Top Shelf Brewing Company

By EastCoastBrewReviewer -
The Stats

 Location: Manchester, CT

 History: Top Shelf is a "nanobrewery" who takes pride in brewing the freshest and most flavorful beer for local consumption." They moved to their current location a few months ago from their former location a few miles away. They've been open since Feb 2013. 

 Food Service: No (BYOF)

 Website: http://www.topshelfbrewery.com 

The Scenario

Very cool spot in a small business park with a large bar and plenty of space to play giant jenga, cornhole or one of their many board games (even a Foosball table!) They host many theme nights and trivia weekly. We were there on a Saturday afternoon and only a few fellow beer drinkers were with us at the bar. They currently only have four beers on tap which creates limited options but they do offer two flat screen tvs for those at the bar. The bartenders were awesome and gave us samples and a tour of their new brewing space on our way out. 


The Ratings

Hazy Hop and Humid Summer Wheat
D: 4/5
K: 4/5

Pucker #1 Sour
D: 4/5 - love me some sours :)
K: 2/5 - too sour!

Trickery Golden Coffee Stout (You read that correctly. It looks like a blonde ale but tastes like a stout.)
D: 3/5 - not a fan of stouts typically but this had a mild coffee taste
K: 2/5 - not as bold a coffee flavor as other coffee stouts

Final Thoughts

D: 4/5 - I enjoyed Top Shelf a lot. There is tons of space and I think it must be fun when it gets crowded later on in the day. I actually liked all of the beers we tried including the samplings of the sour and stout. I would definitely go back if I was in the area again. 

 K: 3/5 - An overall great brewery with plenty of space and a huge bar. I can appreciate they friendliness and welcoming attitude I received from the bartenders and the Summer Wheat was great and refreshing! I would definitely visit again if I was in the area and wanted a cold one.


Check them out on social media!


facebook.com/topshelfale

 @top_shelf_brewery


@topshelfbrewing

Location: Manchester, CT, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brewport Brewing Company

By EastCoastBrewReviewer -
Image
The Stats  Location: Bridgeport, CT History: Opening in August 2016, this brewery has seen much success already. The large space which was once the central distribution center for all out of town newspapers was found by the Barrett brothers who approached the long-time brewer of BAR in New Haven with the idea of opening a place of their own.  Food Service: Yes, assorted pizzas and salads.  Websit e: brewportct.com The Scenario Right off the high way, Brewport is in a fantastic location . We bster Bank Arena is a stone's throw away and it seems like Brewport is definitely trying to attract that crowd. With pizzas and salads on the menu, Brewport is focused on f ast fare , perfect for a night at a show or sporting event. As we entered we saw a large room full of typical giant brewery games (jenga, c onnect four, etc.) The main hall consists of the full bar as well as plentiful seating which consists of two levels of tables . Rusti c decor adorns the space with a wood e
Read more

Fairfield Craft Ales

By EastCoastBrewReviewer -
Image
The Stats  Location:  Stratford, C T History: Fairfield Craft Ales opened in early July 2016 with a little help from the crowd-funding site, KickStarter. Mike and Joe have more than 25 years of brewing experience and have always been music lovers. So, it just makes sense that their dream was to open a brewery that serves beer inspired by music.  Food Service: No, they only have some chips and soda. Otherwise it's BYOF.  Websit e :  fairfieldcraftales.com The Scenario This weekend we revisited Fairfield Craft Ales (FCA) since we first went during their opening week back in July. This brewery is a stark contrast from its neighbor, Two Roads, just 3 minutes down the road. The small taproom gives this brewery a home-y feel. The first time we visited, we were greeted similarly to the locals on Cheers . We felt welcomed immediately and this time was no different. Although, FCA and Two Roads are very different structurally, they do have one thing in common: they brew good beer.
Read more

Goldwater Brewing Company

By EastCoastBrewReviewer -
Image
The Stats  Location:  Scot tsdale, AZ History: Goldwater Brewing Co. is a family owned and opera ted venture with over 30+ years of brewing experience. Pushing the limits of b eer making, Goldwater boasts over 14 beers to choose from . Goldwater opened less than 3 years ago and has two tasting rooms. A main tasting room and a basement tasting room reserved for cask ales only open on Satur days. Food Service: No Websit e:  goldwaterbrewing.com The Scenario  We enjoyed Goldwater Brewing Co. on a Wednesday afternoon and was surprised to see the small tasting room relati vely busy! There were spaces at the bar that were open but it was crowded for the s mall space. Goldwater is a brewery where you enjoy their beers right in fro nt of the kettles and fermenters while the brewers work right in front of you. It is interesting to see the brewing process being done right before your eyes. Goldwater offers a few opt ion s for beer lovers. They offer their beer in 5oz, 10oz or 16oz p
Read more