Forest City Brewing

When Chris Went: September 26th, 2020

Where: 180 Johnson St, Middletown, CT 06457

Forest City Brewing opened their taproom in the Remington Rand building in Middletown in 2017, and since then the building has become a hotspot for alcohol. Today, the Remington Rand complex has two breweries, Forest City and Stubborn Beauty, and a cidery, Spoke + Spy. In normal times you would be able to stop by and hang out at all three, but during COVID-19, Forest City is currently the only one that lets you hang around with your beer. Because of all the modern day craziness they have added expansive outdoor seating and an ordering window so you never have to go inside. The Remington Rand building where they are located has a pretty crazy history itself. Built in late 1800s, it housed a number of industrial businesses, including a few vehicle companies like Eisenhuth Horseless Vehicle Co., but its name comes from the Remington Rand Corp. which made “noiseless” typewriters and other office equipment. As factories across Connecticut shut down in the 1970s, the Remington Rand building fell on hard times. By the 1990s it had become a hellhole with chop shops, drugs, dog fighting, pollution, and prostitution (I am not making this up). The city stepped in to renovate the old factory and bring businesses back. This has helped turn Middletown into a mini-craft beer city in the center of Connecticut.

Chris: I have been to Forest City a few times, but my most recent visit was this fall after they added a bunch of outdoor seating. The place was pretty popular when we went, and they were selling more food options than normal, including apple cider donuts which were amazing and went great with our beers. Forest City doesn’t have that big of a tap list, but they had beer cocktails (hard liquor mixed with their beer) and New England Cidery (which is confusing to me since they’re so close to Spoke + Spy). I had Stone’s Throw Sour which had a nice tart refreshing taste to it. I’m not sure what a lot of these outdoor only breweries will do now that it has started getting cold and COVID-19 is getting worse, but if you are able to go there I highly suggest it. Especially considering how big Middletown has become for food and drinks. The city has three breweries, a cidery, and now a meadery (Bergen House) with tons of great restaurants like the Whey Station so you can spend an entire day in Middletown.

Shannon: Forest City Brewing is a relaxing place to spend some time with friends and family. The taproom itself is on the smaller side and not the most aesthetically pleasing, but it’s the beer that’s important. I will say, the main bar has some beautiful woodwork on it though! With a smaller draft list, I tend to gravitate towards getting a flight. It let’s me try some of their new stuff while ensuring that I get to have one or two of their flagship brews. While not every beer is a rock star, my two favorite Forest City beers are the Brown Cow and Melange Saison. Brown Cow is a 6% ABV milk stout with light chocolate roast flavors making it a great stout for warmer weather. On the other side of things, Melange is a 6.2% ABV saison that tastes like an apple cinnamon explosion. A unique blend of spices and some traditional Belgian flavors make for a delicious, fragrant, dry brew that I highly recommend!

Other Cool Things:

  • Merch for sale in store and online
  • Limited food options thanks to visiting food trucks
  • New England cider available
  • Outdoor “Beer Forest” for seating
  • Located in a historic factory with a truly WILD history
  • Beer cocktails which is pretty cool
  • Grab some to-go cider from Spoke + Spy Ciderworks or beer from Stubborn Beauty Brewing Company since they’re all in the same building

What Chris Drank:

Chris: Stone’s Throw (Sour) 5.5% – 4 out of 5

Chris: Coniferous (Kolsch) 7% – 4 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 3.5 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

MadTree Brewing Company

When Shannon Went: August 21, 2020

Where: 3301 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45209

MadTree Brewing Company started pouring pints in Cincinnati, Ohio back in 2013. Since then, they have evolved into one of the top producing breweries in Cincinnati and southwestern Ohio. If you don’t have the pleasure to visit them in person, you can take a virtual tour of the expansive taproom on their website. The virtual tour starts at the entrance, leading directly to Catch-a-Fire, the brewery’s pizza restaurant. Turn around and you’ll be greeted with a huge bar with 32 draft handles, a vast sea of bar top tables, a merch store, and a view of their canning and brewing production. Off the main taproom in one direction are two very large private event spaces, and in the other direction, is an entire outdoor bar with tons more outdoor seating. I’m not kidding when I say that MadTree Brewing is HUGE!

