Beer’d Brewing Company – The Silo

When we went: January 23th, 2020

Location one: 22 Bayview Ave, Stonington, CT 06378

Location two: 225 Leonard Dr, Groton, CT 06340

Beer’d Brewing Company opened in Stonington in 2012, which makes it old for the Connecticut craft brew scene! Brand new is their location in Groton, which opened this month! The two of us have never been to the Stonington location but managed to stop by their Groton taproom recently. While the taproom is not very big, it is very nice, with a clean modern look to it, decorated with action comic-like art. The owners clearly wanted to created a place to hang out with friends without any distractions because no one under 21 years old (human or animal) is allowed in. This makes it tough for families to go but really nice if you don’t want to be bothered by wild children or barking dogs.

Chris- I personally loved the look of Beer’d and while I am sad doggos can’t go in, I can understand it. They are not the only place to not allow dogs or kids, and I think we have all been annoyed at some point by bored kids who have decided to make the taproom a (loud) playground. The convenience of Mystic Cheese Shop right next door makes this a nice one stop brewery that you could spend considerable time at. Beer’d had a large selection and variety of beer with 15 beers and 1 cider on tap when we went. Although it will be difficult to try much of their selection as they do not do flights here. I did manage to knock back a few drinks starting with the Bong Appetit, a thick breakfast milk stout with a light salty flavor. I also had the Cold as Weisse, a Berliner Weisse with a great cherry and lime fruitiness with a light sour kick and a good aftertaste. Overall this is a good place to hang out with some friends and enjoy 1 to 8 beer’ds. Just kinda wish I got a discount for having a beard.

Shannon – As someone who works in the New London/ Groton area, I’m super excited that Beer’d is open for business! Outer Light Brewing Company and Tox Brewing Company are great, but it’s nice to have a third brewery to add to the mix after a long day at work. Like Chris already said, flights are a no-go here, so I was only able to have two beers before calling it a day. One of the beers I knew I had to have was Connecticut Casual, a German pilsner. Why did I have to get it? Well, when I moved to Connecticut from Pennsylvania I keep saying that my new personality was going to be “Connecticut casual.” It’s silly, I know, I know, but it is what it is. Beyond the coincidence of the name, my favorite thing about Beer’d actually wasn’t the beer – it was the glass that it came in. I’m a big sucker for nostalgia and paying homage to local communities, and Beer’d got my heart when I realized that on the glass was the New London/ Groton Gold Star Bridge, three beer tanks, and a submarine! I mean, come on?! Talk about a cool little tribute to Beer’ds new home in the submarine capitol of the world.

Other cool stuff:

  • Located right next to the Groton/ New London Airport
  • Mystic Cheese Shop right next door (they deliver right into the brewery!)
  • Large selection of canned beers to go
  • Brew merch
  • Super cool action comic-like wall art
  • No children allowed (human or dog)

Our Persuasion:

What we drank: 

Shannon: Connecticut Casual (German pilsner) 4 out of 5

Shannon: Cold as Weisse – Cherry Lime (Berliner Weisse Sour) 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Bong Appettit (Breakfast Milk Stout) (Collab with Hanging Hills) 4 out of 5

Chris: Cold as Weisse- Cherry Lime (Berliner Weisse Sour) 4 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4 out of 5

Elicit Brewing Company

When we went: January 2nd, 2020

Location: 165 Adams St, Manchester, CT 06040

Opened only a few months ago in November 2019, Elicit Brewing is already an must-go-to entertainment destination in Manchester. A brewery, restaurant, bar lounge/hall, vintage arcade, craft cocktail lounge, beer garden, and entertainment space. This place has everything and more! The main downstairs bar features 50 different in-house and guest taps, plus cans of beer if what you want isn’t on tap. If you’re looking for something a little harder, upstairs they have a craft cocktail bar with traditional and signature drinks.

Shannon: Elicit really is the ultimate adult playground. It can be a little overwhelming when you first walk in, but once you take a few minutes to walk around and see everything they have going on, I think you’ll find a room and a space that you wont want to leave. Whether you want to drink beer, wine, or a cocktail, everyone can find something they’re going to enjoy and want more of. Plus, who doesn’t love in house food and arcade games? Last time Chris and I were here, a few of the arcade games were out of order, but I suppose I can over look that considering all the people that have been playing on them since they opened in November. Something that I really like about Elicit is that between all the guest beer in the building, they find the time to brew some of their own creations. I’ve only had one of their beers so far, the Deliberate Milk Stout, which is a collaboration with Real Café in Bristol. It is a pretty traditional tasting stout, but good nonetheless. Overall, Elicit is a pretty cool place and I hope to see them slingin’ beers and pizza for years to come!

