*Click any pic to start the photo gallery*
Jonathan Healey is a renaissance man. He owns a video production company called A View of You, he markets Gathering of the Vibes Music and Arts Festival in Bridgeport and The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, and…oh yes…he’s now a multiple-award winning brewer. More specifically, according to the Southern New England Homebrew Competition he’s Rookie of the Year. Not to mention, he also won “The People’s Choice” award at Smoke in the Valley, held in Seymour. Clearly Jonathan’s been doing something amazing, but local Westporters have known this for quite a while.
Jonathan brews his Compo Hill Brewing Co. beer out of the garage of his Compo Hill Avenue house. In a garage that could make any brewlover drool, he’s set up an all-electric brewing system that can pump out 5-15 gallons of beer per batch. Healey shared in a press release that he sent to us:
“I wanted to build a brewing system that would produce consistent results from batch to batch. Using direct flame in mixed weather on my driveway wasn’t cutting it. Now that I have the system dialed in, I’m free to experiment. Right now, I enjoy developing beer/wine hybrids or vinous styles using grape flavors, oak, and wild yeast.”
If you’re planning on hitting up Biergarten on the Green this Saturday, you can meet the award winning brewer and samples his wares:
Mischief Night: a pumpkin ale
Saison Vin: Belgian farmhouse ale infused with Merlot and aged in Zinfindel wine barrels (he also shared with us that he’s doing experiments with different wine types, too)
Compo Tripel: traditional Belgian tripel made with Chimay yeast
Compo Kona Porter: a robust porter infused with cold-pressed coffee made with Kona coffee beans from Maui
Compo Storm du Zin: Russian Imperial Stout re-fermented with Brettanomyces and aged in Zinfindel wine barrels for 18 months
NuptuALE: Russian Imperial Stout made for Healey’s own wedding
??????????: Barrel-aged Black IPA.
Now, you can see those are some pretty amazing sounding beers. We’d like to drink every single one of those, over and over again. Hopefully you notice that his new Black IPA has no name. That’s because he’ll be asking for suggestions for a name at Biergarten on the Green. So, if you think you’ve got what it takes to help Compo Hill Brewing Co. name its newest brew, toss in your two cents.
If you can’t attend Biergarten on the Green, you might have a chance to try his beers pretty soon. Healey is looking for industrial, mixed-use, or retail space in Westport so that he can begin to sell his beer. If you have any leads or ideas for Jonathan, please let us know by commenting here.
We love the spirit behind this beer and Healey’s raw passion for all things brew related. Make sure to stop by and see him this Saturday and keep an eye out for his future endeavors. We’re excited to see some Compo Hill Brewing Co. beer on the shelves…of our fridge that is.
Dan and Kristien Del Ferraro
OmNomCT 
Thanks for spreading the word about Compo Hill, Dan & Kristien! Looking forward to meeting new folks, Saturday. Black Barrel Brew — first entry!
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Hi Jonathan. We really admire your hard work and dedication, thanks for reaching out to us. :) Lots of people can’t wait to meet you (and your brews) on Saturday. :)
Now, we need to think of a name, too… :)
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Wow sounds great! His styles look really intriguing, I hope he gets his brews out there for everyone to try!
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Yeah, us too Alex. We are really excited for him and can’t wait to see his stuff in stores. What a great style and such heart. :)
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I need to try some of this! The Saison Vin sounds so good, but I would happily take one of those carboys filled with pumpkin ale above :)
Hmmm… What about ‘Black Barrel Brew’?
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Yeah, his Saison Vin sounds seriously amazing! :) We like your idea for Black Barrel Brew! If he picks that one, you definitely get the credit. :P
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