Brewing Persuasions

Outer Light Brewing Company

When we went: November 19th, 2021

Where: 266 Bridge st, Groton, CT 06340

Outer Light brewery company (OLBC for short) opened in Groton in the spring of 2015 and has been a favorite of the community ever since. Unlike all the other breweries near Mystic, you can actually get parking when you arrive at the taproom. That has to do with their location being in an industrial park and next to the now closed Galaxy Roller Rink. Like many breweries that are in this type of area, the outside isn’t much to look at, but the inside has some surfing themed decorations. While the taproom isn’t large, there is a good amount of outdoor seating and a decent amount of indoor seating. During the warmer months, the garage door that acts as one of the walls of the taproom opens up to let in some fresh air.

Chris: This was not the first time I had been to Outer Light, but I have never been particularly impressed with this brewery. I have visited four different times, and I have never seen a sour on their menu, and their online tap list doesn’t show any either. I understand that every brewery doesn’t need to make every type of beer, but sours are so popular that it seems weird not to make any. That isn’t to say their beer isn’t good, but I have not personally liked many. I did like their Bluebird Blond Ale made with blueberry, pomegranate and lactose. I am a sucker for anything with a good blueberry taste to it, and I have liked the trend of adding lactose to beers. While I do not like IPAs, I do like when breweries work with local businesses and communities to come out with specialty beers. OLBC is coming out with Walk Your Horses NEIPA to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Mystic Bascule bridge. Maybe trip number 5 will change my mind about the place.

Nick: Craft brewing as a business is just as much about building a following and establishing yourself in a community as it as about making beer. OLBC has done a lot to build its brand in the Groton area and has a strong following with the workers at Electric Boat. They have certainly been able to build that into success as they purchased the old roller rink next door with the intent of expanding their business there, although Covid seems to have delayed or possibly changed those plans. However, I do not like OLBC’s beer. Some of the people my wife works with love this place, but I do not find any of their beers to be particularly good and none stood out to me. I do not typically like Coffee Stouts, but I thought the Libation Propaganda wasn’t bad. And I wanted to like the Bluebird and Orange Rainbows more than I actually did.

Other cool stuff:

Trivia nights
Merch
Cans to go
Food trucks

What we drank:

Chris: Bluebird (Blonde Ale) 5% – 4 out of 5

Chris: Peanut Butter Pitch & Roll (Stout) 8.8% – 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Orange Rainbows (Sour IPA) 5.7% – 2.5 out of 5

Nick: Libation Propaganda (Coffee Stout) 5.5%- 3 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 2.5 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

Stem Ciders

When we went: October 4th, 2021

Where: 2811 Walnut St #150, Denver, CO 80205

Stem Ciders was founded in 2013 and they have two taprooms, one in Denver and one in Lafayette. We visited their Denver location back in 2018 when Nick used to live in South Dakota. Denver was the closest large city to him, so I’d meet him there when I came to visit. Back then, neither of us were big beer fans, but we loved cider, so naturally, we had to try all the cideries in Denver.

Our most recent visit to Stem Ciders was in the fall of 2021, and not much had changed. The inside of the taproom isn’t too large, but there are plenty of high and low top tables. They have a large outdoor space with tents set up so you can enjoy your cider in the shade. Stem’s Denver location is conveniently located in the River North Art District which is fantastic if you want to try different breweries or cideries as there are several others close by. There are always some great food trucks in the area, as well as street art if that’s your thing.

Chris: Stem prides themselves on doing a more traditional dry style cider, which was most of what they had on tap when we visited them. My preference has always been for sweet and semi-sweets ciders so it was hard for me to find a drink I liked. I tried their Lava Flow, which is a strawberry and pineapple off-dry cider. It had some nice fruity flavors, but it was still too dry for me. I was a big fan of their Cocoa Caramel Cider. You don’t run into many chocolate ciders, but since I am a sucker for chocolate and cider, I was sold. Even with the rich description, the cider was not overly sweet and had a nice balanced mix of caramel, chocolate, and apple.

Nick: Like Chris, I also enjoy the sweet ciders more than a dry. But I really enjoyed the Lava flow. If a cider has strawberry or pineapple in it, there’s a good chance I’m going to like it, and this one had both. I think pear cider’s are my absolute favorite, and Stem had one that I enjoyed. But it was still too dry for me. There are some great cideries in Connecticut that are more my style.

Other Cool Things:

Trivia nights
Food trucks
Cider pairing nights
Cider slushies

What we drank:

Chris: Lava Flow (Off-dry) 5.8% – 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Cocoa Caramel (Sweet) 5.8% – 4 out of 5

Nick: Pear (Sweet) 5.3%- 4 out of 5

Nick: Lava Flow (Off-dry) 5.8% – 4 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 3.5 out of 5

Feeling Persuaded Yet?

Grey Sail Brewing

When we went: November 19th, 2021

Where: 65 Canal St, Westerly, RI 02891

We were able to stop by the taproom for Grey Sail brewing in Westerly back in November when it was still relatively warm. Grey Sail is divided between two buildings; one where they brew and can their beer and the taproom next door. The brewing building was previously an auto parts shop, and before that, a macaroni factory. The taproom next door is located inside an old house. If you have ever been to Little House Brewery in Chester, it is a very similar vibe. The taproom still has the layout of a house, so seating is broken up into small rooms. Grey Sail has been around for over 10 years, which is a pretty long time for the craft beer world, and has grown quite the following. The name of Grey Sail is a result of its proximity to the New England coastline and the prevalence of sail boats on the ocean horizon. It is a pretty fitting name considering how Rhode Island is known for its beaches, and many of names for Grey Sail’s beers are ocean themed.

It is best to visit Grey Sail in the warmer months because they have a spacious outdoor area. This area offers the feel of an actual beer garden. We have all been to places that put a few potted plants next to outdoor seating and call it a beer garden, but Grey Sail went all in.

Chris: I really enjoyed the space at Grey Sail and had seen their beer everywhere before I was able to make it to their taproom. When Nick and I went in November, Grey Sail had 14 beers on tap, but their variety was limited, with only 1 sour and 1 stout available and the rest were mostly IPA’s. That being said, I did enjoy both the Portside Sour and the Coffee Stout in the flight we got. The Dave’s Coffee Stout uses a local coffee blend of Brazilian and Ethiopian beans, and is very similar in taste to a cold brew. Speaking of cold brews, Grey Sail had their own on tap, as well as South Country Distillers which offers rum, gin, vodka, and agave spirits.

Nick: Gray Sail is certainly a unique space, and it feels like you are drinking at home. As Chris mentioned, this isn’t a brewery that focuses on making a large variety of beers, and they have a definite concentration of IPA’s. But I found a few beers that I enjoyed. The Portside Sour was excellent, and I also liked the Flagship Ale. Cream ale’s can be really hit or miss for me, but this one had a nice smooth flavor. The Dinghy Party was one that I was very interested to try, as you don’t see many Fruit Punch Ale’s. But I found it strange more than anything else. It had a sweet aroma, but the taste did not match my expectations.

Other Cool Things:

Lots of merch
Hive beer for sale
South Country spirits for sale
Cans to go

What we drank:

Chris: Dave’s Coffee (Stout) 6.3% – 4 out of 5

Chris: Flagship Ale (Cream Ale) 4.7% – 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Portside (Sour) 7.2% – 4.5 out of 5

Nick: Portside (Sour) 7.2% – 4 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?