Tag Archives: BRANFORD CT

CAIUS FARM BREWERY

United States Brewpubs

BRANFORD, CONNECTICUT

Occupying a Cathedral-ceilinged white farmhouse in Branford, Connecticut, CAIUS FARM BREWERY is an expansively spare one-room venue with cement-floored pub area flowing right into the rear brew tank staging area. Praised as one of the best new American breweries, founder Caius Mergy, a local New Canaan/ Old Lyme zymurgist, decided to ‘pursue brewing while in college studying Roman sculpture’ – hence the Roman statue at Caius’s entrance.

Casius Farm’s elongated wood top left-side bar services centralized metal-wood tables and the scenic community tabled back deck. A once ‘derelict’ farm has turned into a Northeast mecca for barrel-aged and mixed culture brews as well as several stylishly derived variants.

I arrived on a windy Saturday, March ’25, to celebrate the brewery’s second anniversary. A cool local band played awesome ’70s rock tunes while I consumed a special-occasioned sour farmhouse ale and spirited nightcap while sharing a bready kolsch with wife. We came back noon the next day to consume five more provocative Casius Farm elixirs.

Crisp white-breaded pilsner malting and dry grassy Noble hop herbage sunk into ‘lemon candied’ tartness of German-styled Balbilla Kolsch, a brisk moderation.

Flagship farmhouse ale, Marcus, foeder-aged in white oak, let green and white grape esters sit alongside sourer lemon-peeled guava and gooseberry brining as cat-pissed acidulated wheat increased lactic acidity.

As the band stopped playing ’round 9 PM, nipped at velvety cognac-bourbon-aged barleywine, Domitianus, a bedtime escapade contrasting bourbon vanilla sweetness against bold dry burgundy wining above syrupy dark chocolate base – picking up tertiary bruised black cherry, blackberry, spiced rye and blackcurrant illusions.

Sunday morning woke up, ate breakfast and drove from New Haven digs to Casius Farms to try a few more elixirs.

Musky German helles lager, Sappho, fused barnyard grain husk to mildly creamed oats and white-floured breading, picking up slight gluey papering for oncoming herbal lemon spritz.

Oak-conditioned Japanese rice lager, Atia, maintained novel sake-riced plum wining given spritzy lemon lime twist.

Soda-like fruited kettle sour, Ovidius V, a veritable raspberry, blueberry and cherry Rollup with milk sugared oats creaming thickening its chewy gooeyness. In the midst, red grape esters, tangy tangerine pulp and salted orange juicing frolic.

Tropical New Zealand IPA, Cleopatra, utilized dry Nelson Sauvin/ Riwaka hops to advance advertised Gummy Bears tartness, peachy papaya tanginess and zesty pineapple fling as well as milder lemony grapefruit bittering and pithy orange peel sweetness above creamy oated wheat base.

Afterwards, bought home bottles of wheat farmhouse ales Seneca The Younger and Caligula (reviewed in Beer Index).

STONY CREEK BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

BRANFORD, CONNECTICUT

Inside a 30,000 square-foot white aluminum-paneled, aquamarine blue-topped boat house along the industrialized Indian Neck riverway in Branford, STONY CREEK BREWING COMPANY began operations in 2010.

An enormous microbrewery with large production facility, expansive front deck, capacious plastic-furnished back patio and huge windowed brew tanks, Stony Creek’s cement-floored, black ceilinged pub features a corrugated aluminum-sided wood-top bar (with two tap stations holding eight draught handles each), several stooled and chaired tables, tin-covered Edison lights, a loft area and a kitchen.

My wife and I grab seats at the bar to eat Mashed Potato Bacon wood-fired pizza alongside nine rangy elixirs.

Pedestrian light-bodied golden lager, Bobcat, at least bested Budweiser with its musty maize dried herbage and fizzy yellow fruited spicing in a lightly smoked beechwood-like setting.

‘Laidback’ Vienna lager, Dock Time, stayed crisp as dewy peat grazed fig-spiced cocoa malting and wispy floral perfuming.

Tart raspberry entry gained oaken vanilla tannins and rigid lemon acidity for Berried Alive Vanilla Raspberry Sour, a sour-candied Fruit Roll-Up.

Brown-sugared pumpkin spicing of Gourd Fellas Pumpkin Ale gained subtle fig sugaring and slight Red Hot cinnamon heat.

Briskly easygoing India Pale Ale, Mountain Brew, allowed creamy vanilla foam to engage sunshiny yellow grapefruit and sweet orange peel zesting, spritzy lemon-liming and tangy pineapple salting.

Dry yellow grapefruit rind and orange pith bittering embedded Savage Stride IPA, a slightly skewed New England-styled medium body with ancillary raw-honeyed herbage and dank pine lacquer contrasting sugary pale malting.

