Connecticut

The United States has some great brewery states. Obviously, California, Colorado, New York, and even our home state of Pennsylvania are some of the first that come to mind. THEbreweryauthority not only brings you freshest brewery reviews and brewery features, but we also pay attention to other Instagram beer pages, Facebook beer groups, and websites. I hardly ever hear or read about Connecticut being put into the best beer state conversation. I'm not saying Connecticut is THE BEST beer state, however, I could at least make a case for the Top 10 or even Top 5! Especially when you consider the size of this forgotten New England brewery state.

Connecticut for us started as a drive-thru state, like I'm sure it did for so many others. Maybe stop at a brewery or two on our way to the better known beer states of Maine and Massachusetts. Even the tiny Rhode Island seems to have a better brewery reputation than poor Connecticut.

Over time we quickly realized Connecticut possesses some amazing breweries, both in beer quality and the breweries themselves. We've yet to encounter such a plethora of unique taprooms in any other state. We aren't just talking about your standard warehouse or garage brewery with incandescent light strands and funky murals on the wall. Banks, churches, old manufacturing plants are just some of the distinctive venues that we will go more into detail with later on.

Geography

Let's tall about WHY Connecticut seems to get put on the back burner when it comes to brewery credibility. Most states have centralized brewery locations like Philadelphia in Pennsylvania or Denver in Colorado. It's easy for us to spend a week in these cities and visit the majority of breweries. Connecticut, on the other hand, doesn't have that centralized location. Sure Hartford and the New Haven areas contain more breweries than the rural parts, but not to the extent of other major U.S. cities.

Most Connecticut breweries dot the length of Intersate 84 and other highways, which is great for road trip and pit stop breweries. However, this makes Connecticut a tough brewery destination state. No one wants to be driving around all day, especially when slinging back some cold ones.

Neighborly Competition

Let's face it. Connecticut has some stiff competition when it comes to their neighbors. Many brewery tourists use Connecticut as the gateway to Tree House Brewing if they are coming from the south or west. I'm sure many rush through CT in order to get to the beer heaven that is Tree House, and rightly so. Beer fatigue or a hangover may prevent some from visiting Connecticut breweries on the return trip.

We can go on for days about great Massachusetts breweries, but some may even drive straight through this state to get to the renowned beer state of Maine, more specifically Portland. Like Tree House, Portland ME is a hazy IPA lover's paradise. Just another reason for beer travelers to drive straight through Connecticut without ever experiencing some of the amazing breweries.

Rhode Island adds some competition as well, but New Englanders themselves may be guilty of neglecting one of their own. Just to the west of Connecticut you have the Hudson River Valley breweries and the rest of NY state as well as all those great Brooklyn breweries. Those going even farther to brewery saturated Philly are even more likely to pass right by some great CT breweries.

In No Particular Order...

Let's get to reasons why Connecticut is so great yet so underrated. In no particular order we are now going to list some of our favorite Connecticut breweries and why they require your attention.

Bank & Bridge Brewing - Mystic

The cute little seaport town of Mystic has an impressive brewery in the heart of downtown called Bank & Bridge Brewing. This former bank draws you in immediately with its huge stone pillars and Greek style architecture. Looks so out of place, but in such a awe inspiring way. Much of the decades old bank architecture remains on the inside with more Greek pillars and the vault door which is swung open for all to see. The brewhouse on one side of the brewery clashes with the turn of the century architecture. The past meets modernity in one of the most unique brewery scenes we have ever witnessed

Little House Brewing - Chester

What a literal name for a brewery! This "little" brewery is, conveniently, located inside of a little house on the small main street of the small postcard town of Chester. Big flavors are packed into this miniscule brewery. The small taproom also has a quaint front port area and backyard biergarten out back. The brewhouse needs some ingenuity to fit inside of this underrated CT brewery!

