Black Hog Down + Disco Pig #2 Release; Overshores + DuVig Grand Opening; BeerConn

There are way too many beer related events going down this week, but that’s fine: you’ve been training your liver for days just like this!

1) This Wednesday, 12/10, starting at 4 pm, you can stop into Black Hog Brewing to purchase their second beer in their Disco Pig series. Their latest incarnation, Disco Pig 2, is a Brett Golden Sour! Brewing with Brett has become very popular lately, so you’ll definitely want to get yourself a bottle of this limited edition brew. And, if you so desire, you can enter into a raffle to win Bottle #1!

Shebeen Brewing Hosting Annivesary Party with Ted’s Food Truck, Fryborg, Cornhole, Tours, Beer, and More

 

 

Update:  Fryborg will be in the house, too!

Shebeen Brewing Company in Wolcott, CT wants to celebrate one year of brewing beer with ya at their Anniversary Party.  Just come on down to their brewery on 5/3/14 from 12-7 for some brews, foods, games, and fun.   Ted’s World Famous Steamed Cheeseburgers food truck will be on hand, so you have something to wash those beers down with.  And, you’ll want to finish up the night with some dessert, right?  Duh…so chow down on some Shebeen Beer cupcakes made by Shebeen’s own Terry!  

In addition, you’ll be able to take a tour of the brewery, have some tastings, or just drink pint after delicious pint.  There will be live music and you’ll be able to see who reigns supreme with a few games of cornh0le.  Don’t miss this one, OmNomivores!

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Shebeen Brewing Company Anniversary Party

5/3/14 from 12-7 pm

1 Wolcott Road

Wolcott, CT 06716

 

Can It: Half Full Brewery Begins Canning, Soon to Hit Stores

Introducing….cans! Pic from Half Full’s FB page

Congrats go out to Conor and crew of Half Full Brewery in Stamford.  Look at that beaut!  It’s their flagship beer that helped to put them on the map:  their Bright Ale.  And, as you can see it’s in a can.  Yes, the moment has finally arrived and production is happening.  According to Half Full, the Bright Ale will hit shelves in the middle of May with their Toasted Amber to follow in June or July.  They also have plans to release another brew in cans by mid-Summer, making three brews available…and year ’round at that.

What else do they have planned?

All we can say is, “Look forward to more”!

 

Half Full Joins the Dark Side + Crowdsources New Barrel-Aged Beer @ Rare Beer Night

We went to our first Rare Beer Night at Half Full in July and came back for more last Wednesday, 1/15. And, while we had a great time at the first event, one or two of the limited production brews from their nano system weren’t beers that we’d drink too often because of their hoppiness (different brews for different folks). But, that all changed with this Rare Beer Night.

Drink up + Vote for the Best in CT Beer in 2013!

The CT Beer Trail is looking for the best in Connecticut beer for 2013!  You might remember that we talked about the CT Beer Trail a while back when we told you about their Brewery Bus Tours.  But, the CT Beer Trail is much more than just bus tours.  It’s a thriving community of beer lovers who have united to praise beer and to help the CT beer business thrive.  There are groups to join, discussions to be a part of, and plenty of events to get your drink on at.  Plus, if you become a Trail Blazer for $20, you’ll get a pretty card that gets you some major discounts at beer fests, breweries, brewpubs, bars, and even brewery supply stores.

Guvnor’s Brewery in SoNo: OmNomCT Takes First Sips and Bites

With much anticipation and with a packed restaurant, Guvnor’s Brewery opened this past Friday.  People lined the bar that overlooks classic cooper brew tanks, ordering beer made by owner and brewer Tony Aulakh.  And there also wasn’t a table free, hungry people looking for a taste of what Chef Peter Crawford had to offer. Then, again, it happened Saturday night. In fact, manager Mike Sullivan was surprised to see that it was even busier the second night.  It’s the kind of opening that anybody could hope for.

When we stopped by on Sunday, The Battle of the Mannings was on the two screens above the bar and the huge 120 inch projection screen in the dining room—it’s all one room btw, but the areas are separated.  We met Mike and tried some of the three brews available: Summer Chill Wheat Ale, Full Monty IPA, and the Black Magic Stout.  Kristien loved the Summer Chill Wheat Ale and ordered one for herself.  It’s light, wheaty, and has some nice citrus notes. This is the kind of brew to drink all day long…or during a game…especially a game where your team loses badly.  Make the pain stop, make it stop.  Dan stuck with the IPA, a sweeter and less hoppy version than you’d expect.  But, we loved it, the complex flavors, and the easy drinkability. We also really enjoyed the Black Magic Stout, a dark and meaty brew that wasn’t overboard in terms of depth or alcoholy taste.  All in all, the three brews that they currently have on tap have a nice balance and show off Tony’s skill (and with the IPA, unconventional skill) as a brewmaster.

