Our 10 Favorite Connecticut Craft Beers

In no particular order, we thought we would share some of our favorite Connecticut craft beers with you!

Source: Alvarium Beer Co. logo from website.

Clusternutter

Brewery: Alvarium Beer Co. (New Britain)

Beer: Salted Peanut Butter Cup Porter

ABV: 6.9%

Clusternutter is the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the pick of the litter, the heavy-weight champion of the world! I know we aren’t supposed to rank these beers but this is the best beer PERIOD! Alvarium hit the jackpot when they came out with this peanut buttery masterpiece. Next time its on tap you better start running to get it because it will be gone before you know it.
Source: Problem Solved Brewing Co. logo from website.

Coarse Threads- Cinnamon French Toast

Brewery: Problem Solved Brewing Co. (Windsor)

Beer: Double Imperial Stout

ABV: 8.5%

The original Coarse Threads is a coffee imperial stout made with cold brew coffee from Baker & the Brew. Problem Solved decided to add Cinnamon French Toast to the mix and came out with something godly. But thats not the only variant of Coarse Threads, they also have a pumpkin coconut, white chocolate raspberry, B-52 sumatra, peanut butter, salted caramel cider donut, and more!
Source: Kinsmen Brewing Co. logo from CTvisit.com.

Fat Little Bastid

Brewery: Kinsmen Brewing Co. (Milldale)

Beer: Marshmallow Peanut Butter Stout

ABV: 13%

This is a peanut butter fluff sandwich but in a very alcoholic liquid form. Fat Little Bastid has a rich flavor of marshmallow and peanut butter while not being overly sweet. This beer will knock your socks off with its powerful flavors, coming in at a hot 13%!!
Source: Fat Orange Cat image from CT Brewers website.

Electrical Banana

Brewery: Alvarium Beer Co. (New Britain) and Fat Orange Cat Brew Co. (East Hampton) Collaboration

Beer: Banana Milkshake NEIPA

ABV: 7.5%

Alvarium and Fat Orange Cat hit gold with their collaboration brew, Electrical Banana. It has a thick and creamy feel from the added lactose and a nice mix of vanilla and banana flavors. Drinking this beer really does feel like drinking a well made milkshake.
Source: Alvarium Beer Co. logo from website.

Bomb Pop

Brewery: Alvarium Beer Co. (New Britain)

Beer: Fruit Sour

ABV: 4.5%

Remember the feeling of getting a bomb pop from the ice cream truck on a hot summer day? Ever wondered what it would taste like as a beer? Well Alvarium has answered your question with their Bomb Pop Sour and it tastes like heaven. This beer is a perfect mix of cherry, key lime, and raspberry with a nice sour finish. There is nothing better than a Bomb Pop on a hot day or any day really.
Source: Thimble Island Brewing Co. logo from facebook.

Bon Voyage – Mimosa Brut

Brewery: Thimble Island Brewing Co. (Branford)

Beer: IPA – Brut

ABV: 5.5%

Beermosa anyone? Coming in at a cool 5.5%, this beer is the perfect morning or brunch choice. A take on Thimble Island Brewing Co.’s super dry Brut IPA, Bon Voyage is packed with fresh oranges and champagne, giving it a strong tangy flavor. A second variant on this beer is the Bon Voyage – Rosé Brut brewed with strawberries and hibiscus.
Source: Two Roads Brewing Co. logo from website.

Nitro Orange Creamsicle

Brewery: Two Roads Brewing Co. (Stratford)

Beer: Wheat Beer

ABV: 5.5%

What’s more refreshing than beer and ice cream? Mix the two together and you get Two Roads Nitro Orange Creamsicle Wheat Beer. Brewed at only a 5.5% ABV, this nitrogenized cream beer has bright notes of orange, citrus, vanilla, malts, and hops, giving it a delicious summer taste.
Source: Witchdoctor Brewing Co. logo from website.

Bunny Patch

Brewery: Witchdoctor Brewing Co. (Southington)

Beer: Strawberry Malt-Shake NEIPA

ABV: 5.4%

As they say at Witchdoctor Brewing Co., this is a beer that would make the Nesquik bunny proud. The Bunny Patch isn’t your standard milkshake, in color or mouthfeel. It’s a clean, smooth, creamy, sweet brew that’s a little malt and strawberry forward.
Source: Connecticut Valley Brewing Co. logo from website.

Double Wasp

Brewery: Connecticut Valley Brewing Co. (South Windsor)

Beer: Munich Doppelbock

ABV: 8%

This 8% take on a traditional Munich Doppelbock is rich with subtle hints of molasses and dried fruit, finishing with notes of caramel. It’s the perfect beer for someone looking to expand their pallet!
Source: Shebeen Brewing Co. logo from CTvisit.com.

Salted Caramel Cannoli

Brewery: Shebeen Brewing (Wolcott)

Beer: Spiced/ Herbed Beer

ABV: 5.2%

Brewed with natural caramel flavors and salt, and served with a powder sugar rim, this beer is a twist on Shebeen’s classic Cannoli Beer. Other flavor variants of this beer include: chocolate cherry, pumpkin spice, orange chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, marshmallow peep, chocolate coconut, pistachio, lemon meringue, pecan pie, Irish coffee, cinnamon toast crunch, and blueberry cream.

