Coles Road Brewing

When Chris Went: July 2nd, 2021

Where: 817 Farmington Ave, Berlin, CT 06037

Coles Road Brewing opened in 2020 during the middle of the pandemic, which is why it took me so long to finally come to the their taproom. I couldn’t find out a lot about the breweries history online, but it is the first brewery for the town of Berlin, located right next to the train station. So if you feel like getting a drink before you hit the rails, its just a short walk away. If you are coming just for the beer, they have a nice large parking lot and their taproom can fit a pretty large crowd. They have a mix of high tops, tables, bar seating, and some outdoor seating. Both the tables and the decor is a strange mismatch of items and furniture. I am not going to be mad at a place for finding good furniture for good prices and not caring as much about the aesthetic, but I confused by what they were trying to do with their decorations. On the walls are guitars and road signs, and I do not see the connection between the two. The logo is also a little strange as it appears to be a tree, and I don’t see what that has to do with Coles Road, but I might be missing some history of the town or neighborhood.

All of those things are me just being nitpicky though; the most important part of any brewery experience is the beer. Coles Road has a huge selection with 20 beers on tap with every popular style highly represented. This is a place to take your picky craft beer friend who only drinks wheat beers or double IPAs. Don’t expect large pours though as the largest size is 12oz instead of 16oz. I don’t think you will care that much about the smaller drinks though because they have some pretty great beer. With such a large selection, I of course had to do a flight with some sours, stouts, and even a fruit beer. My favorite of the bunch was the Key Performance Indicator Sour with Raspberry and Vanilla. I had never had a sour with vanilla before, but it worked perfectly with the raspberry. Overall, while the aesthetic is forgettable, Coles Road makes up for it with a huge selection and quality beer.

Other Cool Things:

  • Crowlers to go
  • Live music
  • Trivia
  • Food trucks

What I Drank:

Chris- Searchlight Casting Mexican Pancake (Stout) 11.4% – 4 out of 5

Chris– Low Hanging Fruit (Fruit Beer) 4.5% – 4 out of 5

Chris- Loose from the Axis (Stout) 6% – 4 out of 5

Chris- Key Performance Indicator (Sour) 4.2% – 4.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

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?