This past Saturday, I celebrated my birthday in the most fun way I could think of: a trip to Two Roads Brewing Company in Stratford, CT. I had a blast there with my friends and family, and I’m hoping you guys read this and decide to take a trip there, too.
If you haven’t heard of Two Roads, let me school you on what has become, in my opinion, one of the best breweries in Connecticut. It was founded in 2012 by friends Brad Hittle, Phil Markowski, Clement Pellani and Peter Doering. Although they came from different walks of life, the four did have one thing in common: they loved everything about beer. Markowski is the brewmaster, so I guess I have him to thank for all the delicious beers I tasted this past weekend.
Even if you haven’t tasted any of the Two Roads brews I sampled on my trip, you might have heard of Two Roads for a different reason. Their facilities aren’t just used to make Two Roads beer. Have you ever heard of Lawson’s Finest Liquids? Evil Twin Brewing? Stillwater Artisanal Ales? Notch Brewing? Peak Organic Brewing? If you have, you might have seen that some of their cans say they are brewed at Two Roads Brewing Company. About half of the brewing that takes place at Two Roads is for other breweries like these. So, the next time you’re drinking a Sip of Sunshine, or a Molotov Cocktail, just know it came from right here in Connecticut.
With the introduction out of the way, let’s fast forward to Saturday at 2PM, when the Beers on Window Sills crew, aka my wife, parents, aunt and friends, rolled into Two Roads for a day of birthday drinking. Although this wasn’t my first trip to Two Roads–that was back in April, when we had Two Roads Week on the window sill–it’s one I will definitely remember fondly.
Like any good brewery visitors, we decided to start with some flights. I kicked off my afternoon with five of Two Roads’ finest available beers: The Honeyspot Road IPA, the Espressway Cold Brew Coffee Stout, the Bergamonster Imperial Wheat, the Worker’s Stomp Barrel-Aged Saison and the Geyser Gose.
Of those, I’d say my favorite was the Stomp, a white wine barrel-aged version of Two Roads year-round Worker’s Comp saison that’s part of their “Road Less Traveled” series of more experimental brews. My parents and aunt also loved it. They each had pints as their first beers of the day after taking a sip of mine. None of them are big beer drinkers, but they all loved this brew. I did too.
After my flight, I started my sojourn into Two Roads’ IPA catalogue with a pint of Road 2 Ruin, their double IPA. When I had to take my foot off the gas a bit, I started in on the Lil’ Heaven, a session IPA made with Azacca, Calypso, Mosaic and Equinox hops. I needed to make sure I made it through the rest of the afternoon, but didn’t miss out on any delicious IPA flavor. The Lil’ Heaven, which we later found out is named after an elevated platform in the brewing area where workers would go to fool around with each other (photo in the gallery below), really did the trick. I also had a pint of the Brothers in Farms, a double grisette made in collaboration with Belgium’s Brasserie De La Senne. Everything was solid, and I had no complaints.
We could have just sat around drinking all day and had a good time, but then we wouldn’t have gotten the full Two Roads experience. They really have a beautiful setup. The tasting room is huge, and well spaced out with great big round tables to sit at. There’s a big bar on one side with most of their draught offerings, and a smaller bar where you can get pints and growlers on the other side. The retail store is stocked with merchandise and delicious bottles and cans of beer too.
If you head outside, you can really see how well Two Roads is using the space they own. In front of the brewery, there’s a nice seating area where you can play games, like corn hole and giant Jenga. That’s where the food trucks are, too. When we went, all the yummy grub was provided by Firehouse Grill, who had awesome fries and cheesesteaks, among other delectables. Around the back of the brewery, there was another outdoor space, with a small bar shack, a bocce ball court and other games. My favorite was another game built by the staff that resembled skee ball, but with a ring that you could toss into different circles. I thought that area closed a little early in the night, but it was a nice change of pace from being inside.
The other fun part of the day was the official tour. It was led by Head Beertender Joe Jimenez and, although it might have been 100 degrees inside the brewing area, he kept us entertained and informed throughout. That’s how we found out about the inspiration for Lil’ Heaven. The tour was $5, but we were able to sample beers along the way as well, which made it worth the money. After the tour, we got some food and went outside to play Jenga and Catchphrase–that was ours, not the brewery’s–and headed home at about 7:30. Our day at Two Roads was all done.
I’m really glad I chose Two Roads as my birthday celebration location. I had a blast enjoying some quality beers with some quality folks, and I can’t wait to go again one of these days. If you live in Connecticut, or somewhere not too far, head on down for an afternoon. You won’t regret it.
Check out some photos from my trip, below!