City Steam Brewery

When Chris Went: October 24th, 2020

Where: 942 Main Street, Hartford CT 06103

City Steam opened in 1997, making it one of Connecticut’s oldest breweries. Their flagship beer series, Naughty Nurse, is a Connecticut staple. The brewery’s name comes from their method of brewing, with steam. The Hartford Steam Company has engineered a way to run steam pipes into City Steam, and the brewery uses the steam to power their 23-barrel brewery. City Steam is located in the historic Cheney building, built in 1875 by the Cheney brothers who produced silk in Manchester. The structure later housed part of the historic G. Fox Department Store, and the brewery’s iron railings and millwork are salvaged from it. Needless to say, there is a lot of history behind both City Steam and the Cheney building. When you walk inside, the first thing you will notice is how the brewery has kept their historic look. Almost every surface is covered in dark expensive looking wood. City Steam is a restaurant as well as a brewery, and their main dining room feels like a miniature Gatsby mansion with a grand chandler and multileveled seating area. City Steam brewery is an exceptionally unique location.

Chris: I have been to City Steam a bunch, not just for their beer but also for their food. Their food is self described as, “upscale casual” and I would say that is a fitting description. You will find your typical pub food, but much fancier and tastier. My personal favorite is their Naughty Nurse beer-battered fish and chips. They also have some great desserts as you can see. For their beer, City Steam has a pretty large selection, although they usually only have one dark beer on tap. When I went last I got their Blueberry Guava Twist Sour which tasted exactly how it sounds. Overall I would say that City Steam has an amazing location, amazing food, with some pretty good beer and definitely deserves your visit.

Shannon: It seems surprising but I’ve only had the pleasure of visiting City Steam once. I’m not quite sure why I never visited more while I was still living in Hartford. City Steam truly is a one of a kind place. From my one visit way back in 2018 I had two beers – their flagship beer Naughty Nurse Red Ale and a Pink and White Grapefruit Wit (thank god for Untappd, right?) Naughty Nurse is truly a home run, I’ve had this beer many times outside the taproom and every time I love it. City Steams Pink and White Grapefruit Wit is a low percentage traditional Belgian Witbier that’s brewed with pink grapefruit peels instead of the usual orange peel. The result is a aromatic, sweet, and juicy brew that goes down easy. Seriously, if you haven’t visited City Steam, I highly recommend that you do! You’ll find something here for everyone – tasty food, great beer, a variety of events, and a gorgeous historic building. What more could you ask for?

Other Cool Things:

  • Mug club with your own personal mug
  • Brew Ha Ha Comedy Club (plus specially brewed beers just for Comedy Club members)
  • Pool table game room
  • Private space available to rent
  • Outdoor covered seating
  • Bar section (order cocktails, wine, or beer)

What Chris Drank:

Chris: Blueberry Guava Twist (Sour) 4.3% – 4 out of 5

Chris: Steampunk (Porter) 5.5% – 3.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

Urban Artifact Brewing

When Shannon Went: September 11, 2020

Where: 1660 Blue Rock St, Cincinnati, OH 45223

Urban Artifact made their home in the historic 140 year old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Cincinnati’s Northside neighborhood back in 2014. By 2015, they opened their doors and began pouring pints and hosting live music events almost nightly. Standing out among the Queen City’s craft beer scene, Urban Artifact specializes in tart and sour ales, especially balanced, heavily fruited ales. Brewing a number of different sour beers, from the standard Germanic style Goses, to fermented barrel aged sours, there is always something new and exciting to drink in their taproom. Urban Artifact is currently on pace to use over 1,000,000 lbs of real fruit just this year!

Shannon: The best way to describe Urban Artifact and their style is eclectic. There are no conventional IPAs, stouts, or lagers in sight on their draft list. Their brewing range of sours, fruited and funky beers is impressive. While I’m not a huge sour beer fan, I knew I had to give them a try. Urban Artifact reigns supreme as Cincinnati’s resident sour king. At the taproom I tried one of their classic original sours, The Gadget. This was the first beer in their Midwest Fruit Tart series. When The Gadget is brewed, each batch is done with 1,280 lbs of blackberries, 1,280 lbs or raspberries, and 30 grams of vanilla beans. The outcome is a beautiful, hazy purple beer with puckering tastes of tart blackberries and raspberries.

