The second of my brewery stops this weekend took me to Willimantic Brewing Company. Id long wanted to visit Willibrew: its reputation as both a brewery and beer bar is second to none in this state, but there just isnt an easy or quick way to get there from New Haven. With Arsenal having an unusually late kick off and me having a couple of hours to spare, I set off to get there as it opened on Saturday to grab a couple of growlers and see whats up. First off, the place is the coolest. An old post office turned into brew pub with the mail counter doubling as the bar. There was a good crowd filing in for lunch, but I was there on a beer mission so I cant comment, though the food looked really good that I saw. The beers were awesome. In order of when I had them: Double Black Eye: Explained to me as a double IPA but with roasted malts so as to make it a Double IBA. Whatever. Honestly? This is an imperial stout, and its glorious. Full of rich malty complexity, and a really nice hoppy finish. Beautiful sticky lacing. This one has Robin Lees name all over it. I grabbed a growler of this, and its already gone. Sensational. Coffee & Donuts Stout (Cask): I had to have the cask effort, and it didnt disappoint. You could definitely taste the coffee, and I dont know where the donuts was coming from (and to be fair, I didnt ask) but it was a super solid coffee stout, poured expertly from the beer engine. Postmaster IPA: Took home a growler of this flagship Willibrew beer. An old school east coast IPA, and I dont mean that in a bad way at all. Unfiltered and unpasteurized, it reminded me a lot of BBCs Lost Sailor. A very British take, and wholly satisfying. As a beer bar, the place also impressed. I helped myself to a Stone Enjoy By 4/20/14 IPA (which straight up smelled like weed, and thanks Kristijan Begic for pointing out the date and how appropriate that is) and they had plenty of really tasty offerings, including Gandhi Bot. That has to be as far as a NEBCO brew will travel, right? In short, this place in my first experience was phenomenal. Were gonna have to get a group together and make a big trip where we can stay for more than 45 minutes. Its reputation as one of Americas best brew pubs is well deserved.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:40:47 +0000
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