Bank and Bridge Brewing

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?

Denver Beer Company/Cerveceria Colorado

When we went: October 5th, 2021

Where: 1695 Platte Street, Denver, Colorado 80202

You might be wondering why we are reviewing two breweries in the same post, but it is because the Denver Beer Company owns and operates Cerveceria Colorado. The Platte Street location of DBC and Cerveceria are in the same building, so it seemed natural to put the two breweries together. My brother, Nick, and I were in Colorado for a family wedding and decided to hit up a few breweries. Lucky for us, very few cities have more breweries then Denver.

DBC was one of the last breweries we went to, but it was definitely the most impressive. There was a good amount of space both indoors and outdoors at DBC, so even though it was pretty busy, we were able to get a table. The walls of DBC were chalkboard with lots of chalk art depicting different beers which gave the vibe of a fancy garage brewery.

Even though Cerveceria is connected to DBC, a hallway separates the two breweries, and the inside of Cerveceria has a completely different look. Cerveceria had less indoor and outdoor seating than DBC, but you can take your beers to either side. You may have guessed by the name, but Cerveceria is a Mexican beer themed brewery. The décor begins outside, with the building painted bright red and blue. The inside has wood plank walls with painted symbols and a light up sign saying “Bridges not walls.”

Denver Beer Company taproom

Chris: DBC had quite a large selection and variety of beers with a slight concentration on sours. They had so many to offer, we of course had to do flights. My favorite beer from DBC was the Hubbabubbalicious Watermelon Sour which tasted like a watermelon starburst. My next favorite was their Graham Cracker Porter which tasted exactly like it sounds, and I liked it so much I still have some in my fridge.

Cerveceria is pretty unique in both décor and beers they offered. The brewery had all Mexican style beers and collaborated with a few Mexican breweries to produce their brews. They had a good selection and variety with a concentration on stouts, which of course made me very happy. All the beers I had were pretty good, but my favorite was their Café De Olla Stout which was flavored with with a traditional spiced Mexican coffee with a nice caramel flavor and was a collab with San Pascual Babylon in Cholula, Mexico. I have been to plenty of themed breweries, but Cerveceria Colorado was completely unique for me.

Cerveceria Colorado tap room

Nick: DBC was definitely my favorite brewery of the trip in terms of actual beers. I like sours, and while it seemed like every place in Colorado had a sour, not many stood out. DBC had my two favorite sours of the trip, the Tart Delight and the Hubbabubbalicious Watermelon Sour. The Tart Delight had an interesting flavor, somewhat salty but not overpowering. As Chris said the Hubbabubbalicious was amazing, it did taste like starbursts and is now in my top five beers.

I liked everything that I had at Cerveceria, and the woman who served us over at DBC actually ended her shift there and had started at Cerveceria when we came over to try it. She told us a little about how DBC started Cerveceria to be able to try some styles that they wouldn’t normally make at DBC and how they collaborate with breweries in different parts of Mexico. The Sangre De Gusano was my favorite beer. Its a blood orange sour that really stood out to me. The Churro Stout was also very good, and I am not much of a stout fan.

Other Cool Things:

  • Dog friendly
  • Food trucks
  • Cerveceria shows Mexican league soccer games
  • Only about a 15 minute walk from Coors Field or Ball Arena

What we drank:

Chris: Graham Cracker (Porter) 5.6%- 4.5 out of 5

Chris: Hubbabubbalicious Watermelon (Sour) 5% – 5 out of 5

Chris: Café De Olla (Stout) 6.6%- 4 out of 5

Nick: Sangre De Gusano (Sour) 6.6% – 4 out of 5

Nick: Hubbabubbalicious Watermelon (Sour) 5% – 5 out of 5

Nick: Tart Delight (Sour) 5% – 4 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4.5 out of 5

Feeling Persuaded Yet?

High Nine Brewing

When I Went: July 23rd, 2021

Where: 6 Winter Ave Suite 7, Deep River, CT 06417

I recently went back to High Nine Brewery in Deep River which has been open on and off during the pandemic. The first time I went was with Shannon right after they opened up in November of 2019, in the before times, when you didn’t have to worry about covid. In 2019, High Nine was just getting started and had a lot to learn about the craft beer business. Now, almost two years after they opened, I went back to see how they had changed. Like many breweries in the state, they have taken up canning to help deal with covid. The space has lots of parking available, and is the only brewery in Deep River. They have plenty of indoor space to sit, and they had a tent set up with tables and chairs outside so you could enjoy how hot and muggy it was that day. The taproom itself gives off a garage brewery vibe with polished concrete floors with a mix of different style couches, tables, and chairs. High Nine also has plenty of games available with a table shuffleboard and darts area.

When it comes to High Nine’s beer, they have a pretty good variety and selection with 13 beers on tap ranging from stouts, IPAs, sours, and pilsners. I always appreciate a place that has a wide range of styles on tap and I’m sure it requires a lot of skill from the brewers. The first beer I tried was the Joe, a coffee stout. The style is a favorite of mine, but I didn’t think this beer was very flavorful. Next, I had the No Joe, an oatmeal stout. This is another favorite style of mine, but again I thought the beer was pretty bland. The only real flavor that came through for me was bitterness. Lastly, I had the Penk Drenk, a sour flavored with raspberry and pineapple. I really liked the flavors here. Raspberry is such a hard taste to get right in beers, but High Nine pulled it off on this drink. The only reason I wouldn’t give this one a perfect score is that I am not the biggest pineapple fan, but if you like raspberries and pineapples, you will love Penk Drenk.

Other Cool Things:

  • Family run business
  • Bring your own food
  • Dog friendly
  • Flights
  • Live music
  • Beer buddy board

What I Drank:

Chris: Joe (Coffee Stout) 6% – 3.5 out of 5

Chris: No Joe (Oatmeal Stout) 5% – 3 out of 5

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

Brewing Persuasion: 3.5 out of 5

Feeling Persuaded Yet?