East Coast Brew Review

The Stats  Location: Bridgeport/Black Rock, CT History: To Aspetuck B rew Lab , " good beer is elementary." Beli e ving in only the freshest, most fl avorful, lo cal beer of the best quality, ABL claims it is the first brewery in Bridgeport since 1 940. They take a scientific a pproach to their brewing process while respecting the heritage and styles of the classics. Food Service: No (BYOF) Websit e : aspetuckbrewlab.com The Scenario We visited ABL on a Sunday afternoon just after it opened up for the day. From the out side it looks like a warehouse style brewer y and not mu ch to look at. It really blends in with the rest of the surrounding bars , restaurants, and shop s. On the inside, we noticed a bar that fits about 15 or so gues ts as well as some seating surrounding the bar . There w as a younger couple and one bartender who tended to us promptly. Each tasting is $2 and with a selection of 8 beers means you can try them all for $16. ABL also offers pints and

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

The Stats  Location: Nanuet, NY History: The name says it all. Having 2 4 beers on tap at any given time, Growler and G ill allows you to fill up a 64 oz growler with any of their beers on tap or to have a 4 oz tasting , as the English say, a "gill ." Their s elf-proclaimed "beer geeks" w ill ta ke your preferences and recommend a beer just for you. Providing beer on tap, food, as well as a bottle s hop, Growler and Gill is a unique experience for both the causal and enth usiastic beer drinker Food Service: Yes , they provide a  full menu of bar food. Websit e:  growlerandgill.com The Scenario This spot is in a very interesting location. It is both hard to find and hard to believe when you pull up. It is located next to an extension site of SUNY Empire State which looks exactly like another store front. The outside is pretty ordinary, it certainly does not look like a restaurant/bar but as soon as you walk inside that changes. We were greeted by a very

The Stats  Location:  Oxford, CT History: Two brothers and a family friend are the brewers behind Black Hog. The unique name comes from the family tradition of roasting a pig for almost any occasion, preferably a Berkshire hog (which is black - I googled). The brewery opened in August 2014.  Food Service: No, but they do host food trucks on Saturdays.  Websit e : blackhogbrewing.com The Scenario After missing the signage and making a quick u-turn, we found the industrial lot that Black Hog calls home. But, the search wasn't over yet. Once in the lot, we still struggled with directions. We drove through each section of the lot until  we saw kegs and found the brewery at the very far end. That being said, what we found was pretty great. It's definitely in the category of "no frills" brewery and Black Hog rocks it. Right outside of the doors were two cornhole set-ups which we can appreciate. When we walked in it was definitely a warehouse status with Home Depot-

The Stats  Location:  Waterbury, CT History: Brass Works is a family affair. Two brothers began as home brewers in the 1980s and teamed up a brother-in-law and a co-worker in 2004. The hobby quickly outgrew their garage brewery and led to the opening of Brass Works in Dec 2015.  Food Service: No, but food trucks roll in as soon as they open. Websit e :  brassworksbrewing.com The Scenario Being the first customers of the day, we were welcomed with a friendly hello.  As we posted up at the bar, the bartender attended to us right away as we were the first customers of the day. We ordered a flight and a pint and admired the wall of beer mugs and a particularly creepy clown painting below the bar. Pa st the bar into the b rewery part we saw a number of men doing brewery things with shovels and big vats of who knows what . I t was kin d of a cool window into the brewing process as we s ipped our suds  Not long after we arrived, other patrons filed in . As we sat and enjoyed our

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.

The Stats  Location: Stratford, CT History: Founded in 2012 by 4 friends. The brewery is housed in an old manufacturing building. The brewing company lives up to their name, " Two Roads isn’t just the logo on our brewery building, it’s our philosophy. Life always seems to offer up two ways to go. It just so happens, we prefer the one less taken and having some fun along the way – in our lives, our careers and especially for our beers! Now our ' road less traveled ' philosophy is being brought to life in the beers that we create and how we create them."  Food Service: Yes, daily food trucks and some food is served inside during the week. A calendar of the food trucks can be found on their website.  Websit e: tworoadsbrewing.com The Scenario The tasting room was packed and a wedding ceremony was taking place in a private room as we walked in. De spite a rainy Satu rday , people came out in fu ll force. That being said, we were greeted and served almost im