Counterweight Brewing

John and I took a quick trip to counterweight on a dreary Sunday in the beginning of december. There was a chill in the air and the sun was hiding behind an overcast sky. I had spent the day playing and doing crafts with the kids. It had come to that time in the afternoon that is like the seventh inning stretch for spending a whole day with 2 children under the age of 5. I ‘asked’ (read: pleaded) with my wife for a short reprieve. I saw on social media that Counterweight brewing had just canned some Oatmeal stout and I have been thinking about this particular variety, because one of my favorite cookies of all time is called an oatmeal scotchie and this I think would pair well with an oatmeal stout. So off we went.

I picked up John as he was cleaning leaves in his yard. This is typical form as we are both working dads with a lot on our plates. I had about an hour or so of reprieve and he had to be back soon too, so we hustled out of there and made our way to the brewery. Even though it is just one town over and had been open for a while now, this was my first tip and, though John had been before he was definitely interested in a trip. Pulling up to the brewery it is located in a commercial area of Hamden Connecticut in a building that has had many lives before, including a Gym. The tasting room was bustling but not hectic and a friendly bar keep offered us a few sips before we both chose a beer. John chose an IPA and I chose the Saison. We purchased a 4 pack of the oatmeal stout and we made our way to the second floor where there is more room to hang out. My saison was delicious, hazy, spicy, well balanced. John’s IPA was sharp and piney, a nice new england style IPA.

I did have a sip of ‘The Void’ Counter Weight’s oatmeal stout. Although the one on  tap has some coffee added which is different than the canned version I purchased, it made me optimistic for our future pairing. 

Counterweight is quickly getting a reputation for making quality consistent beers. The head brewer used to work for New England Brewing which is a corner stone of the CT beer scene so their future is bright. They just celebrated their one year anniversary and I’m sure they will be around a while. 

Also, a quick cookie hint, Sherman Heights bakery is only about a mile down the street and they have awesome cookies. 

The Workhorse Pilsner is ON POINT

They go down easy