Cheers

Cheers

The Beverage Business Magazine for Full-Service Restaurants and Bars

  • Beverage Trends
    • Beer
    • Wine
    • Spirits
    • RTDs
    • Wine Reviews
    • Marketing
    • Operations
  • Recipes
    • What I’m Drinking Now
    • Submit a Drink Recipe
  • Resources
    • eRNDC Login
    • SG Proof Login
    • CORE: Children of Restaurant Employees
  • Events & Awards
    • Cheers Beverage Summit
    • Growth Brands
    • BevX Awards
    • Supplier Awards
  • Podcasts
  • E-News
    • E-News Subscribe
  • Digital Issues
  • Cheers@Home

Craft beers in Connecticut

01/20/2015

by: Kyle Swartz

Tap list

It’s a good time to be a beer drinker. No matter where you live, there now seems to be a nearby craft-beer bar or brewery, or at least a package store with decent craft selection.

My stomping grounds — south-central Connecticut — is no different. So when my cousins from Massachusetts came down this weekend, I took them to two of the area’s best beer destinations.

Prime 16 in New Haven specializes in gourmet burgers, and for appetizers we ordered the spiced candied bacon and fried pickles. In terms of beer, you’ll be hard-pressed to find better menus in the Greater New Haven area. It offers a mix of drinkable staples, local selections and rare brews from the national scene.

To the latter, I ordered a Sip of Sunshine, owner of a pristine 100 score on Beer Advocate. Lawson’s Finest Liquids (of Warren, Vermont) has brewed themselves an extremely flavorful, multilayered IPA, memorable for its seamless blend of tropical fruits, floral notes, and smooth-yet-noticeable hoppiness. In terms of brews, this was the belle of the ball. An uncommon beer to see on tap — if you see it, order it.

Which is to take nothing away from my other drink order at Prime. Black Hog is among my favorite Connecticut breweries, and their Granola Brown Ale is another in the long line of above-average beers I’ve enjoyed from them. Smooth, oaty, and with hints of vanilla, this medium brown finishes with Black Hog’s signature dry-hopped taste.

We then took off to The Outer Space, a Hamden, Connecticut destination that is one part dive bar, one part hipster haunt. Well known in the area for its multiple onsite music venues, The Outer Space also features perhaps the most reliably eclectic and excellent beer menu in the region.

Advertisement

The owner, former indie rocker Steve Rogers (half of the band Mighty Purple), is himself a beer nut, and it shows in his establishment’s brew selection and craft-community culture.

Along one wall hang several hundred little plaques baring names of people (including the author’s) who have completed the “30 For 30,” which challenges Outer Space customers to drink 30 different beers in 30 nights. Thanks to the ever-changing menu, this task is much easier than it may sound.

Our party of 11 ordered from all over the highly varied tap list, and also from the extensive bottle menu. I drank a Founder’s Dark Penance Double Black IPA (sweet chocolates and caramels chased by the right amount of bitterness), Brewer’s Reserve Hoppy Red Ale (smoothly drinkable), and Southern Tier 2x Presso Imperial Double Stout (yet another solid brew from Southern Tier, with coffee, toffee and lemon flavors).

Among the more memorable drinks ordered and shared among the group were a Downeast Cider House Cranberry Cider, Smuttynose Big A IPA, Lexington Brewing Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, and an Old Chub Nitro Scotch Ale by Oskar Blues Brewery.

The Outer Space can feel more like a small, diverse community than a bar. Everybody swaps stories and beers alike. Outside on the fenced-in patio, customers sat in metal chairs around a small fire pit, ordering pub food and craft beers from a busy-but-cheerful waitress. It’s that kind of place where you feel like you know everybody even if you don’t. And it’s the perfect spot for drinkers who want to expand or test their craft-beer palate.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

beer craft Prime 16 The Outer Space

Last modified: 01/20/2015

Previous Story:
Heineken Doubles Down on Slim Can
Next Story:
Strongbow Rolls Out ‘Cider at its Bestest’ Program

About the Author: Kyle Swartz

One Reply to “Craft beers in Connecticut”

  1. Judith Doherty says:
    01/21/2015 at 3:00 am

    Good article. Wide assortment to sample

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Follow Us

Facebook
Twitter

In The News

  • Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength Gets New Look
  • Mount Gay Announces PX Sherry Cask Rum
  • Sonoma-Cutrer Unveils Dutton Ranch Chardonnay
  • Fig & Olive Puts On The Spritz
  • BevX Awards 2023: Call For Entries
  • Beam Releases Clermont Steep American Single Malt
More News >>

Featured Drink

  • Cucumber Lime Martini
    Cucumber Lime Martini

Drink Recipes

  • Cucumber Lime Martini
  • Memorial Day Cocktails for 2023
  • Rhubarb Rose G&T
  • In the Clouds
  • Mother’s Day Drink Ideas for 2023

Current Issue

Cheers Current Issue

Cheers Magazine

  • About Cheers
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Market Research

Events & Awards

  • Beverage Excellence Awards
  • Cheers Beverage Summit
  • Growth Brands Awards

Magazines

  • Cheers
  • Beverage Dynamics
  • StateWays
  • Beverage Wholesaler
  • Beverage Handbooks (research)

E-Newsletters

  • Better Bartending
  • Cheers
  • Beverage Dynamics
  • StateWays
  • Beverage Wholesaler
  • Beverage Universe
  • Cannabis Regulator
  • About EPG Brand Acceleration
  • Privacy Policy
© Cheers Magazine. All rights reserved.