Chris: Okay, so I am going to pretend I am a mature 27 year old man who will NOT make a joke about Shannon’s decision to call it an “adult playground.” But my childish humor aside, I would describe Elicit as a crowd-pleaser. Not matter who you are coming with they will find something they like. This place gives the feel of a gigantic modern and stylish sports bar fitted with an arcade and karaoke station. Yet the brewery also gives off an older feel with a mural of an old Cremo Ale advertisement on one of the main room walls. (You might remember Cremo from our post on Alvarium). In addition, Elicit’s location may be recognized by Manchester locals as the old Adam’s Mill restaurant, but the structure dates back even farther to a 19th century paper mill. I personally like the combination of old and new especially since old industrial buildings have become an almost accidental brewery staple. I have gone to Elicit a few times now so I have been able to try a few of their beers and my favorite was Deliberate Milk Stout (shocker the stout guy picks a stout). It is a coffee milk stout that was light in alcohol without being overpowering in flavor. Being a newer brewery they don’t have a huge selection of their own beers (only five on tap), but hopefully as they become more established they will branch out not only with selection but with variety as well.

Other cool stuff:

  • Old school arcade (17 different vintage games like Donkey Kong, Centipede, and Tetris)
  • Comfy couch lounges
  • Upstairs craft cocktail bar and lounge
  • Outdoor beer garden in the warmer months
  • Live entertainment  (bands, DJs, karaoke, trivia)
  • A full kitchen because they know we all want something to snack on (plus they do brunch!!)
  • Dogs are allowed (but only on the front patio)
  • Merch
  • Open 7 days a week

Our Persuasion:

What we drank 

Shannon: Deliberate Milk Stout (Milk Stout from Elicit Brewing) 3 out of 5

Shannon: Bunny Patch (Strawberry Malt-Shake NEIPA from Witchdoctor Brewing Company) 4 out of 5

Chris: Deliberate Milk Stout (Milk Stout from Elicit Brewing) 4 out of 5

Chris: Botched Facelift (Passion Fruit Sour from Elicit Brewing) 3 out of 5 

Chris: Yodeling Cherubs (Fruit Beer from Elicit Brewing) 3 out of 5

Brewery Persuasion: 4 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?

Alvarium Beer Company

When we went: January 11th, 2020

Location: 365 John Downey Dr, New Britain, CT 06051

So, we have to admit, Alvarium was already our favorite brewery before we started our blog.  The brewery, which opened in 2017, is located in the industrial part of New Britain, not too far from Central Connecticut State University where Shannon and Chris both got their master’s degrees.  In fact, it was at Alvarium, in 2017, that we first met and decided to give this whole craft beer thing a try.  Well, since then we have been to over 60 Connecticut breweries so you can say we hopped (pun intended) on the bandwagon. One of the things that makes Alvarium special, is its nod to the history and work ethic of New Britain. The city’s Latin motto translates to “Industry fills the hive and enjoys the honey” and the brewery has fully embraced the worker bee vibe considering taproom décor, beers on tap, and the fact that Alvarium is Latin for beehive. Well, enough about the history, here’s what we think.

Chris: Starting with the location, Alvarium has ample off-street parking, outdoor and indoor seating, with a large taproom.  The brewery is an interesting mix of Polish, German, and bee themes.  The logo is a beehive and honeycombs are all over the place, but the furniture gives you an Oktoberfest vibe.  When it comes to food, they serve pretzels, kielbasa with sauerkraut, and have a food truck almost every day.  But more important than all of this is the beer.  Alvarium has over a dozen beers on tap (and a guest cider from New England Cidery) with a wide selection of styles.  I have seen every style you can think of made by these guys.  My top beer styles are stouts, porters, and sours (see Shannon, I drink more than darks!!) and Alavrium does these all well.  When looking at Untapped, I have had 31 different beers from this brewery, and most have ranked very high on my list.  Recently we went back here because they came out with a new beer, Clusterbits, a Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Stout, a variant on their famous Clusternutter.  Clusterbits was not too heavy while still being pretty flavorful and had a nice saltness to it.  I would highly recommend this beer and this brewery for both devout and casual beer drinkers.

Shannon: Over the last two years I’ve had over thirty different types of beer from Alvarium. You guys, this place is seriously incredible. They do the traditional stuff well, but when it comes to experimental flavors, they’re not afraid to try new things. Some of my favorite flavors from them include peanut butter, peppermint, PB&J, coffee, guava, raspberry, banana, and mango. If you’re looking for a place that shakes things up in flavor town, you won’t be disappointed by Alvarium. If you’re not sure what you want or might like, try a taster or get a flight. The bar staff is kind, knowledgeable, and 100% passionate about getting the right beer in your hand. Personally, I’m a big fan of their Creamo Ale, because one, it tastes good, and two, its historical connection to New Britain. Creamo was once an iconic brew in the 1940s and 1950s. Alvarium, partnered with Avery’s Beverage, has brought this delicious beer back to life and I thank them.

Other cool stuff:

  • Dogs are allowed (follow their Dogs.of.Alvarium Instagram)
  • Food trucks
    • Snacks also available
  • Wine and Avery soda available
  • Cool merch for dogs and their human companions!
  • Bar games

Our Persuasion:

What we drank: Clusterbits (Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Stout) 4.5 out of 5

Brewery Persuasion: 5 out of 5

Feeling persuaded yet?