CT Beer WEEKS 2014: 2x Big, 2x Brews, 2x Awesome

Because one week just wasn’t enough! :)

Last year marked the first ever statewide CT Beer Week, brought together by Connecticut Beer Wholesalers Association.  There was a kickoff with the Rising Pint Brewfest that featured over 70 brewers, plenty of events at breweries, restaurants, and retailers, and even a chance at unlocking the CT Beer Week Badge on Untappd.  

Well, we’re happy to report that this year’s activities will include not just one CT Beer Week, but TWO…CT Beer Weeks.  Well, damn, that’s plenty of drinking time, right?  To be honest, it’s brilliant timing for both dates:  May 12-18 and October 13-19.  

First off, American Craft Beer Week coincides perfectly with the first CT Beer Week of 2014…that’s no coincidence at all.  Breweries like Shebeen, Two Roads, Half Full, Relic, Thimble Island, New England Brewing, and Beer’d have been putting out some artfully artisan crafted brews, so it’s important to shift our focus to these guys.  You, or loyal readers, know about the importance of drinking beer from the “little guys,” but there are lots of people out there who have yet to have their first Gandhi Bot, Cannoli Beer, Biere de Mars, or Road 2 Ruin.  What better time to convert your friends and family? ;)

And, then there’s the second part of CT Beer Week…wouldn’t you know it, but it coincides nicely with CT Restaurant Week that goes down from October 14-20.  Again, this is no coincidence.  You can not only expect lots of great beer-related events, but you can also look forward to lots of great meal deals throughout the state.

We’ll have more details to share soon, but make sure to mark off your calendars with all of these dates.  In the meantime, check out these events and CT’s breweries:

Events (check out events page for up-to-date info on events as we get it)

4/26:  The Thread City Hop Fest, Jillson Square in Willimantic.

5/10:  4th Annual Rising Pint Brewfest, Rentschler Field in East Hartford. 

5/12-17 CT Beer Week at Mikro in Hamden, CT

5/12 Stone Brewing Beer Dinner at Ginger Man SoNo

5/12 East Coast vs. West Coast IPA Day at Cask Republic Stamford

5/12 CT Brewery Night at Cask Republic New Haven

5/12-18 Captain Lawrence Acid Test Flight at Cask Republic Stamford

5/13 Sierra Nevada and Oskar Blues Tap Takeover at Cask Republic Stamford

5/13 NEBCO Night at Prime 16 in New Haven

5/14 Dinner Underground with Chef Plum at Williams-Sonoma in Danbury

5/14 Goose Island Beer Dinner at Ginger Man Greenwich

5/14 CT Cask and Tap Takeover at Cask Republic Stamford

5/14 Krust Tap Takeover in Middletown

5/14 Special barrel aged Two Roads brews at Ordinary in New Haven

5/15 Rare Beer Night (KBS, Goose Island and more) at Coalhouse Pizza in Stamford

5/15 Vintage Beer Night at Cask Republic Stamford

5/16 Barrel-aged Beer Night at Cask Republic Stamford

5/16 CT Breweries Night at The Corner Tavern in Naugatuck

5/16:  CT Breweries Night at The Corner Tavern in Naugatuck.

5/17 Flight Night at Cask Republic Stamford

5/17 20th Annual CT Craft Brewers Festival in Naugatuck

5/18 1/2 Priced Big Bottles at Cask Republic Stamford

CT Breweries

• Back East Brewing Company, Bloomfield
• Beer’d Brewing Company, Stonington
• Broad Brook Brewing Company, East Windsor
• Cambridge House Brew Pub of Granby, Granby
• Cavalry Brewing, Oxford
• City Steam Brewery Cafe, Hartford
• Cottrell Brewing Company, Pawcatuck
• East Haddam Brewing Company, East Haddam
• Firefly Hollow Brewing Company, Bristol
• Guvnor’s Brewery, Norwalk
• Half Full Brewery, Stamford
• New England Brewing Company, Woodbridge
• Olde Burnside Brewing Company, East Hartford
• Overshores Brewing Company, East Haven (Permits Approved 4/11/14, CT’s only Belgian brewery)
• Relic Brewing Company, Plainville
• Shebeen Brewing Company, Wolcott
• Southport Brewing Company, Shelton, Southport, Branford, Stamford
• Stubborn Beauty Brewing Company, Middletown
• Thimble Island Brewery, Branford
• Thomas Hooker Brewing Company, Bloomfield
• Top Shelf Brewing Company, Manchester
• Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford
• Willimantic Brewing Company, Willimantic