Normally we’ve posted up our Fairfield County food news and CT beer news together, but there was so much going on this week that we just had to share the love exclusive with the CT beer scene. Check out all these great events, dinners, release info, and more.
1/15 Firefly Hollow is doing a Cone Flakes release! $10 gets you a 4 pack with a limit of 1 case per person. That’s a stellar deal and so worth the trip.
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Fully funded and ready to dominate! But, hey, you can still contribute and reap some awesome rewards!
Noble Jay Brewery of Niantic has been fully funded on Kickstarter which is no small feat. But, believe it or not, there are still 4 days left in their campaign, so there’s still a chance to get involved and to help fight Maa-Crow” aka macro beer.
Some levels of sponsorship include stickers, a Noble Jay shirt, a mug club membership for a year, or even a lifetime membership! Plus, there are lots of other options like beer glasses, and even a custom charcuterie plate that is prepared for you to pair with beer right at the brewery.
While still in the process of opening, you’ll find Noble Jay at 11 Freedom Way in Niantic. They will have a cozy and quaint tap room with a bar so you can mosey on up and spend some time chilling. You can also look forward to having some food there because local restaurants will have food available, but you can feel free to bring your own, too. Finally, there will always be a “Noble Tap” at the brewery where pours from that line will translate into money donated to a new charity each month.
Good luck to all the great people at Noble Jay! For more info on them, check out our breaking interview with Mike Lincoln that came out nearly a year ago.
UPDATE: We had plenty of great entries, but we only have one winner (sorry): gosiajaros on Instagram. Thanks for entering, everyone!
Looking for something awesome to do to kick off the end of the year and the start of the December holiday season? Of course you are! Well, get your arse down to the 2nd Annual Beer Conn on 12/12 for two sessions of ridiculously awesome beer. Like last year, Beer Conn is being held indoors at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport and you can either check out Session 1 from 12:30-4 or Session 2 from 5:30-9. Tickets are just $35 as long as you buy tix in advance, but increase to $45 if you’re disorganized or lazy and buy them the day of. Continue reading
After checking out the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Utica Comets game with our friends John and Jenn (we won’t tell you who we were rooting for), we left with a thirst and hunger. We had lots of ideas in our heads with so many restaurants right in the Black Rock area, but since we felt like getting a few good brews, we decided to hit up The Crafty Monk. It’s located where The Field used to be. When we lived in Black Rock, we were regulars there . . . well, before it turned into a night club and a party scene. But, the original owners are back and turned it into a beer-filled gastropub.
Speaking of beer, there was a nice variety of styles, a solid focus on CT beer, and just good craft beer in general with 40 on tap and 30 in bottles or cans. Dan was hoping to get a taste of Firefly Hollow’s Train’s Best ESB that had just won 1st place in the International Beer Competition, but they were out . . . but our waiter (who happened to be Kristien’s former client) came to the rescue by telling us that their Cone Flakes DIPA was on tap. Score!
Okay, onto the food. What you see is what you get: it’s offical pub grub with a variety of apps and entrees. We decided to do a little of both to get a taste of what the food was all about. Up first were the fried pickles. The breading wasn’t too thick and had some nice herby notes to it, while the pickles were nice and juicy with each bite. But, they don’t expect you to eat ’em just like that, nope: you get three housemade sauces. There was a Wasabi which was our favorite with a nice spicy kick, there was the Black Pepper which was light and refreshing, and the Chipotle that was smoky with a nice little kick. They also have Cajun, Curry, and Pesto if you dig that style.
Up next were the wings, which come in buffalo, bbq, garlic parmesan, and orange chili-glazed flavors. We weren’t really sure what to get, but our server suggested we try this new combo that people have been asking for: buffalo garlic. Both flavors worked very nicely together, with neither taking over too much but blending in well. The skin was a bit crispy, but we would have liked more crunch. The meat, though, was plenty juicy which we think is just as important as that crispy skin.
Then our sandwiches hit the table after a few more brewskis. John had the Pulled Pork with an artisanal baguette which he liked, but it wasn’t anything that amazed him . . . just your typical kinda pulled pork sandwich. Dan had the Merry Monk Burger which he ordered medium rare, but it came out a medium well. But, even still, it was pretty juicy with a nice, rich and fresh flavor. The chipotle aioli added a nice smokiness and the egg added a fatty savoriness to it. With those burgers came some, of course, house cut fries. They were plenty crispy, but needed a little more salt to really bring out the flavor more.
Kristien ordered the turkey burger which came out super juicy. The jalapenos that you get to load on to your own delight (or demise) were spicy and added a nice contrast. But, we either didn’t taste the cranberry or they forgot it. Maybe because of this or something else, we felt like the turkey burger needed something else. So, Kristien and Jenn added some of the Black Pepper aioli from before and that definitely helped.