Shannon: Something I’ve learned pretty quickly is that Cincinnati loves good beer and big breweries. The size of taprooms in Cincy seem to be bigger than any I’ve ever been to outside of Ohio. Consider MadTree Brewing another beer giant at home in the Queen City. If the size of this brewery hasn’t impressed you yet, their draft list surely will. During my visit they had 29 beers on draft, 4 canned beers, plus wine and cocktail options!!! There was a beer for every style. Even the pickiest of beer drinkers will find a drink they’ll like. Heck, there were some beers on draft that I have never even heard of before – like an American super stout or a hoppy porter. Someone tell me what a hoppy porter is please! The only negative thing I have to say about MadTree is that I haven’t found their canned beers to be very fresh. That’s not to say their canned beer isn’t good though – they’re just not as fresh as beer straight from the draft.

Other Cool Things:

  • MadTree has donated 15,000 tree saplings to aid in regenerating our forests! They also donate 1% of their sales to non-profit organizations focused on environmental sustainability!
  • They can 72,000 beers a week in their Cincinnati production facility
  • They also use 50,000 pounds of spent grain to feed local cows each week
  • Trivia every Monday in their huge indoor and outdoor brewery!
  • Lots of cool brewery merchandise available
  • In house kitchen that make some really great brick oven pizzas
  • MadTree offers tours of their brewing and canning facilities!

What Shannon Drank:

Shannon: Snoot Boopin (NEIPA) 7.4% ABV – 3.5 out of 5

Shannon: Dreamsicle (Kolsch) 4.7% ABV – 4 out of 5

Shannon: 42 Mile (Cider) 5.6% ABV – 3.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: rating 4.5 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

Hop Culture Farms and Brew Co.

When Chris went: August 29th, 2020

Where: 144 Cato Corner Road, Colchester, CT 06415

Like many craft breweries, Hop Culture Farms and Brew Company was started by two home brew enthusiasts who decided to take things to the next level. Heather and Sam Wilson wanted to create more than just a brewery, so they bought a 40 acre plot of land in Colchester and turned it into a farm. The taproom itself is a converted old cattle barn, not unlike Fox Farm in Salem. Hop Culture officially opened in 2019, and its large outdoor property gives it a huge advantage in these times as there are plenty of picnic tables that are safely spread out. This also allows Hop Culture to be dog and family friendly, in the warmer months anyway. The converted cattle barn reminds me of the Yankee Candle village on the outside and a summer cottage on the inside. Hop Culture is the peak picnic venue for you and your beer.

Chris: I went to Hop Culture during covid to celebrate my brother’s birthday, and I loved the fact that we were both able to bring our dogs. They had their inside seating open, but we decided on staying outside. They have a pretty good system; each picnic table was at least 15 feet apart and servers came around delivering beer avoiding any crowds at the bar. It made all of us feel pretty safe. When it comes to the barn inside and outside aesthetic, they pass the vibe check as the kids would say. I always like a place that comes up with clever names for their beers, like There She Gose Again, and Hop Culture does a great job of that. My favorite beer from this place was their Java Boot coffee stout, but the other beers I had from here were average. They have a smaller brewing capacity than other places meaning they only have 5 or 6 beers on tap. Overall I would say that Hop Culture is a great place to go to on a nice day, especially if you want a brewery that lets you spread out.

Other cool stuff

  • Dog friendly
  • They have their doggy treats (our dogs approved)
  • Grow their own hops
  • Merch for sale

What Chris Drank:

Chris: Java Boot (Coffee Stout) 6.5% – 4 out of 5

Chris: There She Gose Again (Sour) 5% – 3 out of 5

Chris: Blue Jean Baby (Fruit Beer) 5% – 3 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 3 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?