Stories > Find the Perfect Ale along Connecticut's Beer Trail
Find the Perfect Ale along Connecticut's Beer Trail Last Updated: March 2016
Explore the Connecticut Beer Trail and its distinctive craft beer destinations throughout the state! Plan an afternoon outing or make it a getaway with friends or your significant other. Discover fantastic, fresh, handcrafted, locally brewed beer, meet local producers, attend tastings, take a brewery tour and learn about the assortment, individuality and creativity of local breweries and brewpubs. Connecticut has a host of award-winning breweries and brewpubs, and many offer food, dining experiences and special events. Find your favorite beer or ale along the Connecticut Beer Trail. Cheers!
BAR, New Haven
Housed in a 1915 automobile show room, BAR, which has been recognized by the Connecticut Institute of Architects for its “outstanding design,” offers a cool atmosphere to unwind with friends. New Haven’s first brewpub, BAR offers four affordable styles of freshly micro-brewed beer: Toasted Blonde, Amber, Pale and Stout.
Backstage, Torrington
Operating on the motto “Eat, Drink, Live” Backstage is a great place for a night out with friends and family. Backstage offers more than 80 varieties of craft brew beers and with more than 20 brews on tap and 70 bottled beers to choose from, there is sure to be something to please everyone. Located next to the Warner Theater, Backstage is open late on show nights to accommodate theatergoers, but don’t forget to visit the website to make your reservations in advance.
Beer’d Brewing Company, Stonington
Located inside an old velvet mill that now houses artist studios, Beer’d Brewery is a Nano Brewery. Its 93-gallon/3 BBL brew house allows the brewer and owner Aaren Simoncini to be creative, agile and extremely hands-on with every ounce of beer he produces. Whisker’d Wit, the brewery’s flagship brew, is on tap year round, and other beers include a series of Double IPAs, an American Pale Ale and an American Brown Ale.
Cambridge House Brew Pub, Granby
The Cambridge House Brew Pub is a family-style community tavern and microbrewery that has produced many craft beers over the past several years, including Moonbeam Stout, Alt 45, Copper Hill Kolsch and its renowned Abijah Rowe IPA. The Cambridge house pairs award-winning craft beers with a food menu of classic pub fare, American grilled burgers and steaks, and inventive comfort food for every palate, along with distinctive signature desserts.
The Cask Republic, New Haven and Stamford
If you’re a beer connoisseur or just out to enjoy a good brew, the Cask Republic is the place to go. Located in New Haven and Stamford, this restaurant and bar has a tremendous selection, including more than 50 draughts and more than 80 varieties of bottled beer.
City Steam Brewery Cafe, Hartford
Housed in a building that was once Connecticut’s largest department store, City Steam serves great food and beer on nine different levels of seating. Cast iron railings and millwork from the old department store give guests get a sense of old charm. Enjoy a handcrafted brew like the Blonde on Blonde American Pale Ale, Black Silk Stout Oatmeal Stout or White Wedding Wheat Ale.
Cottrell Brewing Co., Pawcatuck
In 1855, Calvert B. Cottrell, owner of C.B. Cottrell & Sons, Inc., located in Pawcatuck, Conn., founded what became one of the region’s most successful printing press manufacturing companies. 125 years later Cottrells’ great, great grandson, Charles Cottrell Buffum, opened Cottrell Brewing Company. Their flagship beer, Old Yankee Ale, is bottled and brewed within the old factory walls, with the same pride and attention to quality that generations of Cottrells put into their presses over 100 years ago.
DuVig Brewing Co., Branford
Established in 2013 and new to the Connecticut Beer Trail, DuVig Brewing Co. is a collaboration between two families (Dugas and Vigliotti) committed to creating “full-flavored, easy-drinking beers.” DuVig Brewing Co. beers are brewed to style – stop by the Branford brewery for tastings and growler fills on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Current beer styles on tap are Cream Ale, Brown Ale, Pale Ale and for a limited time, Oatmeal Stout. Tours are available on weekends by request.
New England Brewing Co., Woodbridge
This small craft brewery was listed as one of the top 20 breweries in the U.S. by BeerAdvocate.com in 2009 and 2010. Stop by to see why – there are daily rotating draft offerings including Fuzzy Baby Ducks (single hop beer), New England Gold Stock Ale (German pale ale) and Ghost Pigeon (American porter). Plus, there’s a selection of bottled and canned craft beer such as Elm City Lager, Sea Hag IPA and Wet Willie Scotch Ale.
Olde Burnside Brewing Company, East Hartford
Established in 2000, Olde Burnside is a spinoff company of the families’ original ice manufacturing business, “The Burnside Ice Company” (founded in 1911). Olde Burnside Brewing Company is an artisan brewery, dedicated to producing distinctive, high-quality brews, and handcrafts traditional ales with a Scottish twist. Its “Ten Penny Ale” is the flagship Scottish Ale – malty with a touch of caramel and smokiness. “Dirty Penny Ale” is a blend of the “Ten Penny Ale” and a California style stout to create a unique Black & Tan with a smooth finish.
Overshores Brewing Co., East Haven
Connecticut’s first dedicated Belgian-style brewery. Current and upcoming offerings include Belle Fermiere, Overshores’ signature saison. A blend of Belgian tradition and new world flavors, it’s a lightly hoppy Belgian style farmhouse ale. The Overshores Simpel is a refreshing choice. Dry and crisp, it’s the most basic of the brewery’s beers and its lightest and hoppiest. Share in the Overshores Brewing Co. experience, where its philosophy about beer is “to savor, to contemplate, and to enjoy.”
Southport Brewing Company, Southport, Branford and Milford
Serving brunch, lunch, dinner and its 27 homemade brews at its Southport, Branford and Milford locations since 1997. Restaurant goers can watch the beer making process while enjoying tasty selections from the restaurant’s menu. Southport Brewing Company categorizes their beer into Tier One, light and refreshing; Tier Two, well balanced and smooth; and Tier Three, the most bold and complex.
Thomas Hooker Brewing Company, Bloomfield
In its second decade of producing quality craft beers, Thomas Hooker Brewing Company makes beer with an award-winning taste that is handcrafted from the finest malts, hops and ingredients. The brewery offers 13 unique beers – eight ales and five lagers and specialty seasonal beers, including the springtime Chocolate Truffle Stout or the Watermelon Ale in the summer.
Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford
Two Roads Brewing Company transformed a 100-year-old building into a thriving brewery complete with an outdoor beer garden and tasting room. From the seasonal Road Jam Raspberry Wheat to the year-round Lil’ Heaven Session IPA to a variety of specials, beer lovers will enjoy this unique gathering place.
Willimantic Brewing Company, Willimantic
Located in a renovated 1909 U.S. Post Office building, the range of beers here is extensive, as the seven-barrel brewery produces various in-house selections in addition to the ever-changing guest beers. Willimantic Brewing Company has received numerous awards over the years including the 2011 best brew in Connecticut by Yankee Magazine and a 2011 best restaurant bar in Connecticut, by Connecticut Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards.