We had a perfect "Happy Hour" by touring
Continuum Distilling in Waterbury,
Connecticut and meeting with Master Distiller and Founder Brandon
Collins who is creating very tasty and innovative spirits from
reclaimed locally made craft "beer trimmings." While that may seem a bit
strange, the taste of his products is amazingly good. Cheers!
Edward F. Nesta at Continuum Distilling
On Friday, September 4, 2020, we
drove to Waterbury, Connecticut to the Continuum Distillery to meet with Master
Distiller and Founder Brandon Collins. Luxury Experience has traveled the world
visiting distilleries and as usual, we had a fabulous time and learned a lot
from our tour with Brandon followed by tasting his exceptional products.
Stills at Continuum Distilling
Taking the tour with Brandon was
not only interesting and educational, it was also great fun learning about his
passion and how he makes his products. Using his master's degree in Chemistry
and industry experience, Brandon has found an ingenious way of partnering with
local craft breweries to use their "beer trimmings," product that is discarded
from the beer process, and creating excellent new spirit products.
In a day and age where so much is
discarded, Brandon keeps a keen eye to reusing and reclaiming as much as he
can. Even the wood staves he chars to add flavor to his products, is reclaimed
wood rather than newly cut timber. When trees fall during windstorms in
Connecticut, he will gather the wood to use. In essence he is helping to keep
Connecticut green, which is something close to his heart. To really appreciate
Brandon's story though, one needs to know his backstory.
Alcohol Extractor
Brandon Collins grew up outside of
Nashville, Tennessee and his parents liked to visit distilleries including
George Dickel and Jack Daniels, because it was interesting and educational. By
the time he was five years old, the seed for learning about the industry, and
the delightful aromas of the fermentation process were firmly planted. During
college, he worked in whiskey bars where he increased his spirits knowledge and
appreciation. He earned a master's degree in Chemistry and worked in the
pharmaceutical industry for 13 years, before making a major career move to work
in Connecticut at Black Hog Brewing Co., a local craft brewery.
In 2019, Brandon Collins founded
Continuum Distilling where he produces exceptional spirits from beer trimmings
from local craft breweries to create Charred, his flagship "beer
whiskey" made from brown ales, stouts & porters. Aged on local wood staves
for a rich toasted flavor, it has 48% alcohol by volume (96 proof), and Drops,
which is distilled from Connecticut crafted IPA beer trimmings. is double-distilled
and unaged, which gives it its characteristic "floral, bright and hoppy flavor"
with hop forward nose, herbaceous, citrus, and floral notes, and has 46%
alcohol by volume (92 proof).
Wood Stave
As Connecticut has excellent
blueberries, Brandon decided to expand his product line and created 2 rum
products aptly called ContinuRum. His Blueberry ContinuRum
is a unique craft rum made with 100% blackstrap molasses and local fresh Connecticut
blueberries, and has 45% alcohol (90 proof), and his Ginger ContinuRum
is a unique craft rum, made with 100% blackstrap molasses and ginger syrup, and
has 45% alcohol (90 proof).
Master Distiller Brandon Collins
Always with an eye to the future,
he recently created ready-made pre-mixed cocktails, Lemon Drops (32-ounces)
made with lemonade and Drops, and Tea Drops (32-ounces) made with
sweet tea and Drops that are delicious and easy to drink. Perfect for parties,
they are becoming a favorite among Continuum Distilling fans.
Continuum Distilling Products
After our tour with Brendan, it
was time to get serious and taste his exceptional line of Continuum Distilling
products, including Charred, Drops, Blueberry ContinuRum and Ginger ContinuRum,
Lemon Drops, and Tea Drops, which was a very delicious way to spend "Happy
Hour."
Blueberry ContinuRum
When not working in his distillery
creating his delectable line of products, Brendan enjoys family time with wife
and daughter, spending time in nature, fishing, doing lots of DIY projects, and
protecting Connecticut waterways.
VIDEO - Master
Distiller Brandon Collins and Debra C. Argen of Luxury Experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zbInSDgSqM&feature=youtu.be
Continuum Distilling Exceptional
Craft Spirits Product Line:
ContinuRum, Continum Drops, and Continuum Charred
Charred, their flagship
"beer whiskey" made from beer trimmings from brown ales, stouts & porters.
Aged on local wood staves for a rich toasted flavor. 48% alcohol by volume (96
proof), available in 375 ml ($30 bottle) and 750 ml ($55) bottles.
Drops, distilled from CT
crafted IPA beer trimmings, is double-distilled and unaged, which gives it its
characteristic "floral, bright and hoppy flavor" with hop forward nose,
herbaceous, citrus, and floral notes. 46% alcohol by volume (92 proof). Drops
retails for $35 for a 750 ml bottle.
Blueberry ContinuRum, a
unique craft rum, made with 100% blackstrap molasses. 45% alcohol (90 proof),
available in a 750 ml bottle at $45 bottle.
Ginger ContinuRum, a unique
craft rum, made with 100% blackstrap molasses. 45% alcohol (90 proof),
available in a 750 ml bottle at $33 bottle.
Especially tempting if you live in
Connecticut, Continuum Distilling has free delivery for orders over $50.
Want to take a tour? Tours and
Tastings are conducted on Fridays at 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm, and on Saturdays at
2:00 pm, 3:30 pm, and 5:00 pm. Please call ahead to reserve your entrance time.
Cheers! Its cocktail time!
Read about Continuum Distilling Charred and Continuum Distilling Drops
with Luxury Experience's Culinary and Cocktail Recipes in the Liquor Cabinet section.
Background Information on
Continuum Distilling
"Usually distiller's beer is
comprised of only the most basic grains with the purpose of extracting the most
sugar possible to obtain an optimal efficient conversion into alcohol. We discovered that there are multiple steps
in the brewing process where ingredients, such as sugars, fermented out beer
with yeast in suspension, and flavorful solids can all be recouped and
repurposed for distilling. It would be
extremely expensive to attempt to recreate these flavors as beers and distill
them for a spirit, but when these delicious compounds can be utilized using
disposed waste or "trimmings" from the brew process...that is when
sustainability and innovation marry to make something exceptional! Continuum
strives to be resourceful in our process by minimizing our usage of raw
materials, repurposing items/equipment for the distilling and aging process and
limiting our water consumption to produce truly unique and exceptional spirits
with as little footprint as possible."
For more information on Continuum
Distilling, purchasing their products, or visiting them in Waterbury,
Connecticut, please call them at +1-203-725-3291 or visit their website:
www.ContinuumDistilling.com.
Continuum Distilling
2066 Thomaston Avenue (next to
Brass Works Brewing)
Waterbury, Connecticut 06704
United States
Telephone: +1-203-725-3291
Email:
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Website: www.continuumdistilling.com
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