Kinsmen Brewing Company

When We Went: June 17, 2020

Where: 409 Canal St, Milldale, CT 06467

Kinsmen Brewing Company, located in the historic 1854 Clark Brothers Bolt Company building in Milldale, opened its doors in 2017. When the breweries two founders got together, they wanted to create an extension of home and kinship, leading them to the name Kinsmen. This enormous beer hall is full of exposed brick, wood, and pipes. Large communal tables, tinted lighting, and a huge “V” shaped ceiling make the taproom feel like you’ve stepped back in time to the medieval period. Most important is their sprawling tap list full of creative, flavorful, and innovative tasting beers. We can say with confidence that these guys know their way around a dark beer!

Shannon: Kinsmen Brewing is a pretty epic beer hall. It kind of reminds me of where the Red Wedding took place on Game of Thrones, minus all the fighting and bloodshed, of course. They have a tap list with normally 10 or so beers ranging between all the traditional styles. My favorite beer by them was a collaboration with Eli Cannons Tap Room, Perkatory Coffee Roaster, and NoRa Cupcake Company, all located in Middletown. The beer, called Two Bad Neighbors, is a strong and VERY roasty chocolate/coffee/cupcake imperial stout. Two Bad Neighbors hasn’t been on tap since the end of 2019 but keep your eye out for it, you’ll regret not having a pint.

Chris: I have been to Kinsmen quite a few times, but it was the Secret Stash Stout Brunch that made me fall in love. It combines two of my favorite hobbies, drinking stouts and eating brunch. They switched their taps to go all out on stouts and porters , not just from Kinsmen but other local breweries. They also had their in-store restaurant Sauced do breakfast pizza which if you have not had you are missing out. In summary, it was a dream come true. Even if you go when there isn’t a special brunch event, Kinsmen is a great place to go. They are constantly trying out new beers. Last time we went, I got their Dessert Sandwich Stout, a Nutella flavored beer. That’s not to say they don’t do plenty of non-dark beers too, but you know me, I like my beer as I like my metal.

Other Cool Stuff:

  • The taproom is crafted with reused lumber, pipes, and other materials original to the old factory building!
  • Kinsmen is on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail that goes from New Haven up to Northampton, Mass.
  • Huge outdoor deck and patio
  • A bar full of assorted liquors available
  • Has an in-house restaurant called Sauced where you can order some pretty tasty food!
  • Pets welcome on the patio
  • Live music on the weekends
  • There’s a rental hall in the brewery called Clark Hall where weddings are held!

What We Drank:

Shannon: Bowl Cut (DIPA) 8% – 3 out of 5

Chris: Dessert Sandwich (Imperial Stout) 10% – 4.5 out of 5

Brewery Rating: 4 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

Connecticut Valley Brewing Company

When We Went: June 28, 2020

Where: 765 Sullivan Ave, South Windsor, CT 06074

For this weeks socially distant brewery review, I (Shannon) would like to welcome you to one of my top 5 favorite places, Connecticut Valley Brewing Company! Located in the heart of the Connecticut Valley, this South Windsor brewery opened its doors back in 2018. CT Valley is all about aviation, which makes sense since one of their co-founders is an aviator himself. Their logo features the F4U Corsair, a World War II carrier-based and ground support fighter aircraft used by the U.S. Navy and Marines. The Corsair was named the official Connecticut State Aircraft in 2005 because 12,500 of them were designed and built by Connecticut workers at Hamilton Standard, Pratt & Whitney, and Vought Aircraft. CT Valley truly believes that community and industry is important and that is why they choose to highlight some of the states greatest achievements through delicious beers and beautiful can art.

Shannon: Let me start off by saying that I am a bit obsessed with airplanes, so I may favor CT Valley a little more than I probably should, but who cares? This brewery makes me happy! Between the aviation memorabilia covering the walls, the airplane can art, the aeronautical beer names, even the flight holders shaped like propellers, CT Valley has their theme down to a ‘T’. Beyond my love for old airplanes, CT Valley makes some really delicious beers. I’ve had 16 different beers by them and I can honestly say there has only been one that I haven’t liked. The one I didn’t like (let’s just get it out of the way) is their cucumber gose The Sailor’s Dream. I’m not a sour beer fan so I couldn’t really get behind this one. Beers I can get behind though, oh man, they have so many great ones. The Fun of It (Berliner Weisse), Black Sheep (Stout), The Great Escape (Porter), Double Wasp (Doppelbock), Let’s Fly Away (IPA), Trailblazer (NEIPA), Ace of Aces (Lager), Sherwood (IPA)….okay, okay, okay! I’m done gushing about how much I love Connecticut Valley, but only if you promise to go there!!