Feeling persuaded yet?

Luppoleto Brewing Company

When We Went: March 12, 2020

Where: 20 Main St, Windsor Locks, CT, 06096

Luppoleto Brewing Company is a neat, minimalist brewery with eye popping décor, that opened its doors for the first time in the fall of 2019. The first and only brewery in Windsor Locks, the taproom is located in a small plaza, and in a way feels like it doesn’t quite belong there. Looking through the large glass windows into the parking lot isn’t the best view, but they’ve done a lot with their space to make up for it! With three different types of seating, (high tops, benches, and couches) each space provides a relaxed environment to sit back, chat, and enjoy one of the many Italian-inspired beers on their frequently changing tap list. Oh, and did I mention that “luppoleto” means hop farm or hop yard in Italian? They’re really sticking to their slogan with that name and tap list: American Beer; Italian Hospitality.

Shannon: Going to Luppoleto simply makes me happy! Chris and I have only been here a handful of times, but I swear every time we’ve been there, most of the beers (if not every single one) on the tap list has been different! Where most breweries are good with one type of beer or have a lot of options for one style of beer, Luppoleto tries really hard to offer different styles and varieties when it comes to their brews. I enjoyed a cherry and blood orange wheat beer that is part of the Luppoleto’s experimental series. It was tart, yet sweet, and a really lovely red(ish) color. Definitely a tasty experimental beer that I’d like to have more of in the future! I wonder what the other experimental flavors are? Hmmmm….check back with me on that later.

Chris: Luppoleto does a really good job of creating a comfortable atmosphere in a small space. Even though they have three different types of seating in a small venue, it feels relaxed rather than crowded. I really like that every time we go they have tons of new beers because I always want to try something new, unless it’s an IPA. It gets a little annoying when you go out of your way to a brewery and they have the same exact beers as last time. Even though they are constantly coming out with new beers, I have never had a bad beer at Luppoleto. Last time I went I got the Xport, a foreign export stout, and it was sweet and creamy, reminding me of a Guinness Extra Stout. Also, on a side note I find the design of their glasses to be really cool. I look forward to going back and trying another batch of their beers.

Other Cool Stuff:

  • Located 10 minutes away from Bradley International Airport
  • Live music!
  • Besides beer, they also serve CT-made soda, cider, and wine
  • Merchandise for sale
  • Food isn’t for sale here but they love it when you bring food in from other places!
  • Offering a take-out beer option during the COVID-19 quarantine!!

Our Persuasion

What We Drank:

Shannon: Prova #5 (Cherry and Blood Orange Wheat Beer) 4.5 out of 5

Chris: Xport (Foreign Export Stout) 3.75 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 3.5 out of 5

Stewards of the Land Brewery

When We Went: January 30th, 2020

Where: 418 Forest Rd, Northford, CT 06472

We have to be honest – we had never heard of Stewards of the Land Brewery until we physically drove past it one day and Shannon screamed out “THAT’S A BREWERY!” Needless to say, we made sure to stop in and check the place out. Opened in 2019, Stewards of the Land is a farm brewery that brews all their beer with self-grown hops and other locally sourced ingredients. The ultimate farm to glass brewery! In 2017, way before they were even open for business, the brewery spearheaded the Farm Brewery Bill, which allows farm brewery’s to manufacture, bottle, and sell beer. Pretty awesome if you ask us!

Shannon: Stewards of the Land is a homely brewery located in a 19th century farmhouse, which I totally love. I felt like I was walking into a family kitchen, ready to have a beer and tasty snacks made by my mom. They had a good amount of beers on tap, but none of them really screamed out to me. I decided to have a single pour of their Red Rump Swallow Kolsch. This beer (which wasn’t my favorite) was light and crisp. Next time I’m there I’d like to try some of their other beer – there’s bound to be one I love.

Chris: Stewards of the Land prides itself on being as Connecticut as possible. They grow a good amount of their ingredients from their farm and try to get everything else from the state; they claim “each batch is 95% to 100% CT ingredients by volume.” Their farm is just down the street from the taproom, and during the growing season they do a farmers market full of miniature goats and chickens for the kids! (I would assume the goats and chickens are to feed and/or pet, not eat). The taproom really does give that cozy house feeling, with the bar covered in marble and family room style seating. I tried their Chocolate Swallow Stout and Cinn-a-bird Brown Ale, and as you can tell with the beer names and logo, they are going for a bird theme.

Other Cool Stuff:

  • Food trucks and snacks available in the taproom
  • They offer interactive hop classes for homebrewers looking to learn more about planting and cultivating home-grown hops!
  • There’s even a home brew store in the taproom where you can buy different hops and malts grown on the farm!!
  • They’re the only brewery in the state that sells hemp flower and CBD oils and creams
  • Thursday nights are First Responders Night – get a discount with your badge!
  • Friday nights are Teachers Night- get a discount with you teachers ID!

Our Persuasion

What we drank:

Shannon: Red Rump Swallow (Kolsch) 3 out of 5

Chris: Chocolate Swallow (Stout) 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Cinn-a-bird (Brown Ale) 3.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 3 out of 5