A sour with peaches and gooseberries?: 6 standout craft beers to check out this weekend with Tapped In CT
Warm, summer weather and Connecticut craft beer. What new brews are on tap?
With over 125 breweries to choose from, it can be hard to pick a destination for the weekend, and that’s not even mentioning the thousands of different beers to choose from.
Rather than have to sort through a hundred different tap lists to find that next new beer you’ve got to try, we’ve gone ahead and perused them for you. It’s the start of a new, weekly series where we highlight a handful of craft beers from breweries across the state.
To kick things off, we’ve got sours with blackberries and gooseberries, a barrel aged barleywine, a juicy New England IPA, and a stout chock full of peanut butter and chocolate. Get Tapped In CT and see what’s pouring!
Alvarium Beer Company: phresh phruit, Fruited New England IPA
365 John Downey Dr Suite B, New Britain
It wouldn’t be a good list without a standout New England IPA. Alvarium’s 6%-er phresh phruit takes their flagship IPA, phresh, and adds on a mix of fruits to send it over the top.
“Our brew crew wanted to phreshen things up and put a new spin on our phavorite - phlagship NEIPA! Phully phruited with Pineapple, Orange, Tangerine, Peach, Apricot, and Cantaloupe, this hazy wonder phills your buds’ with big phruit cup vibes phlavors reminiscent of your summer lunchtime staple snack.”
Fox Farm Brewery: Susurrus, Farmhouse Ale with Sumac, Yarrow, Black Raspberries & Blackberries
62 Music Vale Rd, Salem
Fox Farm is known for their carefully crafted farmhouse ales, and Susurrus is no exception. This 5.4% brew blends its berries perfectly with its floral elements, making for a delicious, summertime drink.
“Susurrus, back for the third time, has come to always feature kettle additions of yarrow plucked here on Music Vale Road and sumac from our buds at Hunts Brook Farm as well as a re-fermentation on a combination of second use fruits. Following a period of foeder-aging, this batch was transferred onto the spent blackberries and black raspberries from Avalonia: Black…it might very well be our favorite fruit combination for the beer. Our intent with Susurrus was always to always treat the fruit as a compliment to the botanical component of the beer, never drowning or dominating the delicate yarrow and sumac qualities. These fruits, much more than any others, mingle with and enhance that side of the beer in a beautiful way. The wonderfully unique earthy / piney side of the black raspberries carrying through more than we could have expected or hoped!”
Labyrinth Brewing Company: Ale For Alzheimer’s, Watermelon/Rose Gose
148 Forest St, Manchester
Looking to do some good in the world while enjoying a pint? Labyrinth has their Ale for Alzheimer’s: a light, 4.6% watermelon and rose gose that’s all sorts of refreshing on a hot, summer day. Even better, a portion of the proceeds go towards the Alzheimer’s Association.
“Prepare yourself to be refreshed! Light and crisp with the perfect balance of watermelon, rose, and Himalayan sea salt. Huge watermelon flavor with a pleasant rose petal aroma. You’re gonna quench your thirst and get your electrolytes with this light bodied, easy drinking glass of tastiness. *Portion of the proceeds for this beer will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.”
New Park Brewing: Cypress, Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine
485 New Park Ave, West Hartford
New Park Brewing’s got a familiar heavyweight on tap with Cypress. This juggernaut of a barleywine clocks in at 13.5% and comes loaded with a medley of sweet, sticky flavors.
“Cypress was brewed with a huge double mash of Maris Otter malt, and boiled for an extended period of time. It was then laid to rest in Booker’s bourbon barrels for over a year. We get notes of sticky toffee, rich caramel, bourbon soaked figs, and vanilla wafer. $8(8oz).”
OEC Brewing: Experimentalis With Peaches & Gooseberries, Fruited Sour
7 Fox Hollow Road, Oxford
Perhaps even more known for their sours and blended ales, OEC’s candid experimentation is exemplified best in its aptly named “Experimentalis” series. This particular blend checks in at a modest 6.2% with loads of fruity, complex notes.
“EXPERIMENTALIS is our barrel aging project using fruits that are grown in our Horticultural Area. Each release is unique and no two releases will taste the same. This version of Experimentalis With Peaches & Gooseberries is a blend of 1 & 2 year old ales matured on our garden peaches & gooseberries in Gandona Vineyards (St. Helena, CA) Cabarnet & Matthiasson Vineyards (Napa, CA) Merlot barrels.”
Tox Brewing: Summer Love, Honey Basil Pale Ale
635 Broad St, New London
Tox Brewing’s pouring a unique twist on a classic pale ale. Their Summer Love comes in at a light 5.4% and features a surprising add-on with honey and basil in the mix.
“Named for the original fruit store that occupied our space and the man that opened it, Jacques started as a small lot pulled from our completely CT grown and stainless fermented Farmhouse Wheat Ale made with a unique blend of Brettanomyces, Saccharomyces, and our house selected bacteria strains. It is 100% CT grown with Wheat and Barley from Thrall Family Farm and Hops from Hop Culture Farms and Brew Co. After 18 months, this portion was refermented for a few months on whole Stanley Plums grown right down the road in Gales Ferry by our friends at Holmberg Orchards, it was then conditioned in bottles for another 5 months until we deemed it ready. Lightly acidic and playfully tart, a vibrant expression of blended culture gives way to a bright and a juicy plum tasting evolution. *Contains sediment.”
