Brewing Persuasions

Our 10 Favorite Connecticut Ciders

In no particular order, we thought we would share some of our favorite Connecticut ciders with you! During this time with COVID-19, please support your local cideries if you can! They are doing everything they can to stay above water, and lets be honest, you can’t quarantine the right way without their cider. Many cideries are doing online or pick-up orders, so give them a call or check out their websites to see what they have available. #drinkctcider

Middle of the Raspberry
Cidery: Spoke + Spy Ciderworks (Middletown)
ABV: 5.1%
Is there anything more refreshing than a sweet raspberry cider on a warm spring day? It seems like the perfect season for this delicious semi-sweet cider from Spoke + Spy Ciderworks in Middletown. You can grab a glass when you take a trip to Stubborn Beauty or Forest City breweries as they are all located in the same building.

Blueberry
Cidery: New England Cider Company (Wallingford)
ABV: 5%
I am a sucker for sweet fruity ciders and New England Cider Company has an amazing Blueberry cider which I have had many many times. You can find this berry good draft all year round at their taproom in Wallingford, but tons of breweries carry it as a guest cider as well.

Roasted Maple
Cidery: New England Cider Company (Wallingford)
ABV: 7%
New England Cider Company makes their Roasted Maple cider in the colder seasons so you will have to wait a little while to get it, but it is well worth the wait. This cider is a sweet and toasty mix that is best enjoyed in front of a nice campfire, but I would drink it anywhere anytime.

Spiced Cider
Cidery: Holmberg Orchards (Gales Ferry)
ABV: 6.8%
Holmberg Orchards does everything, food, wine, and delicious hard cider. Their spiced cider is mixed with cinnamon, cloves, citrus peel, and nutmeg which creates an amazing alcoholic liquid apple pie! Can you think of anything better than that?

Sweet Vanilla
Cidery: Crazy Cock Cider (Stafford Springs)
ABV: 6%
Sweet Vanilla from Crazy Cock Cider is a sweet concoction that manages to stay nice and light. This is one of the smoothest ciders you will ever have, so knock back a bunch, I know I have.

Pomme L’Orange
Cidery: Spoke + Spy Ciderworks (Middletown)
ABV: 5.1%
This cider tastes just like Fanta or a creamsicle! It’s the perfect balance of vanilla and orange, making it one of the most refreshing spring and summer ciders around.

Fresh Blend
Cidery: New England Cider Company (Wallingford)
ABV: 5.8%
Sweet and crisp, this hard cider is a classic in every sense of the word. You can often find Fresh Blend on tap around the state at your favorite local brewery. It’s semi-tart, semi-dry balance pairs perfectly with just about anything.

Simcoe
Cidery: Crazy Cock Cider (Stafford Springs)
ABV: 6%
If you’re in the market for a light, citrusy, dry cider, grab yourself a glass of Simcoe. This dry cider is packed with simcoe hops, which makes it taste a little like an IPA. We know some people don’t want their ciders to taste like hops, *cough, Chris,* so Simcoe might not be for everyone.

Middle of the Chazzy
Cidery: Spoke + Spy Ciderworks (Middletown)
ABV: 5.1%
Spoke + Spy Ciderworks really out did themselves when they paired their raspberry and cherry ciders together. Middle of the Chazzy takes two already perfect ciders and brings them together to create a flavor profile that screams light, fresh, fruity, sweet, cherries, and raspberries. Definitely a must have!

Purple Rain
Cidery: New England Cider Company (Wallingford)
ABV: 5.4%
Purple Rain is a blueberry ginger cider that’s equal parts sweet and tart, and dare I say, even a tiny bit spicy? If you’re looking for something new to try, make sure to add this deep purple-ish cider to your flight lineup next time it’s on tap at New England Cider Company.

Feeling persuaded yet?

Fox Farm Brewery

During this time with COVID-19, please support your local breweries if you can! They are doing everything they can to stay above water, and lets be honest, you can’t quarantine the right way without their beer. Many breweries are doing online or pick-up orders, so give them a call or check out their websites to see what they have available. #drinklocal

When we went: February 13th, 2020

Where: 62 Music Vale Road, Salem, CT 06420

Fox Farm Brewery is a family owned and operated brewery that opened in 2017 in the very rural town of Salem. The owners, Zack and Laura Adams, turned an old 1960’s dairy barn into a two story brewery and taproom. This new and improved barn still gives the rustic farm feel while having a modern and clean aesthetic which fits in well with the rural landscape. Fox Farm focuses on local ingredients and cultivating a farm-to-glass experience. The brewery continues to embrace their farm setting with beers named Hearthbound, The Cottage, and Woodline. During the warm seasons you can enjoy their farm landscape inside the barn or in their outdoor seating area.