Chris: There are a lot of things that make Connecticut Valley Brewing a unique brewery. Shannon has already gone on and on about their (and her) long obsession with planes, but another one of the cool things about this place is how much they change. Every time we go there is something new to see, most recently was their almost finished fancy outdoor patio equipped with fireplaces! The previous time we went Birdhouse Coffee (owned by the same people who own Connecticut Valley) had just opened up inside serving craft coffee to go along with the craft beer. The brewery also makes their very own line of hard Seltzers, so they are doing a little bit of everything. I am a big fan of this place, especially their huge selection of fruit and sour beers, which is perfect for this time of year. They also have a huge selection of beers in general, usually close to 20 things on tap. Definitely check this place out, I guarantee you and all your friends will love it.

Other Cool Stuff:

  • Dogs are welcome on their outdoor patio area!
  • Awesome merch available
  • Outside food is welcome but they often have food trucks for you to munch from
  • Wine is available if you aren’t in a beer mood
  • They hold fun events featuring trivia, comedians, and live music
  • They have their own coffee house located in the brewery! Go check out Birdhouse Coffee!!
  • CT Valley partners with Bevv to bring their beer all across the country. You can get their beer in Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Kentucky, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska!!!

What We Drank:

Shannon: Cosmic Circus (IPA) 6% – 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Spiked Smoothie Lemonade (Sour) 5% – 4 out of 5

Chris: Strawberry Lemonade (Sour) 5.1% – 4.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4.5 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

Thomas Hooker Brewing Co.

When We Went: June 24th, 2020

Where:

  • Location 1: 16 Tobey Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002
  • Location 2: 140 Huyshope Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106

Thomas Hooker Brewing is one of the oldest breweries in Connecticut. Originally located in Hartford as Trout Brook Brewpub, the brewery closed down in the early 2000s and reopened in Bloomfield as Thomas Hooker Brewing Company in 2006. The name comes from the founder of the Connecticut Colony, Thomas Hooker, who landed in the area in 1636 with a group of 100 English settlers from Massachusetts to found what is now the city of Hartford. Since 2006, Hooker Brewery has opened a second taproom in the old Colt firearms factory in Hartford. Shannon and I have been to both locations, but most recently we went to their Bloomfield one for the first time. Since things are still in the process of reopening, we ordered indoors (and got a good look at the inside which was impressive), and took our beer and pretzel bites outside. Inside, the taproom has plenty of hightops in both the front and back of the brewery, plus a tap in each room! If you don’t feel like going to the brewery, you can see exactly what the locations look like through the virtual tours Hooker has for the Bloomfield and Hartford taprooms!

The brewery has an awesome exhibit panel in the taproom that talks about who Thomas Hooker was and history of brewing in Connecticut! The panel was made by the Connecticut Historical Society!

Chris: You may have noticed Hooker is my #5 favorite brewery, but to be honest I was thinking about potentially switching it up with Little House or Connecticut Valley, which are both great breweries. But this most recent trip to Hooker confirmed why I had them in my top 5. What I love most about this brewery is that they do so many different things and that they do them so well. Both locations are super nice and I always feel welcomed, not only by the space but by the staff as well. They have amazing food, and just expanded their menu to serve pizza as well. Hooker is also really good about partnering with other institutions for all sorts of things. They have a beer for the Hartford Yard Goats called Hit By Pitch (Pale Ale), another for the Hartford Athletic (self-titled lager), and a collaboration with Munson’s chocolate for their Chocolate Truffle Stout (my personal favorite). They even setup a tap on occasion at the dog rescue next to their Bloomfield location. Since it was pretty hot on the day we went, I got their Pul’D Raspberry Sour which was very refreshing. No matter what kind of breweries you like, Thomas Hooker will have something for you.

Shannon: Personally I am a fan of Hooker’s second taproom, but hey, it’s always nice to visit their roots by going to the original location. The inside of the Bloomfield taproom is pretty bare bones right now. A bunch of tables have been removed to promote social distancing due to Coronavirus. The only part of the brewery that doesn’t feel empty is a single corner packed full of branded Hooker merchandise – it’s seriously a mini boutique up in there! Okay, but beyond all of that, (I really hate to say it) their beer is kind of hit or miss for me. There have been beers from them that I’ve really loved, like the Chocolate Truffle Stout and the Ode to Blumpy IPA, but on the flip side, there have also been beers I’ve really had a hard time drinking, like the Tropical Storm Pina Colada IPA or the Golden Nymph IPA.

Other Cool Stuff:

  • Stowe Cider on tap
  • Large selection of merchandise
  • Dog Star Rescue is right next door! Sometimes they’ll throw up a tent and some taps and pour you a beer while your dog gets some play time in!!
  • Lots of food available! We had some tasty pretzel bites!
  • Bloomfield location open 7 days a week
  • Hartford location open everyday but Monday
  • Virtual taproom tours online!

What We Drank:

Shannon: Watermelon Ale (Fruit Beer) 4.8% – 3 out of 5

Chris: Pul’D Raspberry (Berliner Weisse) 4.5% – 4 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?