Dead Language Beer Project

When: May 10th, 2024

Where: 1429 Park St #115, Hartford, CT

Dead Language Beer Project is Hartford’s newest brewery, located in the old Hog River Brewery facility. Opened by Alvarium’s founding brewer and his wife this spring, it’s a welcome addition after Hartford lost four breweries in the last few years, including City Steam, just a few months ago. The taproom has done its best to distinguish itself from Hog River and even has a second tap in the works in a space I never saw at Hog River. There is some outdoor seating and plenty of indoor seating, with tables, high tops, and benches. The facility is located next to restaurants, but it seems the axe-throwing place in the same building is no longer there. Dead Language advertises itself as focusing on lagers and IPAs but has more variety than you would think from that description. There were some flavored lagers, dark lagers, and some sours that helped us fill out our flight list. Unfortunately, because they are so new, they do not do cans, crowlers, or growlers yet, but they plan to launch those soon.

Chris: My expectations were pretty low going into Dead Language Brewery as I usually find lagers pretty boring, and IPAs are usually not my thing. But I was happily surprised by this brewery, especially when it came to their variety. My favorite beer was their Little Death, a Czech Dark Lager. Whenever you have roasted malts in the beer, I will be happy. I was also a fan of their Fluffhead, a Wheat Beer that has a nice vanilla taste to it. All their beers are poured in half liters or liters, with extra large glasses for the liter sizes.

Nick: My two favorite beers at Dead Language Brewing were the Fluffhead Wheat and the Twin Snakes Sour. I loved the unique atmosphere they’ve created; it’s distinct and has its own style, different from other breweries. They’ve done a great job maximizing the space, and the outdoor seating area is perfect for enjoying a nice day. It’s a spot I’ll be visiting again!

Chris: Little Death (Lager) 5.3% – 4.5 out of 5

Chris: Fluffhead (Wheat Beer) 4.8% – 4 out of 5

Nick: Twin Snakes (Sour) 3.4% – 4 out of 5

Nick: Fluffhead (Wheat Beer) 4.8% – 4 out of 5

Other cool things:

  • Restaurants located next door
  • Cider, soda, and wine served
  • Merch for sale
  • Mug club

Beer: 4 out of 5

Location: 4 out of 5

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5

Shunock River Brewery and Village Cafe

When: January 14th ,2024

Where: 2 Wyassup Rd, North Stonington, CT

Rest directly on the Shunock River, the Shunock River Brewery probably has the more scenic and rural New England look to their taproom as any brewery I have been to. The place gives the feel of a local pub where the staff knows all the patrons and their families. There is the sense that the owners have intentional built a smaller brewery and want to keep that small local pub feel. Walking in from the large parking lot, you can see why they would want to keep their vibe as we immediately felt cozy and ready to grab some beer. This is a place where you can spend hours and relax with your drink and their wood fired pizza. They only had six beers on tap, but had a good range of styles within their limited selected. The indoor space isn’t very large and all the tables are oak barrels, but they manage to fit in some live music and events. The only thing that confused me was that the full name of the brewery is Shunock River Brewery and Village Café, but I didn’t see anything that made it a café.

Chris: Even though they only had six beers on tap, they offered a flight so we were able to try everything they had to offer. My favorite of the batch was the Honey Maple Brown Ale, made with Connecticut malts and had a nice sweet finish to it. Their Lemon sour was also enjoyable as I am always a fan of citrus, and even more of a fan of sours that have some sweetness to them. I definitely want to make a trip back to try some of their other offerings as they rotate their beers selection pretty often.

Nick: I like a place that wants to make itself a part of the community and Shunock really tries to be a part of the community that is North Stonington. As you see in the picture its right on the river and is right in the middle of town. This place’s decor screams New England community and its beer fits that too. I don’t care for IPA’s but im sure the clientele who regularly visit Shunock love it. Shunock doesn’t feel like a brewery that is going be up on all the latest brewery trends, but it isn’t trying to be either. And I think that makes is what made our visit enjoyable.

Chris: Honey Maple Brown Ale (6.7%) – 4.5 out of 5

Chris: Lemon Sour (5%) – 4.5 out of 5

Nick: River Monster IPA (8.1%)-3.5 out of 5

Nick: Lemon Sour (5%) – 4 out of 5

Other cool things:

  • Live music
  • Food menu
  • Wine and Cider available

Beer: 4 out of 5

Location: 3.5 out of 5

Atmosphere: 4.5 out of 5

Dudleytown Brewing Company

When: December 21st, 2023

Where: 1001 Day Hill Rd, Windsor, CT

Dudleytown Brewing Company became Windsor’s first brewery when it opened its doors in 2023. The location is part of a small shopping area with a huge parking lot, and they have plenty of indoor and outdoor seating to match. Out front is a firepit with some seating, and they have a large patio out back that can sit more than many breweries can sit in their entirety. The taproom is equally large and is still shiny and new and gives the same vibe as a chain brewery like BJs brewhouse. While Dudleytown does not have a kitchen, they have food trucks lined up everyday they are open. They also have a wide variety of beer styles and some seltzers. The brewery is out to be a crowd pleaser with something for everyone.

Chris: I decided to go for my usual stouts and sours and my favorite of the bunch was their Passion of the Geist Sour. It packed a bunch of strong flavors like peach, passion fruit, and orange, and I found that quite appealing. I was also a fan of their Krampus’ Krumbs Milk stouts which had a delicious sugar cookie taste. It was so good, I had it again during the Hops N’ Hockey event at the Wolfpack game a week later. While I’ve had better beers than what was at Dudleytown, every beer I did have, I enjoyed and would gladly go back to.

Nick: Like Chris, I found the Passion of the Geist Sour enjoyable, but it was the In Your Head, Zombie hard seltzer that truly captured my attention during our visit. With its delightful blend of cranberry and ginger flavors, it managed to strike the perfect balance between lightness and flavorfulness.

On the other hand, Enter the Wormhole—a combination of seltzer and cider—offering a disappointing rendition of both beverages. The Berried Bones, a Blueberry and Strawberry sour, aimed for an intensely sweet and flavorful profile. If you’re a fan of bold, fruity sours, this one is sure to please. As for the Elves Blood ginger beer, I found it to be decent, although my initial excitement was tempered when I realized it wasn’t a reference to The Witcher but merely holiday-themed.

Overall, I’m eager to return to Dudleytown Brewery, especially when their outdoor areas are up and running in the spring

Other cool things:

  • Merch
  • Cans to go
  • Lots of events
  • Food trucks
  • Cornhole

Chris: Passion of the Geist (Sour) 5% – 4.5 out of 5

Chris: Krampus’ Krumbs (Milk Stout) 6% – 4 out of 5

Nick: In your Head, Zombie (Hard Seltzer) 5% – 4.5 out of 5

Nick: Berried Bones (Sour) 5% – 3.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion:

Beer: 4 out of 5

Location: 4 out of 5

Atmosphere: 3 out of 5