Still Hill Brewery

When: July 22nd, 2023

Where: 1275 Cromwell Ave, Rocky Hill, CT

Still Hill gets its name from the conveniently named hill that the brewery is located on, where a working still was back in the 1800s. As many small craft breweries, Still Hill began as a homebrewers dream to open a brewery. After a successful kickstarter campaign, the brewery opened in Rocky Hill and has been brewing ever since. The brewery is located in the back corner of an industrial park with some limited outdoor seating and parking. Once you walk in you can see that they have tried to give the place a more barn feeling with wood plank wallpaper and a wooden bar. The inside can sit between 30 and 40 people and they have an extensive mug club collection on the back wall. Most nights spent at the brewery will include live music, trivia, or comedy shows.

Chris: The atmosphere of the taproom didn’t blow me out of the water, but the beer is the most important part of any brewery. My favorite beer was their Muga-Joe coffee stout at a whopping 8%. It had a nice coffee taste that didn’t overpower the overall flavor, and did a good job of not letting on that it was 8%. Other than the Muga-Joe, none of the other beers really stood out. I had the Sluggy Buggy oatmeal stout, VanHilla Imperial Porter, and the Still Hill Strawberry Blonde ale, and they were all decent but didn’t leave me with any desire to take a 4 pack home.

Nick: I have been to a lot of breweries and what I am always looking for is something to impress me. I was very interested in trying the Fruitatious Sourpuss Sour series but while the Keylime and Raspberry was good I wasn’t blown away by it. I also tried the Blood Orange Pomegranate from that series and found it was so light that it really didn’t taste like much. The same went for the HoneyB Lager, it was so light that I tasted only a very subtle hint of Honey.

Other cool things:

  • Multiple events every week
  • Growlers and cans to-go
  • Mug club

What we drank:

Chris: Muga-Joe (Stout) 8% – 4.5 out of 5

Chris: Still Hill Strawberry (Blonde Ale) – 3.5 out of 5

Chris: Sluggy Buggy (Stout) 5.5% – 3.5 out of 5

Nick: Fruitatious Sourpuss Key Lime with Raspberry (Sour) 5.5%- 3.5 out of 5

Nick: HoneyB Lager(Honey Lager) 5.7%- 3 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion:

Beer: 3 out of 5

Location: 2 out of 5

Atmosphere: 2 out of 5

Hogans Cider Mill

When: April 7th, 2023

Where: 522 Spielman Hwy, Burlington, CT 06103

Hogan’s Cider Mill was founded in 1912 by Patrick Hogan and was purchased by PGA golfer Chet Dunlop in 1992. As a result there is mini golf course next to the barn and a golf course where the Dunlop’s run the New England School of Golf.The cider mill has been making hard cider for over 30 years and sweet cider for over 100. When you step inside the building, you enter the shop stocked with cider to-go, local snacks like candy, and different knickknacks. The taproom is located on the second floor and looks exactly like you would imagine if you put a taproom on the second floor of a barn. The barn setting gives a nice authentic atmosphere for drinking hard cider.

Chris: I’d consider myself a cider fanatic, but I had never been to Hogan’s Cider Mill. I was very excited by their selection of cider and cider cocktails that are seasonally updated and tried to get as many as I could. My favorite was the Just Peachy Sangria which had a nice sweet peach flavor without being overpowering. I was a big fan of the Sweet Nectar made with honey and Strawberries and Cream ciders. The one thing I will say is the flavorings they use seem to leave a tangy flavor to everything. Also, all ciders are 12.5% so bring a designated driver even if you only plan to have a drink or two.

Nick: Chris and I stopped in here after we went to Clocktown. My favorite was the Lucky Penny but I also really liked the Sweet Nectar and the Just Peachy. I was very impressed with the Mill’s authenticity, they don’t use any preservatives which means that they bottle in season. You can tell a place is authentic when they serve your cider out of jugs and the tap room is covered in historical newspapers and farm items from the past decades. Authenticity does mean though that these ciders 12.5% is more like drinking wine than your typical cider, so drink responsibly.

Other Cool things:

  • Mini golf
  • Gift shop w/ local snacks
  • Cider to go
  • Craft beer available

What we drank:

Chris: Just Peachy Sangria (Sweet cider) 12.5% – 4.75 out of 5

Chris: Strawberries and Cream (Sweet cider) 12.5% – 4 out of 5

Chris: Sweet Nectar (Sweet cider) 12.5% – 4.25 out of 5

Nick: Lucky Penny (Sweet Cider) 12.5%- 4 out of 5

Nick: Peep Show(Sweet Cider) 12.5%- 3.75 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 4.5 out of 5

Clocktown Brewing Company

When: April 7th, 2023

Where: 135 S Main st #3, Thomaston, CT 06787

Clocktown Brewing is in Thomaston, Connecticut. Chris and I stopped there before a Wolf Pack game in April. The brewery gets its name from Thomaston being the location of many clock factories in the early 1800s, including inventor Eli Terry‘s factory.

The Brewery is located in the former Seth Thomas Clock Company factory from 1853. Its tap room is a good size and leans into its old factory atmosphere. There is also a large outdoor seating area, but it was still too early in the season for us to use it during our visit. Clocktown has been brewing since 2020, and they have a full bar and restaurant menu including wood fire pizza and brunch. When we went, happy hour had brought in a quite large crowd. Despite their large beer menu, I liked that they stuck to their own beers with only a few guest ciders on tap. Clocktown features a wide assortment of beers; anytime a brewery chooses to have a variety of beers instead of 8 IPA’s is a win in my book. Considering that Thomaston isn’t a big town, I was surprised at how busy Clocktown was on a weekday afternoon, and if you like a busy atmosphere then this place definitely has it.

Nick: Of the six beer’s that I tried when I was there, the two that stood out to me the most were the 12:43 Sour and the Ol’ Red ale. Ol’ Red is a Irish Red Ale, crisp with a malty flavor. The 12:43 was my favorite, with a pomegranate flavor. It was nice, but they definitely don’t rely on the fruit flavor as much as other breweries might. I also had the Sucker for Blonde’s, a Belgian Blonde, which according to Untapped, is one of their more popular beers. Blonde’s are really hit or miss for me, and I didn’t find anything remarkable about this one. Overall though, I would really enjoy coming back here for Sunday brunch if it wasn’t so far away from where I live.

Chris: From the moment we entered Clocktown Brewery, it was clear that the founders had invested time and effort into their taproom. This wasn’t some garage brewery; it was a full restaurant, brewery, and bar with plenty of TVs for us to watch the Yankees lose. When it comes to the beer, my favorite was the Time Flies Doppelbock which had a nice malty flavor while still being much lighter than a stout. I was also a fan of the 12:43 Sour, but I wish it was sweeter. Overall, Clocktown is a nice place to bring a friends and family to with some great food and good beer.

Nick: 12:43(Sour) 5.2%- 4 out of 5

Nick: Ol’ Red(Irish Red Ale) 5%- 4 out of 5

Chris: Time Flies (Doppelbock) 7.6% – 4 out of 5

Chris: Choffee (Stout) 6.8% – 3.5 out of 5

Brewing Persuasion: 3.5 out of 5