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

Urban Lodge Brewing Co.

When we went: January 2nd, 2020

Location: 47 Purnell Plaza, Manchester, CT 06040

Photo by @craftreppin on Instagram.

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