Half Full Brewery Takes Over May and American Craft Brew Week

We can still remember walking into Half Full Brewery when it was in shambles and just a run down skeleton of a building. Even with so much work ahead, Conor and crew saw it all as if the glass was, well, half full. Then, we saw Half Full Bright Ales all over Stamford, then we saw more brews hitting Stamford restaurants, and then we saw Half Full expand out to restaurants all over Connecticut. And now, almost one year later, they celebrate their first ever American Craft Brew Week (May 13-19) with amazingly awesome events . Here we go:

May 3, 17, and 31:  Friday Night Open House, 5:30-8:30

Pay $15 and get a Half Full recycled plastic pint glass.  Taps are open for your consumption pleasures.  You are free to circulate, look around, hang with friends, play bags, and play the huge Jenga game.  Note:  Friday Night Open Houses happen every other Friday from here until eternity.

May 4, 11, 18, 25:  Saturday Hoptimist Experience, 1-5

Get a tour of Half Full Brewery at 3 pm and learn how the brew is brewed, how Conor began, and more.  The cost is $5 and you’ll get a tasting glass to try out six of whatever brews they have on tap at the moment.  During the Hoptimist Experience, you can also fill up some growlers and enjoy a few pints.  Second note:  this is an every Saturday kinda thing.

May 13 (Kicking off American Craft Brew Week):  Dew Drop Inn Tap Takeover, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

There will be five Half Full brews on tap at the Dew Drop Inn.  Here they are:  Half Full Bright Ale, India Pale Ale, Toasted Amber, Raspberry Sour, and Peanut Butter Hefeweizen.  Half Full will be pouring out free samples of their PB Hefe if you’d like to try this fun brew.  Plus, if you order the Dew Drop Inn’s Peanut Butter and Jelly wings, you’ll get a free pint of that PB Hefe.  We have never heard of these wings until just now, but day-um…so need to try!

May 14:  Tap Takeover and Collaboration Brew at Coalhouse Pizza, 7-9

As you should know from following us, Coalhouse Pizza is the place to be in Stamford if you love beer.  Half Full has taken over 4 of their taps with the original Half Full Bright Ale, India Pale Ale, Toasted Amber, and…a one of a kind Imperial American Pale Ale that was brewed as a collaboration just for this very event.  Coalhouse and Half Full sweeten the pot by donating all sales from their collabo (watch out Timberland) will go towards Stamford Animal Rescue and Mid Atlantic Basset Hound Rescue.  That ain’t so ruff.  Sorry. :P

May 15: Rare Beer Night at Half Full, 7-9

$25 (every third Wednesday)

Half Full has a Nano System set up (we first tasted the Bright Ale from there) and they are showing off small batch brews every third Wednesday of the month.   Each experience will be different, but what’s true of all RBNs is that you’ll get full pints of each brew with food pairings.

For the May 15 Rare Beer Night, there will be pairings from Laura of Fairfield Cheese Company and charcuterie from Fairway Market, plus a nice dessert to finish things off.  Only 40 people can attend, so get your tickets by clicking here.

Here are the brews for this event, taken from the Half Full Site:

Ginger Pale Ale

Brewed with whole ginger root, this beer is a light bodied Pale Ale with a strong ginger aroma. The Ginger Pale Ale is super smooth, subtle on the pallet, and finishes with a sweet softness, kind of like Chris. ABV – 4.5%

Spring Saison

Spring is the perfect Season to craft a Saison. Brewed with a hint of spice, this beer is complex yet balanced, with a subtle hop bitterness up front. This Saison is full-bodied and has a long, dry finish. ABV – 6%

Peanut Butter Hefeweizen

Our take on a German style unfiltered wheat. We utilize a special strand of yeast, which holds a characteristic cloudiness and presents a banana forward nose and flavor. This full-bodied beer has a hint of peanut butter flavor (it should, we added a bunch to it) and is very lightly hopped. ABV – 4.6%

Half Full Black and Tan

1 part Dry Irish Stout +1 part InaugurAle = Total Heaven. Jen will be blending a traditional Dry Irish Stout that she brewed on the Nano with THE LAST KEG OF INAUGURALE. Black and Tans – Yes Please!

May 16: Pub Crawl at Seaside Tavern, Station Eats, BUtterfield 8, and Tigin

Make sure to follow them on Facebook for more info and tell them you’re interested by filling out the form by clicking here. 

We only have one last comment:  what’s your favorite Half Full brew?