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

Almost Famous Brewing Company

When: December 21st, 2023

Where: 17 Kripes Rd, East Granby, CT 06026

Nestled near Bradley Airport in East Granby, Almost Famous Brewery takes its cue from the iconic movie, channeling a distinct rock and roll vibe. The establishment boasts an array of music memorabilia, with walls featuring artists from James Brown to Nirvana. Beer taps shaped like guitars and records on the walls further amplify the brewery’s commitment to its musical theme.

The spacious venue offers more than just a place to sample craft beers. Divided into several side rooms, patrons can engage in arcade games, board games, and other recreational activities, several which can be reserved for private parties. The ambiance is laid-back, catering to both beer enthusiasts and those looking for a casual hangout spot. Which seems to be what most new breweries in Connecticut go for.

A noteworthy feature at Almost Famous is their “Get Funky With It” feature were you can add a flavor to your drink. There is a list of around twenty flavors ranging from blueberry to Habanero Lime and Swiss Chocolate, any of which can be added to a beer or seltzer, but we only tried with the seltzer. Its certainly a unique feature and I enjoyed the Watermelon Seltzer.

Almost Famous Brewery offers a laid-back atmosphere with a touch of musical flair. They are also dog friendly as a number of well behaved dogs were at the brewery on the night we went.

Nick: I think I should have gotten the “Get Funky With It” in my beer as well because overall my takeaway was that the beer was bland. A sour should not be bland but both the “Tangent”, a tangerine sour, and the “Same as it ever was Peach” were pretty indistinct from each other. The “Stranger than Fiction” Stout was the same issue. I liked the Harmony Seltzer, we tried it with a few different Get Funky flavors added in but I found the Watermelon to be the best. While I liked the customizable flavor idea for the seltzer I feel like my beer should be good enough flavor wise for me to want to drink it on its own.

Chris: Almost Famous was doing live music trivia when we were there which was a pretty unique thing to offer. I always like a place that is willing to try new and unique stuff, and that includes the Get Funky flavor shots they offered, but as Nick already mentioned, it seemed that their beer needed added flavor. That being said, Almost Famous does have a lot of beers on tap with a wide variety of styles. The Tangent sour was my favorite but it still could have used more flavor. I also had Stranger than Fiction Stout and the Plush Milkshake IPA which all had nice base flavors, but were overall bland.

Other cool things:

  • Live music
  • Open mic nights
  • Food trucks
  • Many other events

Nick: Same as it ever was(Peach) (Sour) 5.3%- 3.5 out of 5

Nick: Tangent (Sour) 5.6%- 3 out of 5

Chris: Plush (Milkshake IPA) 6.9%- 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Stranger than Fiction (Stout) 6.5% – 3.75 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion:

Beer: 3.5 out of 5

Location: 3 out of 5

Atmosphere: 3 out of 5