Other Cool Things:

  • Radio Artifact is their very own FM music station created to feature local music!!
  • Outdoor patio
  • Wildfire Pizza Kitchen in the taproom
  • Their former church spent some time as a cookie factory before being a brewery!
  • Lots of cool merch including handcrafted dice sets inspired by different Urban Artifact beers!!
  • Urban Artifact uses their space really well! The taproom is in the church basement, the upstairs sanctuary is used for special events. The rectory building is office space for their FM music station, and the church gym holds the production and packaging operation.
  • Beer delivery offered to Ohio, Vermont, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Nebraska, Connecticut, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington D.C.

What Shannon Drank:

Shannon: The Gadget (Blackberry & Raspberry Sour) 7.9% ABV – 3.5 out of 5

Shannon: Polygraph (Cherry Sour) 8.1% ABV – 4 out of 5

Shannon: Peanut Butter & Raspberry Jelly (Spiced Beer) 8.5% ABV – 3.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

Thimble Island Brewing Company

When Chris Went: October 10th, 2020

Where: 16 Business Park Drive, Branford, CT 06405

If you live in Branford you probably know where Thimble Island Brewing Company gets its name, but if you are like me and didn’t grow up near the Long Island Sound then you might not know that it is named after a series of islands right off of the Connecticut coast. The next piece of information you need to know is that the brewery is 4 or 5 miles inland from the islands where it gets its name. Despite not being able to see the ocean, the brewery sticks to the nautical theme with tentacles painted on the walls and their logo being a square knot. The idea for Thimble Island brewing began as an interest in homebrewing which eventually led them to sell their beer to local bars. In 2013 they ended up at their current location and have been going strong there for seven years. In fact, they recently reopened after some indoor renovation of their taproom and rentable event space. The taproom has polished concrete and hardwood floors, plenty of tables and high tops, and a very bright area with a nice mural of tentacles opening a beer can. Outside they have added a ton of picnic tables accompanied by JJ’s Food Truck.

Chris: My brother and I went to Thimble Island right after they reopened in what would normally be peak Oktoberfest season. It was also peak pumpkin-flavored-everything season so I got their Dark Pumpkin Porter. I am not usually a pumpkin person, but this beer was pretty good. It was not an overpowering pumpkin flavor so that really complemented the roasted malts taste. My favorite beer is still their Vanilla Coffee Stout which is available at almost any package store. My roommates and I can find it even though we are no where near Branford. The brewery was busy when we went but we felt pretty comfortable with all the safety measures that were in place. The indoor and outdoor tables were safely spread apart, and the servers came to each table to avoid crowds at the bar. Now that it has gotten colder, they have added heaters to their outdoor picnic tables. P.S. their urinals are old kegs, just thought everyone should know.

Shannon: I’ve always had a sweet spot for Thimble Island since visiting the taproom for the first time a few years ago. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing their new renovation, but from the pictures that tentacle mural is everything! While Chris’s favorite Thimble Island brew is the Vanilla Coffee Stout, my personal favorite is a little beauty who goes by the name Bon Voyage. Coming in at a cool 5.5%, this beer is the perfect brunch choice. A take on their super dry Brut IPA, Bon Voyage is packed with fresh oranges and champagne, giving it a strong tangy flavor. A second variant of this beer is the Bon Voyage – Rosé Brut which is brewed with strawberries and hibiscus. Sadly though Bon Voyage is no longer in production, so you’ll have to be on the look out for a beermosa elsewhere.

Other Cool Things:

  • Annual seafood and brew festival
  • They offer mini kegs, growlers, and crowlers
  • Cool taproom art and even cooler can art!
  • Merch available online and in the taproom
  • Event space available
  • Dog friends allowed!
  • Socially distanced indoor and outdoor seating

What Chris Drank:

Chris: Dark Pumpkin (Porter) 5% – 4 out of 5

Chris: Olivia (Sour) 5% – 3 out of 5

Chris: Vanilla Coffee (Stout) 7% – 4.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?