Relic Brewing Company

When: June 18th, 2025

Where: 95B Whiting Street, Plainville, CT

Relic Brewing Company has been a staple of Plainville for some years and it has gone through a couple different changes in that time. I first went to Relic way back in 2018 and have stopped in periodically since then. In its current form, Relic has an unassuming look from the outside, but a large modernist feel on the inside. The space can fit quite a large crowd on couches, high-tops, and a bar. Relic also offers event space and a decent sized Pinball arcade. Like a lot of breweries now, Relic is trying to give people a lot of options so they have a large cocktail menu to go along with their beer options. That being said, the variety on the beer menu was okay, but it was missing anything fruity like a sour. This could be indicative of the turn towards light beers in the craft brew scene so I tried not to judge them too much on that.

Chris: The menu at Relic was pretty IPA heavy when we went back in June, but I was able to get a pretty nice stout, their Death by Tiramisu. This is a 8.5% pastry stout that was incredibly flavorful with tastes of milk, chocolate, coffee, and hazelnut. I had to take it easy after that beer as I was driving, but I was able to sample some other beers. I had the Whiting St Lager, but found it pretty bland. The newest trend in craft beers are lagers and I just cannot get into it.

Nick: I didn’t dislike any of the beers at Relic, but I also can’t say that any of them left any kind of impression. The Amber Ale was my favorite, it was malty and smooth, and I felt like I wanted to like it more than I did. The Whim is a New England-style IPA, which I don’t usually go for, but in this case, I liked it more than I typically like IPAs. I really enjoyed the setup with the arcade games; it added a unique touch to the brewery. However, I would have liked something other than the Pinball machines.

Other cool things:

  • Pinball arcade
  • Snack menu
  • Cocktails
  • Event space

What we drank:

Chris: Death by Tiramisu (Imperial stout) 8.5%- 4.5 out of 5

Chris: Whiting St (Lager) 5.6% – 3 out of 5

Nick: Amber Ale (Red Ale) 5.5% – 3 out of 5

Nick: The Whim (New England IPA) 6.5% – 3 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion:

Beer: 3 out of 5

Location: 3 out of 5

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5

Yankee Cider Company

When: June 1st, 2025

Where: 23 Petticoat lane, East Haddam, CT

Yankee Cider Company was started as the Staehly Tree Farm in 1985 as a Christmas tree farm. In 2014, they added wine to their products and opened their cider and wine taproom in 2019. The taproom is located in a renovated old barn, which gives it a very New England feel. Staehly Farms owns and operated Yankee Cider Company, and they produce many of the fruits for their products for a farm to glass approach. The inside of the barn is decently large, but there is a lot more seating outside and even some firepits to hang around. We were very glad that their taproom had flights as Yankee Cider has a huge variety with 12 ciders and 6 wines on tap with lots of to-go options.

Chris: I’ve had Yankee cider a few times now and I’ve always appreciated their huge variety and willingness to experiment. They have your typical flavors with sweet to dry options, but they also have ciders you won’t find anywhere else. Cider flavors like peanut butter, chocolate strawberry, or snickers. The experiments don’t always work out, but it keeps me coming back to try them. From what I’ve had, my favorite was the Chocolate Strawberry which tasted exactly how it sounds and was definitely on the sweetish side. Caramel Apple Cider Donut was also pretty good, but I wish it was as sweet as the name suggested.

Nick: Yankee Cider isn’t too far away from where I live, and they have their cider on tap at a lot of breweries, including my local Brewery Niantic Public House. On this particular visit, we tried an assortment, and most of them were excellent. On this particular trip, my top two were the Honey and the Strawberry. But the Honeycrisp, Blueberry-Peach Cobbler, Peanut Butter, and Rochambeau Raspberry were not far behind. They have a great outdoor seating area and what had to be the most eclectic playlists I have encountered at a Taproom. East Haddam is a bit out of the way, but there are tons of different options for everyone to enjoy!

Other cool things:

  • to-go wine and cider
  • Snacks
  • Local farm products for sale
  • Weekly trivia

What we drank:

Chris: Chocolate Strawberry (Sweet) 6.7% – 4.5 out of 5

Chris: Caramel Apple Cider Donut (Spiced) 6.5% – 4 out of 5

Nick: Blueberry-Peach Cobbler (Sweet) 6.7% – 4.5 out of 5

Nick: Honeycrisp (Sweet) 6.9% – 4.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion:

Cider: 4.5 out of 5

Location: 3.5 out of 5

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5

Rule of 3 Brewing

When: June 1st, 2025

Where: 201 W. High St, East Hampton, CT

Rule of 3 Brewing’s taproom is located in an industrial park in East Hampton and has a warehouse atmosphere. The taproom is quite large with a good amount of seating and a decent-sized patio out back that is dog-friendly. Unfortunately, there is a large construction project just out back, so the view is not a good one. There were a multitude of games for people to play while drinking their beer. The owners must be college sports fans as the brewery is decorated with flags from different colleges like UCONN, Notre Dame, and Syracuse. There was a good amount of variety in their alcohol options with stouts, sours, IPAs, lagers, and even some cider and seltzer options.

Chris: I was happy that Rule of 3 had a couple stouts for me to try so I decided to get a flight. My favorite was the Wookie Cookie Stout, which was a collaboration with Concentric Brewing. It was very alcoholic, at 11%, but was still smooth and sweet. I was also a fan of the Oktoberfest Marzen which had a little sweetness and hop taste to it. Overall, there were some good beers but nothing that really stood out.

Nick: I thought the Measure Thrice Sour was good, it’s a blood orange sour and had a really nice tart but juicy profile. Stouts are generally a mixed bag for me, but I found that I liked their Coffee Stout, the Heckyl & Clyde. It had a nice flavor, and I felt like you could really smell and taste the oatmeal, maple, and coffee.

Other cool things:

  • Trivia nights
  • Beer to-go
  • Merch
  • Mug club

What we drank:

Chris: Wookie Cookie (Stout) 11.1%- 3.75 out of 5

Chris: Oktoberfest (Marzen) 6.7%- 3.75 out of 5

Nick: Measure Thrice (Sour) 4.5%- 4 out of 5

Nick: Heckyl & Clyde(Stout)6.9%- 3.75 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion:

Beer: 3.5 out of 5

Location: 3 out of 5

Atmosphere: 3 out of 5