NewSylum Brewing - Newtown

Another ridiculously unique brewery of Connecticut is NewSylum Brewing, which like many other breweries on this list, is also just off Intersate 84. The brewery resides inside a small church thats part of a former insane asylum. Much of the asylum remains abandoned and is quite the spooky sight when pulling up to this brewery. In fact, many movies and TV shows have been filmed here. Being a church is usually enough for a memorable brewery experience, but add an insane asylum to the mix and you get one amazing stop on your CT brewery trip.

New Park Brewing - West Hartford

Did we mention Connecticut has all sorts of delicious beer as well as awesome venues? New Park is just one example with their lineup of amazing brews. Their Blender fruited sour series is sought after all over the northeast and you'll understand why after your first sip. The taproom isn't too shabby either. This classy joint aims at being a relaxing atmosphere, perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon.

Hog River Brewing - Hartford

Hog River Brewing recently closed its doors, however, the sheer magnitude of this brewery must be mentioned! This mega structure of an industrial complex included a massive piece of machinery that resembled a giant gear. Since this giant piece of ingenuity reached a few stories high I'm sure it's still there. The concrete pillars, that spanned higher than the mega gear, were daunting to see against the colorful murals that covered the taproom. Hopefully this location is resurrected in the future.

Coles Road Brewing - Berlin

Big flavors dominate the menu at Coles Road. Another one of those breweries people travel hours for, Coles Road packs a punch when it comes to beer quality. Look for beers such as a hot chocolate stout and strawberry milkshake IPAs! Even the IPLs are full of bursting citrus and quality malts. You can enjoy these libations in a new, fresh, and clean taproom that really fits the classiness of the beers!

Bad Sons Beer Co - Derby

What is it with Connecticut and having so many breweries with some hard-core industrial vibes? Another brewery with some heavy machinery serving as the centerpiece of the taproom, Bad Sons also has one of the most bad ass logos you will ever see! One thing we've noticed about CT breweries, and New England breweries in general, is that most have revived an old building that once housed a manufacturing or industrial business from decades ago. Not many newly constructed breweries in this region. Bad Sons fits that bill with its rustic brick walls and blue collar atmosphere.

Problem Solved Brewing - East Windsor

Here's another lesser known brewery that deserves more credit for creating an amazing drinking environment. The more you look around the taproom, the more you realize what a great job these guys did. Repurposed pallets as tables, steel drums for tables, light fixtures hanging from pulleys. Really makes you feel like you are in a wood shop or some kind of machine shop! Even smells like fresh cut wood too! Not much to look at from the outside, but another unique brewery offering from CT!

Alvarium Brewing - New Britain

This brewery gets its name from bee hives and one of the coolest feature I've seen in a brewery when it comes to lighting is at Alvarium Brewing. The wooden chandeliers are made to look like honeycomb! These could of only been hand-made and I remember sitting there gazing upon them and wondering how long each one of these took to create! Another amazing light feature is the use of under-lighting on the brew tanks. At night they really give off a new kind of atmosphere and should be used at all breweries!

Surfridge Brewing - Essex

Surfridge Brewing started as a California brewery and it shows. This taproom gives off warm weather, tropical vibes...something you don't see in New England! The brewery shut down its original location in California and now all their focus goes to their Connecticut one! Long way for a 2nd location. Perhaps it's the funky wave mural or the bright blue colors that remind me of a warmer climate. Either way, Surfridge Brewing is your New England stop for a tropical escape.

The breweries just mentioned are only the beginning of your Connecticut brewery adventure. I could sit here all day and name almost every brewery in the state....they're that good! But we'll let you explore the rest and find out what this underrated beer state has for you. Like I stated over and over and over, Connecticut has some of the most unique brewery taprooms. You may never see another brewery like NewSylum or Bank and Bridge anywhere else in the U.S. Clearly we missed so many and new ones open all the time. So do us a favor and get out there and let US know which ones to seek out on THEbreweryauthority's next Connecticut invasion!

Cheers!