Find the Perfect Ale along Connecticut's Beer Trail

Housed in a 1915 automobile show room, BAR, which has been recognized by the Connecticut Institute of Architects for its “outstanding design,” offers a cool atmosphere to unwind with friends. New Haven’s first brewpub, BAR offers four affordable styles of freshly micro-brewed beer: Toasted Blonde, Amber, Pale and Stout.

Located inside an old velvet mill that now houses artist studios, Beer’d Brewery is a Nano Brewery. Its 93-gallon/3 BBL brew house allows the brewer and owner Aaren Simoncini to be creative, agile and extremely hands-on with every ounce of beer he produces. Whisker’d Wit, the brewery’s flagship brew, is on tap year round, and other beers include a series of Double IPAs, an American Pale Ale and an American Brown Ale.

The Cambridge House Brew Pub is a family-style community tavern and microbrewery that has produced many craft beers over the past several years, including Moonbeam Stout, Alt 45, Copper Hill Kolsch and its renowned Abijah Rowe IPA. The Cambridge house pairs award-winning craft beers with a food menu of classic pub fare, American grilled burgers and steaks, and inventive comfort food for every palate, along with distinctive signature desserts.

Housed in a building that was once Connecticut’s largest department store, City Steam serves great food and beer on nine different levels of seating. Cast iron railings and millwork from the old department store give guests get a sense of old charm. Enjoy a handcrafted brew like the Blonde on Blonde American Pale Ale, Black Silk Stout Oatmeal Stout or White Wedding Wheat Ale.

In 1855, Calvert B. Cottrell, owner of C.B. Cottrell & Sons, Inc., located in Pawcatuck, Conn., founded what became one of the region’s most successful printing press manufacturing companies. 125 years later Cottrells’ great, great grandson, Charles Cottrell Buffum, opened Cottrell Brewing Company. Their flagship beer, Old Yankee Ale, is bottled and brewed within the old factory walls, with the same pride and attention to quality that generations of Cottrells put into their presses over 100 years ago.

Stony Creek Brewery is a brewery tap room where you come as you are and enjoy the brews. The Brewery offers craft beer, craft cocktails, and the best sunset in town. Located on the water which makes it a great place to enjoy a fresh brew with a view.

This small craft brewery was listed as one of the top 20 breweries in the U.S. by BeerAdvocate.com in 2009 and 2010. Stop by to see why – there are daily rotating draft offerings including Fuzzy Baby Ducks (single hop beer), New England Gold Stock Ale (German pale ale) and Ghost Pigeon (American porter). Plus, there’s a selection of bottled and canned craft beer such as Elm City Lager, Sea Hag IPA and Wet Willie Scotch Ale.

Connecticut’s first farm brewery offering tours, tastings, and beer to take home. Come visit to see our 52 acre working farm where we source ingredients for our beer, have a beer or two in our tasting room, and take some beer to go. We offer bottles, cans, and fresh growler fills on site. We actively forage for wild ingredients on our farm and the surrounding area. Wild flowers, tree bark, whole fruit, and even our yeast are sustainably harvested and offer a unique flavor to our beer.

Connecticut’s first dedicated Belgian-style brewery. Current and upcoming offerings include Belle Fermiere, Overshores’ signature saison. A blend of Belgian tradition and new world flavors, it’s a lightly hoppy Belgian style farmhouse ale. The Overshores Simpel is a refreshing choice. Dry and crisp, it’s the most basic of the brewery’s beers and its lightest and hoppiest. Share in the Overshores Brewing Co. experience, where its philosophy about beer is “to savor, to contemplate, and to enjoy.”

Serving brunch, lunch, dinner and its 27 homemade brews at its Milford location since 1997. Restaurant goers can watch the beer making process while enjoying tasty selections from the restaurant’s menu. Southport Brewing Company categorizes their beer into Tier One, light and refreshing; Tier Two, well balanced and smooth; and Tier Three, the most bold and complex.

In its second decade of producing quality craft beers, Thomas Hooker Brewing Company makes beer with an award-winning taste that is handcrafted from the finest malts, hops and ingredients. The brewery offers 13 unique beers – eight ales and five lagers and specialty seasonal beers, including the springtime Chocolate Truffle Stout or the Watermelon Ale in the summer.

Two Roads Brewing Company transformed a 100-year-old building into a thriving brewery complete with an outdoor beer garden and tasting room. From the seasonal Road Jam Raspberry Wheat to the year-round Lil’ Heaven Session IPA to a variety of specials, beer lovers will enjoy this unique gathering place.

Located in a renovated 1909 U.S. Post Office building, the range of beers here is extensive, as the seven-barrel brewery produces various in-house selections in addition to the ever-changing guest beers. Willimantic Brewing Company has received numerous awards over the years including the 2011 best brew in Connecticut by Yankee Magazine and a 2011 best restaurant bar in Connecticut, by Connecticut Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards.

Located on 7 acres along the Housatonic River which allows guets to enjoy the many delicious beers both indoors and out. Located along the beautiful Housatonic River. There is plenty of indoor seating in the Taproom, the outdoor Beer Garden, as well as outdoor covered seating, we even have dedicated motorcycle parking.