Longview Ciderhouse

When: September 19th, 2025

Where: 36 Long Bottom Rd, Southington, CT 06489

Longview Ciderhouse is owned and operated by Rogers Orchards and is an outdoor only facility. The name comes from the long view visitors get from their hilltop porch, where people can see the Hartford skyline all the way from Southington. Rogers Orchards sets up a seasonal truck that serves their homemade cider and brandy at their scenic farm. They also operate a small grocery store at the bottom of the hill where they sell food, drinks, and their alcohol all year round. There are a lot of advantages of being outdoors, and Longview makes the most of it with popular firepits that you need to reserve, you covered tent, and lots of food truck options. One downside is that you cannot bring your dog onto the property.

Chris: I’ve been to Longview a few times now, including at their cider festival earlier this year. I am a huge cider fan and have been for many years, so I had to do the flight. The best of the bunch was their Honey cider, which was deliciously sweet. So it’s no surprise that my second favorite was their Sweet Farm, which had a nice hint of tartness.

Nick: My favorites from the tasting were the Spruce Tips and the Hibiscus Rose. The Spruce Tips had a piney, earthy flavor that Chris didn’t care for, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Normally, I lean toward sweeter ciders, so discovering that I liked this dry option was unexpected. The Hibiscus Rose was another dry cider, with a delicate floral note that I really appreciated, though Chris wasn’t a fan.

On the other hand, I also enjoyed Chris’s favorites: the Sweet Farm and the Honey. Both were classic sweet ciders—smooth, flavorful, and very well done.

Beyond the drinks, Longview itself is a gem. The view is unbeatable, making it the perfect spot to share a cider with friends and family while soaking in the beautiful outdoors.

Other cool things:

  • Brandy and wine available
  • Farm products for sale
  • Outdoor events

What we drank:

Chris: Honey (Sweet) 5% – 4.5 out of 5

Chris: Sweet Farm (Sweet) 5.4% – 3.75 out of 5

Nick: Spruce Tips (Dry) 5%- 4 out of 5

Nick: Hibiscus Rose (Dry) 7.9%- 4 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion

Cider: 4 out of 5

Location: 3.5 out of 5

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5

Counterweight Brewing Company

When: June 18th, 2025

Where: 7 Diana Court, Cheshire, CT

Counterweight Brewing Company was founded in Hamden in 2017 but they outgrew their original location pretty quickly. In 2022, they relocated to their current and much larger facility in Cheshire. The taproom at Counterweight Brewing was one of the largest I had seen with a large outdoor space and two entire floors and bars on the inside. Like many breweries, they seem to focus on IPAs but do have a splattering of other styles like wheats, sours, and an occasional dark beer. The main advantage of this space is how much they can do with it, they have enough space to host multiple events and have food services like Ritual Pizza (previously located inside Labyrinth brewing). This means that if you don’t want to do trivia or get too close to the live music, there are still plenty of places for you to sit inside and out.

Chris: With how large of a facility Counterweight had, I was expecting a wider variety in their styles. I understand that most people are going to want IPAs and light beers, but their other options were more limited than I expected. That being said, there were multiple styles available to us when we visited. I chose to get a wheat ale, Farmhouse ale, and a sour. Of course my favorite was the sour, Crimson Briar with a nice raspberry taste to it with some tart. Other than that, I wasn’t really a fan of the other beers I had but I think that had more to do with the limited variety in styles I like.

Nick: I really liked the Sour Crimson Briar, I think it was both Chris’s and mine favorite. It had a really nice Raspberry and Cherry flavor. I really wanted to like some of their other beers, but the Daybloom and CW Saison were alright, but didn’t stand out to me much. I loved a lot of the guest taps, but I do wish that I liked more of what they had. The location was really nice, though, and I can see why it’s so popular, great downstairs, outside, and upstairs.

Other cool things:

  • Merch
  • Cans to go
  • Lots of events
  • Pizza, burgers, and hot dogs available
  • Lots of guest taps

What we drank:

Chris: Daybloom (Wheat) 5%- 3 out of 5

Chris: Crimson Briar (Sour) 4.8% – 3.75 out of 5

Nick: Crimson Briar (Sour) 4.8% – 4 out of 5

Nick: CW Saison (Farmhouse Ale) 6.6% – 3 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion

Beer: 3 out of 5

Location: 4 out of 5

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5

Cheshire Craft Brewing

When: September 4th, 2025

Where: 125 Commerce Court, Cheshire, CT

When I pulled up to Cheshire Craft Brewing, I was expecting another run of the mill former warehouse turned brewery taproom, but I was pleasantly surprised by how large it was well planned out. There is plenty of seating inside and out with a newly added covered space out back. After the aesthetic, the next thing I always take notice of is the what’s on tap. Cheshire had a wide variety of beers with lights, darks, bitters, sweets, and lots of things for non-beer drinkers. The taproom offers wine, craft cider, and canned cocktails from Waypoint Spirits. Looks at their website, they also seem to have lots of events lined up like music bingo, yoga, speed dating, and live music.

Chris: With so many options available at Cheshire Craft Brewing, I had to get a flight. There was a lot to like, but my favorite was the Orangey Sky, a Kolsch that actually had flavor for once! The blood orange added to this beer made it even more refreshing and less boring than most Kolschs. The Shire milk stout was also pretty good and had a sweet and slightly chocolatey flavor to it.

Nick: Chris and I came into CCB rigtht when they were opening for the day. I also liked the Orange Sky, but my favorite was the Fruity Kettles: Strawberry Agave. The combo gave it a bit of a lemon flavor which was really refreshing. Fruity Kettles is a series that they do at CCB, and while they didn’t have it on tap right then, I took some of their Strawberry Kiwi home with me too. I also tried a trio of wheat beers, Gaarden Hoe, Strawberry Fields and Summer Knights but none of them really jumped out to me.

Other cool things:

  • Lots of events
  • Snacks available
  • Food trucks
  • Wine, cider, and canned cocktails

What we drank:

Chris: The Shire (Milk Stout) 6.6% – 4 out of 5

Chris: Orangey Sky (Kolsch) 4.9% – 4.5 out of 5

Nick: Gaarden Hoe (Wheat Beer) 5.3% – 3.5 out of 5

Nick: Fruity Kettles: Strawberry Agave (Sour) 4.5% – 4.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion:

Beer: 4 out of 5

Location: 3 out of 5

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5