Concentric Brewing

When Chris Went: June 13th, 2021

Where: 91 Main Street, Portland, CT 06480

Concentric Brewing company opened in Portland in February becoming Portland’s first brewery. Coming from Middletown, the taproom is located just over the Arrigoni bridge making it conveniently located close to the highway and to my house. The name “Concentric” comes from the “common center” that the three founders have in brewing. The space has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and lots of parking available. The taproom is a good size with a rustic feel and looks pretty different from all the breweries in old industrial buildings. Two of the unique parts of their taproom are the circular bar in the middle of the room instead of the usual rectangular bar, and the glass wall on the right side so you can see their 10 barrel brewing system.

When I went to Concentric for the first time two things surprised me. The first was that even as a new brewery, they still had a dozen beers on tap with a range of styles. I cannot tell you how many breweries I have been to that when they first open only have 3 or 4 beers on tap. I am not saying that is a bad thing, but usually it takes a brewery a year or so to build to such a large tap list. Another thing that struck me was that they had partnered with Hot Dogs in the Hallway, a gourmet hot dog company to provide a permanent hot dog stand inside the taproom. While their hot dogs were not comparable to Riley’s in New Britain, it was nice to have that option. When it came to their beer, I got a flight including a porter, stout, sour, and fruit beer. The Pineapple Sunset is for any pineapple lover as it is basically just alcoholic pineapple juice. My favorite was the Raspberry Ripple which had the right combination of sour and fruity flavor. I would definitely recommend Concentric Brewing and plan to return on a regular basis.

Other Cool Things:

  • Mug club
  • Corn hole outside
  • Second parking lot in back
  • Lawn available for extra seating
  • Weekly events like Trivia, Beer Bingo, and live music

What I Drank:

Chris- Breakfast in the Caribbean (Porter) 8.5% – 3.5 out of 5

Chris– Udderly Whimsical (Milk Stout) 6.5% – 4 out of 5

Chris- Pineapple Sunset (Fruit Beer) 5.9% – 4 out of 5

Chris- Raspberry Ripple (Sour) 4.2% – 5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 5 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

Niantic Public House & Brewery

When Chris Went: May 1st, 2021

Where: 243 Main Street, Niantic, CT 06357

Niantic Public House and Brewery opened its taproom in downtown Niantic in the fall of 2018. The taproom is conveniently located in the heart of Niantic, with plenty of restaurants, ice cream shops, and beaches within a few blocks. You can access all of this and not even pay for parking, making Niantic and its Public House a great summer day trip. The brewery has plenty of indoor and some outdoor seating, and if you don’t feel like leaving they have snacks and schedule a lot of food trucks.

I went to Niantic Public House right after it opened and was not too impressed. Most of the beer on tap was not their own with only 3 or so in-house beers. I had their Slow and Steady Porter which was just okay. I have gone back a few times this year and so much has changed. Niantic Public House has so many more of their beers on tap with a lot more styles available. Right now they have 10 of their own beers on tap and 2 delicious ciders from New England Cider Company. They have a great mix of beers as well including IPAs, Stouts, Sours, and even Wheat beers. The taproom has also been redesigned with everything being aquatic themed, which makes sense since they are across the street from the ocean and their logo is a turtle. Last time I went I got a flight, and my favorite was their Tree’s Breakfast Coffee Milk Stout; it had a nice flavor without being over the top. Niantic Public House has come a long way since it opened in 2018.

This unfortunate man was so intoxicated he forgot how to stand normally

Other Cool Things:

  • Growlers and cans to-go
  • Merch for sale
  • All art done by local artist
  • Wine available
  • Flights available

What I Drank:

Chris: 444 (Wheat) 5% – 4.5 out of 5

Chris: Conplan 8888 (Pilsner) – 3 out of 5

Chris: Bussin’ Banana Bread (Belgian Strong Dark Ale) 8.3% – 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Job Ghostin (Bock) 6.9% nice – 4 out of 5

Chris: Tree’s Breakfast Coffee Milk (Stout) 6.2% – 4.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

Stubborn Beauty Brewing Company

When Chris Went: May 8th, 2021

Where: 180 Johnson Street, Middletown, CT 06457

Stubborn Beauty brewing company opened in 2014 in the old Remington Rand building. If you read our review of Forest City brewing, located in the same building, you know that Remington Rand is an old industrial building. It’s history dates back to the 1800s and had a long list of companies occupy it including the Eisenhuth Horseless Vehicle Co., and Remington Rand Corp. noiseless typewriter makers. When deindustrialization began in the northeast in the 1970s the building became abandoned and lets just say it was not a nice place to be. Yet in the last 10 years, the location has become a hot spot for alcohol with Stubborn Beauty, Forest City, and Spoke + Spy all located there.

Chris: Since Stubborn Beauty is right next to Forest city and Spoke + Spy, I decided to hit up all three that day. After picking up some caramel apple cider from Spoke, and a delicious sour from Forest, I headed over to Stubborn Beauty. The taproom has polished concrete floors and a few tables inside. Outside they have a few barrels being used as tables for you to sit at, but the chairs are on gravel which caused me to almost tip over. On tap, they had 7 beers and a guest cider from Spoke + Spy; I decided to get the Porter Justice. It was a pretty typical porter taste and comes in at 8% abv. Like most breweries, they mainly have IPAs but usually have a dark beer or two on tap. Stubborn Beauty is more willing than most places to try truly unique flavors, like their Saint Alfonzo Pancake Breakfast foreign stout and I always appreciate a place that is willing to test the (frothy) waters.

Other Cool Things:

  • Merch for sale
  • Cans to go
  • Free parking

What I drank:

Chris: Porter Justice (Porter) 8% – 3.5 out of 5

Chris: I Remember My First Check In (Sour) 5% – 4.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 3.5 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?