Real Talk: If you skipped the CT Brew Cup then you really missed out. This was the first year of this beer fest, happening at the North Haven Fairground, and this was one for the record books. Not necessarily in attendance but every brewery brought their A game and the enthusiasm was high. I have been to many brew fests so believe me when I say that this was the highest consistent level of beers available of any I have been to.
Here are some highlights:
Hoax Brewing (@thebeeracks) took home best overall beer with their Strawberry Crop Circles IPA - a milkshake style IPA with lactose, strawberry and vanilla, grabbing best DIPA as well for the same beer. This was an unexpected surprise and had a lot of really interesting and satisfying flavors. Picture a really solid IPA with lactose and strawberry mixed in and you’re halfway there! They had a full roster of tasty brews, including Lemtrails lemon IPA and a pomegranate sour that my wife found to be the best in the group. These guys have been a favorite of ours for their sour series for a while (we turned their black berry sour into a milkshake), but we need to spend some quality time with their whole lineup.
You can’t talk Beeracks without talking Armada Brewing, which brought my vote for best DIPA with Neptune’s Dagger, as well as a super solid oatmeal stout and Lost Beach IPA.
Best stout went to Bad Sons Brewing for their Ghost of Perdition barrel aged stout. This was a favorite of mine because the aging was very prominent on the nose, but the beer remained well balanced and very drinkable. They also snagged best sour with a great brew finished with blueberries.
The Best IPA category was the most crowded and toughest for this drinker, but ultimately went to Relic Brewing for their Fortnight IPA. A well balanced and fruity ale that had me coming back for thirds.
Relative new comer East Rock Brewing brought the heat with a lineup of great lagers. I loved the helles lager (winner of best lager) and found the Octoberfest to be exceptional (winner of best seasonal).
Local homeboy Cliffside Brewing of Wallingford snagged best ale with their surprising Apricot ale that really blew us away. Their NEIPA was no slouch either so they are someone to keep your eye on.
Other honorable mentions:
Lock City Brewing showed up with two great lactose IPAs that were on the dangerous side of crushable. This is one of those breweries that crashing into the high tier CT brew scene that we haven’t had a chance to visit yet but we really need to get to.
Another big surprise of the event was City Steam Brewing with a couple of shockers in tow. Starlit Hazy IPA and Jungle Crush ‘modern’ IPA. Both stood up well to the competition and had me coming back to the table. I always wonder if you can teach an old dog new tricks, so to speak, but the same guys that bring us the always solid Naughty Nurse getting into the IPA game can only lead to great things.
Steady Habit came in with a porter that was really great and an IPA that didn’t disappoint.
Witch Doctor out of Southington had a couple interesting IPAs and a their Butcher Block ale that vyed in contention for seasonal brew.
Stony Creek surprised with a super tasty, tart and flavorful sour that we definitely had a few tastes of and was a top contender for the sour title on our opinion .
Black Hog Autumn Nugget was a super tasty fall alternative to a pumpkin beer.
No Worries came with a newer version of Here It Goes Again with a bluish-red hue that got people asking where they could get a pour.
This is getting long but there was not a single table there without something we liked and this was the most satisfying brew fest I have been to in a long time. Good event for a good cause, I will definitely be seeing how it shapes up next year! Cheers!