From all our brews and snacks at the game, we were stuffed and ended there. But, we felt like we had a good handle on The Crafty Monk. It’s a solid spot to go if you want to sit at their massive bar, order some nice craft beer, and watch a game on TV. In terms of food, there were definitely some inconsistencies in almost all that we had. We’d say if you go here with expectations of the standard pub grub experience you’ll be fine, but the beer definitely wins out here.
The Crafty Monk
Noms: 3.25
Cost: $$-$$$
Address: 3001 Fairfield Avenue
Bridgeport, CT
The main room at THC beer garden in Derby. Pic from THC’s FB page.
Beer gardens have seen a surge in popularity in Connecticut over the past few years. But, no matter which beer garden, there always seemed to be something that was just off: one was too small, one didn’t serve good enough beer, one wasn’t open all year round, one didn’t (insert your gripe here). Well, that’s about to end with the opening of T.H.C. in Derby at 77 Sodom Lane.
This could be you, here. Stick with us and we’ll tell you how to win two tix!
Harbor Brew Fest 2015 is this Saturday, October 17, at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard and to say we’re excited would be a crazy understatement. It’s one of our favorite beer fests in the state and always surprises us how it seems to get better each year.
Well, what makes it so great?
1) The Brewer’s Special experience actually makes you feel like a VIP. You get in an hour early (12-5) and even get access to the Brewer’s Beer Garden, plus your own VIP Tasting Glass. Those tix are $60 each and very worth it.
Some of CT’s best breweries will be on hand!
2) Whether you get the Brewer’s Special or General Admissions, you get unlimited samplings of beer, no brainer. These tix are $40 and get you in from 1-5. Check out the list at the end of this post. There’s also a DD ticket for $20 if you wanna be nice.
3) Food trucks. Yeah, plenty of ’em this year: The Meat Truck, Poutine Gourmet, Chompers, Munchies, Melt Mobile, Lobstercraft, and Taco Pacifico.
In depth look at that oozy gooey goodness of the sandwich. Divine.
4) Live music from Tom Crowley & The Speakers, The Alpaca Gnomes, and Relative Souls.
5) This festival, brought to you by Harry’s of Fairfield, benefits the Harbor Light Foundation, a non-profit that provides “safe and beneficial programming for children with autism.”
6) You can win a pair of tickets from us! Continue reading
Good beer brings people together . . . and you totally see that when you look at what’s going on October 12-17 for New Haven Craft Beer Week. Basically, Ordinary, Pacific Standard, Cask Republic, Prime 16, and Three Sheets all got together to create a week full of boozy awesomeness, specials, and rare finds. This will prove to be a week full of epic bar-hopping. Also, there will be a some events that bring all of the restaurants together like a special collabo with NEBCo. Be sure to follow each spot for updated details and specials.
So, get your drinking pants on and visit all of these spots: Continue reading
So, people: chill. Summer goes until September 22, so stop saying that summer’s over. And, with the crazy amount of events, deals, special events, brunches, and beer goodness, it’s clear that summer’s alive and well. This is really an amazing list this week and we hope that you get to do even do a 1/4 of the things that we’ve planned out for you here. As always, help us spread the word, pass this along, and if you’re making a reservation or learn about something great because of us, let the restaurant or organizers know.
9/11-13 People will be heading to the Norwalk Oyster Fest for the seafood, the drinks, and the tunes. For more info, check it here. Continue reading
If you keep up with Connecticut Beer, then chances are you follow Will Siss in some form or another. Whether it’s his monthly “Beer Snob” column in the RepublicanAmerican, or via his blog beersnobwrites.com, he’s dropping beer knowledge bombs left and right. But, he’s added a new way to share about beer and his uberly descriptive reviews: a brand new book.
If you don’t own Connecticut Beer: A History of Nutmeg State Brewing by now, you’ll need to definitely pick up a copy at a local store, Amazon, or at some of the local events that He will be attending. We have a list below that Will shared with us, so read on for that. And, if you really needed a reason besides our love and admiration of this book, let’s drop some bombs of our own.
Connecticut Beer starts off with an impressive history of beer in CT, sharing things we both had no idea about (what? there’s a restaurant here that used to be a speakeasy?) From there, Will takes the reader through all the CT breweries that were in production before publication. And, each brewery section includes a history of the brewery, a run through of the beer offered, and a quick Q&A from the brewer or owner. He then wraps the book up with some breweries close to opening and a great guide to restaurants in the state that are known for having a stellar brew selection.
On this last day of winter, we figured that it’d be pretty slick to pay tribute to all the great stouts that we tasted this past season that come from Connecticut breweries. Yes, we typically think of stouts and darker beers in the colder months, but we see nothing wrong with drinking these bad boys even if it’s warmer out. So, check out these brews and let us know which of these are your faves? If the one you’re in love with isn’t on the list, let us know so that we can try it!
Imperial Choconaut Porter limited release, Firefly Hollow
Dan and Kristien Del Ferraro
OmNomCT 
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