Brewing Persuasions

Urban Lodge Brewing Co.

When we went: January 2nd, 2020

Location: 47 Purnell Plaza, Manchester, CT 06040

Urban Lodge opened in August of 2019, so they are pretty new to the craft-brewery scene. As soon as you walk in you are transported to a ski lodge in Colorado. How did they develop teleportation technology like in Star Trek? Not sure, but by looking at the decor you can clearly see you are in Aspen.They committed to the ski lodge aesthetic 100%, even their logo is a mountain range. The inside is split between the lounge side and the play side. The lounge side is pretty self explanatory with several comfy sitting areas. On the play side you will find tons of games like corn hole, tiki toss, and giant Jenga. Outside you still get that same ski resort feel with a giant beautiful mural and fire pits. Despite cultivating this Colorado inspired brewery, the owners all grew up in Manchester. And they chose the perfect place to put a brewery, downtown Manchester, right behind the restaurant Lucky Taco Cantina & Tap Room.

The only picture Shannon remembered to take during our visit – oops!

Chris: I am a big fan of Urban Lodge’s location and décor; it really does feel like a beautiful ski resort with plenty of beer. I have been here a few times now and really enjoyed myself every time. This is a place I could spend all day drinking beer and playing games. Just never play corn hole with Shannon, you will beat her and then she will pretend that she won. Even though they don’t serve food, they are in downtown Manchester so all you have to do is walk a few feet and you will be next to like four different restaurants. We stopped in for some tacos and then went for some beer at Urban Lodge. Speaking of beer, last time Shannon and I went they only had six or so beers, but according to their website, they have twelve on tap currently. Its exciting to see how quickly they are expanding. I would recommend their Pop’s Stout, which is a 5% milk stout that goes down real smooth. There are plenty of breweries in Manchester, but make sure this your first stop.

Shannon: First off, I would like to formally state that I am an EXCELLENT cornhole player (Chris is a sore loser because he always loses to me.) If you would like to test this statement, I will happily crush you in a one-on-one game. Second, Urban Lodge is an awesome little brewery! Out of all the taprooms in Manchester, this is probably my favorite one. They often have some really good IPA’s on tap, but my favorite brew of theirs is a Kolsch called Sunrise Run. The beer is light and dry with subtle tastes of citrus and lemon. It’s the perfect springtime beer (currently on tap too!) And for my third and final statement, another really nice thing about Urban Lodge is that they have wine and cider available. One of the best ciders I’ve had while in the taproom is Stafford Cidery’s sweet vanilla cider. Try it. You can thank me later.

Other cool stuff:

Dog friendly patio
Tons of music and trivia events
Kid friendly
Plenty of merch both at the taproom and online

Shannon: Morning Mist (Golden Ale) 3 out of 5

Chris: Pop’s Stout (Milk Stout) 4.25 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4 out of 5

Iron Brewing Company

When I went: January 4th, 2020

Location: 136 Washington Street, Norwalk, CT 06854

Iron Brewing Company opened in 2017 by three chemists in Norwalk, hence their motto, “Better Beer Through Chemistry.” The brewery is located right next to the Norwalk river in the downtown part of South Norwalk. Iron Brewing is a brewpub style and very much gives the impression of being a bar, one of those new fancy New York gastro-pub like bars that all the cool young people go to. I am surprised they let my brother in. While not huge, they can fit a decent amount of people into their space with plenty of bar seats and tables. Being a pub they also have an extensive menu and craft food to go with their craft beer.

Chris: So I went to this one with my brother instead of Shannon; sorry Shannon. We stopped here on our way to a hockey game and had never been before. Although they don’t have a large selection of house beers (six when we went) the ones available were high quality. I had both the Raspberry Sour and the Strigo Nitro Coffee Porter and would definitely recommend both. Being a Brewpub they also have plenty of other drinks including craft beers from other local breweries as well as a full bar. So this is a place you can go even with some lame non-beer drinking friends. It’s also a nice one stop for lunch/diner because of how much food they have available AND they have desserts (always a plus for me). If you are in the area I would definitely give this place a try, and if you live near them, I would join their beer club; on Wednesdays you get a free beer!

Other cool stuff:

Brunch on Sundays!!!!!!!!
Beer club deals
Hoppy Hour (I like the pun)

My persuasions

Raspberry Sour 4 out of 5

Strigo Nitro Coffee Porter 5 out of 5 (Nitro makes everything better)

Brewing Persuasion: 4 out of 5

Hops On The Hill Brewery

When we went: February 23, 2020

Location: 275 Dug Road, South Glastonbury, CT 06073

Hops On The Hill Brewery is the definition of farm to glass. All of their beers are made with hops and grains grown on their family farm which they have been running since the 1950s! What’s even cooler – the brewery itself is in an old tobacco drying barn and surrounded by operating farm land. During the summer months the brewery even operates as a farmers market, selling fresh cut flowers, hops, pumpkins, and other fresh produce! The moment you drive onto the farm property towards the brewery, you’re guaranteed to feel more connected to the authentic farm environment. You can even see the hops they grow to use in their beer. Grab a beer, sit back, and pause to enjoy what’s around you.

Shannon: The moment I wandered onto Hops On The Hills farm property I felt at home. Maybe that’s just the Pennsylvanian in me though. The land is seriously beautiful – I can’t wait to go back and see what it’s like when winter is over. What I really like about Hops On The Hills beer is that it’s all made with ingredients grown on their farm. How they have the time to work a farm AND brew beer is beyond me, but more power to them! I’ve been on a Hefeweizen kick lately so of course I had to have theirs. It was light, hazy, and had a subtle banana smell and taste – I enjoyed it so much I had to have it twice.

Chris: What I find so great about the Connecticut craft brewery scene is the wide range of vastly different brewery types. You have the cool hip city brewery, the brewpub, the hole in the wall with great beer, and stuff like Hops on the Hill. This is a very rural location for the taproom, you literally go down a dirt road through the woods. If this place came around before google maps I doubt anyone that didn’t live in South Glastonbury would know how to get there. That is part of this place’s appeal, its not near anything else. There is tons of outdoor room, which is great if you have kids, let them run around and tire themselves out. The inside reminds me of an old saloon in a good way. Get as many small individual tasters you want so that you can try all their different beers. I of course had to get their porter which was pretty good, but I also got their apple ale which I would recommend. Everything I had was good, and hopefully next time I go they will have a few more options. I definitely want to go back in the warmer months to enjoy the outdoors with some of their beer.

Other cool stuff:

During the summer you can bring your own lawn chairs or picnic blankets and drink on the farm!
Occasional food trucks during the summer
Farm to glass brewery
Doubles as a farmers market during the summer
Hops On The Hill merchandise for sale
Hiking, walking, and biking trails start and end at the brewery!!
On Thursdays in March, get a free slice of pizza with your beer

Our Persuasion

What we drank:

Shannon: Hefeweizen 4 out of 5

Chris: Coffee Porter 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Apple ale (Powder Hollow collab) 4 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 3.5 out of 5