One more dry stylish goodie, Just Another IPA, placed pine needled lemony grapefruit bittering and bark-dried musk across candied orange tartness.

Christmastime-seasoned Frosty Spice Winter Ale shook cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger above mild vanilla sugaring.

Wonderful winter warmer, Noel’s Nightcap, regaled brown-sugared cinnamon spicing and marshmallow vanilla creaming, picking up ginger, nutmeg and cumin seasoning atop milk chocolate richness.

DU VIG BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for du vig brewingImage result for du vig brewing

BRANFORD, CONNECTICUT

In a gray industrial mall just north of New Haven in the coastal town of Branford, DU VIG BREWING COMPANY opened for business during 2014 (and closed February 2023). As the story goes, homebrewing neighborhood buddies Kim and Dan Vigliotti decided to hook up with Scott and Darcy Dugas to create a friendly local microbrewery featuring approachable fare that “remain true to style.”

Working with a small 6-barrel system with a hanging TV separating the rear brewing area from the cozy tap room, Du Vig’s sessionable suds reinforce the front-walled motto, Deconstructing Beer.

During my quick October ’16 stopover on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I pick up a few growlers and sample five lively offerings.

Pleasantly off-dry Cream Ale brought sugar-spiced pilsner malting and lemon-limed grassy hops to light earthen graining.

Lactic lemon-seeded sourness gains a bitterly salted coriander edge above its wispy white wheat bed for the soft-tongued Berliner Wiesse.

Stylishly heady Leetes Island Amber Ale balanced citric Cascade-Centennial-Chinook hop pining with peaty mineral grains and toasted caramel malts.

Barley-roasted nuttiness inundated chocolate-malted English Brown Ale, a fine moderation with ample peanut-shelled walnut illusions picking up gentle lemon-soured green raisin, apple and plum notions.

Best bet: illuminating American Pale Ale maintained a crisply clean carbolic mouthfeel as its sunny yellow grapefruit tang and brisk orange rind bittering spread across the oats-dried wheat husk and bark-like wood astringency.

www.duvig.com

BALLOU’S RESTAURANT & WINE BAR

BEER PUB

 

BRANFORD, CONNECTICUT

In the rustic shoreline village of Branford just down the road from the Long Island Sound, BALLOU’S RESTAURANT & WINE BAR opened May ’12. Set inside a tan colonial edifice with white trim, white columns and roomy front deck, this homey establishment is owned by married couple, Steve Kaye and Debbie Ballou, whose humble beginnings include being a busboy and waitress at IHOP. Across the street from boutique-styled Indian Neck Liquor Store, Ballou’s Branford location competes favorably with their initial award-winning Guilford establishment.

Upon entering, the cozy two-room brown-walled space features a 10-seat bar (with 16 tap handles and small TV), 15-table dining room, pristine walnut furnishings and several wine racks. Though specializing in desserts, coffee, cheeses, fondues, panninis and flatbread pizza, its assorted comfort foods go well with the fine hand-picked wine selection that serve as Ballou’s calling card.

Nevertheless, seasoned beer geeks will find ‘beer guy’ Jeremy Antunes’ craft draft offerings extremely appealing as well.

Visited January ’14 just hours after a heavy blizzard, Antunes tends bar and chats up a storm this snowy afternoon while introducing two new brews. The first, Thimble Island India Pale Ale, crafted a few streets away from this humble pub, brought lively stone-fruited spicing to sharp grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and finished with a juniper-hopped wood parch.

Another local offering from southbound Stratford, Two Roads Route Of All Evil Black Ale allowed wood-smoked chocolate seeding and charcoal-burnt hop bittering to anchor plastique apple-skinned grapefruit-mango-papaya tropicalia. (Full reviews in Beer Index)

Happily, the food was just as worthy as the beer and wine choices. Creamy lobster bisque, chipotle chicken pannini and Turkish goat-cheesed flatbread pizza (with dried fig, prosciutto and field greens) were wholly enjoyed.

Anyone with champagne taste on a beer budget or large expense account will appreciate Ballou’s spirited menu and close attention to detail.

www.ballouswinebar.com

COASTAL WINE & SPIRITS

Beer Store
 
3 Must Visit Spots On The Shoreline | Connecticut Food & Wine
COASTAL WINE & SPIRITS
 
Just off Route 95 on North Main Street in Branford at a newish shopping mall lies COASTAL WINE & SPIRITS. This warehouse-sized liquor store offers the greatest selection of craft beers in the state of Connecticut as of October 2012. While perusing Coastal’s varied selection, salesman Jeff Corcoran provided help finding previously untried brews from Boss, Clown Shoes, Emelisse, Evil Twin, Moa, Omnipollo, Porterhouse and Stillwater. Prices were reasonable and the knowledgeable staff treat customers with ultimate respect.