Two Roads Diverged and I Ate @ the Redding Roadhouse Beer Dinner

Okay, here’s the deal, and we’ll be quick about it.  You don’t have much time at all.  There’s a Two Roads Brewery Dinner at Redding Roadhouse this Thursday at 6:30 for just $50, all in.  Six fresh courses, highlighting local ingredients and paired with six different brews from the Stratford brewery.  And, if you haven’t had Two Roads, check out our review and also check out the article on Huffington Post naming Two Roads as one of 10 up and coming breweries to watch in 2013.  We coulda told ya that! :P  Combine the beer with the food at Redding Roadhouse and you’ve got a great match.  Oh, did we mention there’s a very rare beer paired with maple bacon beignets for dessert?:  Conntuckey Lightning.  Lucky you gets to try it and lucky you gets to talk with Meghan Zachry of Two Roads!  Call Redding Roadhouse at 938-3388 and make your reservations today.

Now, onto the menu:

Two Roads Brewery + Food Trucks = Weekend Fun!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

and I, I took the one that lead to the brewery

and that has brought me all the hops and barley in the world.

-Robert Frosty Mug

We heard about Two Roads Brewing a while ago and were happy when they opened up in December. But, because they are in Stratford and we were in Greenwich, we weren’t sure when we could travel out there. Well, as a stroke of pure genius, we decided to break up an annoying drive to Ikea to return some glöreögköps  and kröakelörigöbrigs (sp?) with a trip to Two Roads.

It’s pretty easy to get to, just past Bridgeport and right off exit 31. And, parking wasn’t too hard to get even though it was packed. We rushed out of our car because we were dying of hunger and Fryborg (RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!), a food truck serving up french fries, sandwiches, natural sugar sodas, and other fried goodness was there. We knew that we wanted fries, but what kind and variation?

1. Dutch Fries with a mound of fries topped with curry ketchup, mayo, and minced onion?
2. BLT Fries with hand-cut fries topped with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, chopped bacon, and mayo?
3. Italian Fries with crispy fries topped with pesto mayo, tomato, and Pecorino cheese?
4. Bacon, Egg & Cheese Fries with Belgian style fries topped with a fried egg, melted American cheese, and bacon?
5. Assimilation Fries with golden brown fries topped with a fried egg, American cheese, 1000 island dressing, and onion?
6. Chili Cheese Fries with our delicious fries topped with truck-made chili and cheddar cheese?

Dayummm

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Sails to Its New Home in Elmsford, NY

When we visited a packed Captain Lawrence Brewing in Pleasantville, NY last August we knew they had to be itching to move into a bigger, better place.  Then, just a short while later, they did just that, moving to an even more awsomerest spot in Elmsford, NY.  So, like any devoted beer loving couple we had to check it out STAT.

When you’re driving down Saw Mill River Road, you’ll need to keep an eye out for the Captain Lawrence sign or you might miss it.  Drive around the back, park, then head up to the brewery for a good time.  Before you enter you’ll notice there’s a super fun outdoor area with a bocce ball court and picnic tables where you can sip, eat, and relax.  We had already decided this was just the best damn brewery ever before we even entered. It only got better from there, though.

Inside you’ll find a huge tasting room with a few tables here and there (some are barrels) where people were playing cards, a line for filling up growlers, a line for purchasing beer, lines for tastings, and a line for food orders.  Yes, there’s food too. Heck yeah!  We had the choice of a meat & cheese plate, Taim hummus trio, Tierra Farms nut bowl, Slant Shack NY jerky, or marinated olive bowl.  We went with the hummus:  roasted red pepper, basil, and truffle.  All three were delicious and went well with all of the beer we tasted.

Sixpoint Brewery Beer Soon to Be Sold in Connecticut!

Six points, get it?

May 24,

Statewide,

The fulfillment of all your beer-laden dreams.

Yes, it’s true.  If you keep eating your Wheaties and saying your prayers bruthha, Sixpoint Brewery will start to ship their bottled liquid awesomeness to Connecticut retailers.  They have a devoted following in New York, Massachusets, Vermont, and beyond and if you’re a beerocrat, you probably visited their brewery in Brooklyn, have downed their brews, and have heard how legen-wait for it-dary they are.  Yes, Sixpoint is known for making wicked good beer, but also taking it up a few thousand notches.  Yes, you can trust their year round selection like your BFF, but they also have a beer to match each season.

Once you start drinking Sixpoint beer, you’ll want to visit their brewery.  And, when you visit, you’ll need to try their awesome, one-0f-a-kind-redonkulous formulations.  We had a chance to try some of these at Beer for Beasts 2 this year and loved the 50 or so shots of different beer that we tasted.  Beer with crimini mushrooms, beer brewed with lobster shells, beer that was spicy, beer with chocolate…you name it, we tried it.  Our next stop is checking out the brewery because we want to see where the magic happens.

So, we’ve put together a nice list of their beer that gets sent to stores in cans.  Yes, cans.  Check out their explanation for why (remember that New England Brewing Company also cans their goodies).  Have any of you had Sixpoint beer?  Which kind(s) are your favorites?   More importantly, what are you doing May 24?

Year Round

5.2% ABV • 34 IBU
12 SRM

6.3% ABV • 57 IBU
19 SRM

6.4% ABV • 62 IBU
13 SRM

5.4% ABV • 42 IBU
5.9 SRM

9.1% ABV • 103 IBU
9.5 SRM

Seasonal

4.9% ABV • 35 IBU
4.4 SRM • Spring

5.2% ABV • 11 IBU
3.7 SRM • Summer

6.7% ABV • 68 IBU
15 SRM • Autumn

6.3% ABV • 69 IBU
33 SRM • Winter