It was a
perfect Saturday afternoon in Wallingford, Connecticut at the 2022 CT Craft Beer Fest held by the CT Brewers Guild
at the Toyota Oakdale Theatre, learning about (and tasting) the diverse line of Connecticut
Craft Beers. More than 60 craft breweries came from around the state
and brought delectable samples of their artisanal products. Who knew the Connecticut
Craft Beer Movement had so many tasty products?
On
Saturday, March 26, 2022, we drove to Wallingford, Connecticut to the Toyota
Oakdale Theatre for the fourth annual CT Craft Beer Fest. The festival
consisted of two sessions, with VIP entrance, 1-hour before opening to the general
public for each session. We attended the first VIP session that began at noon. Ale,
Cream Ale, Pale Ale, Blonde Ale, India Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Hazy IPA, Lager,
Porter, Sours, Stout, Imperial Stout, and oh my, so many amazing products to
sample during the 4-hour session. The breweries were busy chatting, educating,
and pouring fresh "on tap" draft selections, as well as canned and bottled
products.
Welcome to CT Craft Beer Fest 2022
The Craft
Beer movement is not only alive and well in Connecticut it is thriving. The number
of breweries has grown exponentially with 125 breweries now located across the
state of Connecticut, and the diversity and the high-quality of their products
has aficionados sitting up and taking notice. For every palate there is a craft
brewing style, and with levels of alcohol ranging from low (5% + alcohol by
volume) to high (15% + alcohol by volume), there is a vast selection from which
to choose.
The 2022 CT
Craft Beer Fest had 60 breweries in attendance offering attendees the
opportunity to taste and learn about their products, including many special
beers made especially for the festival.
2022 CT
Craft Beer Fest - The Connecticut Brewers
Alvarium Beer Company
Armada Brewing
Aspetuck Brew Lab
Back East Brewing Company
Badsons
Bank & Bridge Brew Pub
Black Hog
Black Pond Brews, LLC
Brewport
Broken Symmetry
Cambridge House Brew Pub
Center Street Brewing
Charter Oak Brewing
Cheshire Craft Brewing
City Steam Brewery
Cliffside Brewing
Clocktown Brewing Company
Color Bling Artisanal Ales
Concentric Brewing Company
East Hartford Brewing Company
East Rock Brewing Company
Elicit Brewing Company
Epicure Brewing
Five Churches Brewing
Fox Farm Brewery
Front Porch Brewing
Great Falls Brewing Company
High Nine Brewing
Hog River Brewing Co.
Hop Culture Brewing Company
Lock City Brewing
New England Brewing Co.
New England Cider Co.
Nod Hill Brewery
No Worries Brewing
Outer Light Brewing Company
Pink Booties
Reverie Brewing Company
Rhythm Brewing Co.
Still Hill Brewery
Stony Creek Brewery
Stubborn Beauty Brewing
Taylor Brooke Brewery
The Beer'd Brewing Co.
These Guys Brewing Company
Tox Brewing Company
Twelve Percent Beer Project
Two Roads
Thimble Island Brewing Company
Tribus Beer Co.
Urban Lodge Brewing Co.
Velvet Libations
Willimantic Brewing Company
Witchdoctor Brewing Company
Tasting Time
Top Notch Band
As our palates tend to lean towards dark spirits and dark beers, we
gravitated towards sampling the various stout offerings. From Armada Brewing
we tried their Night's Executioner 2022, a Russian Stout with
Tahitian Vanilla Beans and Willoughby's Coffee with 15% alcohol by volume.
We also sampled Abomination & ET/CT Collaboration's Imperial
Midnight Snack Biscotti Break, which was an Imperial Stout featuring
Coffee, Almonds & Vanilla Beans, 12.5% alcohol by volume., Another
interesting stout was the Calentador, an Imperial Stout with
cocoa nibs, cinnamon, and chipotle peppers, 11% alcohol by volume from Nod
Hill Brewery. What we liked most about the Imperial Stouts we sampled was
the depth of flavors and subtle nuances that made each of them unique and very
tasty.
Rum Runners
From Black Hog Brewing we tried their Hogenator,
a German Style Doppelbock, 8.8% alcohol by volume. From New England Cider Co.,
we sampled their Pommeau, a traditional oak barrel aged apple
wine, 20% alcohol by volume, and their Ice Cider Apple Wine,
11.9% alcohol by volume.
Hot Taco Street Kitchen
Throughout the day we roamed through the two smaller tasting rooms, as
well "the Dome" sampling the many offerings, listening to the bands (Top
Notch Band, Rum Runners), watching the ongoing Jenga game, visiting the
food trucks, (Little Italy Pizza Truck, Crispy Melt by Caseus, Hot Taco
Street Kitchen, Jonz N' BBQ, Lobster Craft), browsing the 20 vendors'
merchandise stands, and enjoying the ambience and the camaraderie of other
craft brewing fans. Sacred Heart University was also at the show as they
have a Brewing Science Program, perfect for craft beer fans interested
in learning the art and science of crafting artisanal beer.
Little Italy Pizza Truck
VIDEO - Phil Pappas, Executive Director of the CT Brewers Guild talks
about the CT Craft Beer Fest 2022 - https://youtu.be/iHBtma7LYyc
Until next time, Cheers!
To Jenga, Or not to Jenga?
CHEERS!
About the
CT Brewers Guild
"The
Connecticut Brewers Guild was founded in June 2012 to promote the interests of the
fledgling craft beer scene in Connecticut. As of November 2021, the Connecticut
beer scene boasts more than 123 operational breweries, with many more in
planning. The goal of this Guild is to further promote our local breweries,
move forward on Guild Member initiatives that foster profitability, and
increase public awareness of all in-state breweries and legislative actions."
For more
information about the CT Brewers Guild or their upcoming festivals and events,
please visit their website: https://www.connecticut.beer/
CT Brewers Guild
470 James Street
Suite 7
New Haven, CT 06513
United States
Telephone: +1-203-293-8622
Email:
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Phil Pappas, Executive Director:
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Website: https://www.connecticut.beer/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CTBrewersGuild/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ctbrewersguild/
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