which had a nice malty flavor. I was also a fan of the Maiden Sour Ale which was nice and tart with a hint of blueberry. Overall, I didn’t think any of the beers were particularly unique, but if you are a fan of traditionally brewed beer, this is the place for you.

Nick: Chris and I went in for a flight. I didn’t have strong feelings about any of their beers, but I did like the Maiden Sour. Tox used the same location before their move and had a great vibe, but Creature doesn’t seem to be going for that. I look for a place to have a good atmosphere, location, and beer, and to be honest, Creature doesn’t appeal to me in any of those right now. I do want to see what they do going forward.

Other cool things:

  • Brewing supplies for sale

What we drank:

Chris: Maiden (Sour) 3.2% – 3.75 out of 4

Chris: Zombie (Porter) 6% – 3.75 out of 4

Chris: Minotaur (Stout) 6.7% – 3.5 out of 4

Nick: Sad Christmas (Porter) 6.4%- 3.25 out of 4

Nick: Sasquatch (Brown Ale) 4.4%- 3.25 out of 4

Nick: Nauga (Saison) 4.5%- 3.25 out of 4

Brewing Persuasion:

Beer: 3.5 out of 5

Location: 3 out of 5

Atmosphere: 2.5 out of 5

Transcend Beer Crafters

When: December 17th, 2025

Where: 45 Northwest Drive, Unit A, Plainville, CT 06062

Transcend Beer Crafters is Plainville’s newest brewery, opened in 2025. While the outside of the taproom makes it look like another garage style brewery, the inside shows how modern it actually is. The taproom is open and spacious with an event space attached next door. Visitors can enjoy games like shuffleboard and classic arcade machines, a wide selection of beer and merchandise, and a full kitchen. Its interesting to see how breweries have come full circle in the last decade, from restaurant breweries, to hole-in-the-wall garages with exclusive beers, and now to full destination stops for games, food, and beer. Transcend is the model of the new/old style brewery that needs to bring people in with more than just what’s on tap.

Chris: Speaking of the beer at Transcend, its been a long time since I went to a brewery and was blown away by the variety, quality, and uniqueness of their brews. Its hard for me to tell you what was the best because there were so many great beers and more than I could drink in one visit, so I’ve already planned my return. My favorite so far was their Blackout, a smoothie sour with a strong berry flavor and lactose to make it nice and creamy. A close second was their Trouble Stuff milk stout that tasted exactly like Oreos and came in at a whopping 10%. There were plenty of hopping and light beers to go along with their sweet sours and stouts, but with so many selections, I kept to my favorites.

Nick: Chris and I both loved the sours, and they were fantastic. My favorite was the Cranberry Creamlada, which was the first one I tried and really set a high bar for everything else. I love sours, and I can’t remember ever going to a place that had so many sours that I could not try all of them in one sitting. The Legnog and Blackout were also delicious sours and such unique and rich flavors that a palate cleanser in between them was a must, which is about the only thing I can compliment the Kolsch on. The only real negative for me was that all of the sours and, in fact, the majority of their beers were lactose-based; me being lactose intolerant did not stop me from enjoying them, as I always travel with Lactaid, but it definitely prevented me from taking any cans home, as I do not trust myself to remember to take it beforehand. I definitely plan to come back, especially with its flexible hours and a kitchen that’s always open.

Other cool things:

  • Multi leveled membership (kind of like a mug club)
  • Event space
  • Lots of merch
  • To-go beer

What we drank:

Chris: Trouble stuff (Stout) 10% – 4.25 out of 5

Chris: Blackout (Sour) 6% – 4.5 out of 5

Chris: Get cozy (Winter Warmer) 4.8% – 3.5 out of 5

Nick: Cranberry Pina Creamlada (Sour) 6% –4.5 out of 5

Nick: Legnog (Sour) 6% –4 out of 5

Nick: Blackout (Sour) 6% – 4 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion:

Beer: 4.5 out of 5

Location: 3 out of 5

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5