Chris: I am a big fan of Fox Farm’s rural aesthetic and always love when places restore historic buildings. The rustic experience felt authentic, from the landscape, to the barn, to their tap handles being made from shovel handles. It made me want to put on overalls and start riding a tractor. When it comes to the beer, Fox Farm knows what they are doing. My favorite was their Ashlawn Coffee Stout, using Farm Coffee in Old Saybrook, owned by another member of the Adams family! You will have to plan out your visit as the brewery had limited hours when we went back in February. Fox Farm seems like the perfect place to have a Halloween bash, or am I the only one that thinks that? I mean, Adams family and Salem scream Halloween and an old barn with good beer scream party!

Shannon: Rural area, a beautiful building, and great beer, how can you go wrong?! Fox Farm really is a lovely brewery. Indoor seating is a little hard to come by, but maybe that’s just because we visited in February and the outdoor patio wasn’t open. If you’re going to stand around waiting for a table, you might as well do it upstairs on their second floor. Up there you get a really good view of the equipment Fox Farm uses to brew all of their tasty beers. Speaking of tasty beer, when Chris and I were here catching up with an old friend I enjoyed two really great beers! The IPA I had was the perfect parts hops and citrus, while the Porter I had was full parts roast. From the soil come the spoils, indeed Fox Farm!

Other cool things:

Pup friendly and kid friendly!
Outdoor patio
Bring your own food!
Fox Farm is one of many CT breweries that are raising money for the CT Hospitality Employee Relief Fund and have already raised $1,300!!
Check out their To-Go beer selection for all your quarantine beer needs!

What we drank:

Shannon: Wile (IPA) 7.4% ABV – 4 out of 5

Shannon: Hearthbound (Porter) 6.5% ABV – 3.5 out of 5

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

Chris: Hearthbound (Porter) 6.5% ABV – 4 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 3.5 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

2nd Bridge Brewing Company

Photo Source: 2nd Bridge logo from Untapped website.

When We Went: January 2, 2020

Where: 642 Hilliard Street, Manchester, CT, 06042

2nd Bridge Brewing Company is a hole in the wall, basement-like, haven for any and all soccer enthusiasts. If you’re ever in need of a cold beer and a place to watch a match, 2nd Bridge is the place for you. They typically have six to eight beers available, plus the occasional cider from Stafford Cidery on tap. Opened for the first time in 2015, this sports bar is located on the basement floor of the historic Hilliard Mills, a large brick building which used to house the first woolen mill in the United States! If you haven’t figured out already, Chris and I are suckers for a good brewery within the walls of a historic building. If you’ve ever been to this area of Manchester, maybe you’ll remember when this neighborhood was home to Top Shelf’s Hilliard Mill location before they moved to North Main Street and later became Parable Brewing. 2nd Bridge has been around for five years with no signs of leaving.

Shannon: 2nd Bridge is not a bad little spot! The brewery is a little cramped but it’s divided up into three different rooms, so that helps things feel a little more spacious. The beer selection is also on the smaller side, but that isn’t always a bad thing. Traditional styles and traditional flavors still make for good beers. On our last visit here I had a New England IPA called the Buck Oh that was creamy, flowery, with just a mild bitterness. I also had a Farmhouse IPA called Lil Gooner that left a funky taste in my mouth – probably because it was a little sour and I’m not a big fan of that flavor profile. Coming in at a low 3.6% ABV, this slightly sour IPA is just as weird as its name.

Chris: Located in the basement of the Hilliard Mills, 2nd Bridge is heavily decorated with (mainly European) soccer memorabilia giving the feel of a hole in the wall old Irish pub. This is the kind of place that would have monthly dad meetings. They could come here to play darts or watch sports or come up with new ways to embarrass their children. 2nd Bridge continues their European theme with their beer, with the North London brown ale and a Mr White’s Irish Cream Ale. But I haven’t really been blown away by any of their beers and every time we go they seem to have the same selection. I wish they would change it up and try some new styles, but this is still a great place to go if you want some classic styles and a good soccer match. (I tried to come up with a soccer pun, but like most soccer games I ended with zero.)

Other Cool Things:

Order delivery, food trucks, or BYOF
Plenty of bar games
TV’s to watch sports (soccer of course)
All of their beers are available in 32 oz. crowlers – order online and drive to their patio for pickup during COVID-19 quarantine!

What We Drank:

Shannon: Buck Oh (NEIPA) 3 out of 5

Shannon: Lil Gooner ( Farmhouse IPA) 2 out of 5

Chris: Krampus (Farmhouse Saison Ale) 3 out of 5

Chris: Orford Parish (Porter) 3.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 2.5 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?