CBG Revolution Brewfest - Old friends

There were so many great Connecticut craft brewers at CBG Revolution Brewfest.  I wanted to give a special shout out to breweries I already know and love.

Thimble Islands represented with their American Ale and Coffee Stout.  I stopped by and was like, "What?  No IPA?  How disappointing."  No sooner was I disappointed than a growler of Thimble Islands' latest and greatest creation pulled from the cooler.  Oh my sweet lord.  YES!  Bright and aromatic, bitter and delicious!  Thimble Islands makes some kick ass beer!

Relic was on hand pouring up Clockwork Session IPA.  It's always good to see these guys.  I first tasted their beer at a previous CBG event and then again at a Cask Night also hosted by CBG.  They have a great variety of beers that are unique and creative.

Half Full was represented by Nikki from J. Timothy's.  Prior to this event, I'd only had one other taste of their beer.  Admittedly, it wasn't the best experience but I certainly wanted to give them another shot!  I had a much better experience this time around.  I really enjoyed the IPA and I'm looking forward to trying more of their beers!

New England Brewing was pouring up Sea Hag IPA and Galaxy Pale Ale.  I've had the Sea Hag before.  In fact, I've made pickles from this deliciously bitter brew.  By this point in the day I was pretty much beered up, so I opted to sample the Galaxy only.  It was bitter with juicy fruity sweetness to balance out the flavor making it quite drinkable.  The 4.8% ABV makes it nicely sessionable.  

Back East was pouring up their Misty Mountain IPA and Golden Ale.  I have to admit that Back East isn't my favorite Connecticut brewery.  It's not that they're beer is bad.  I wouldn't say that at all.  I just don't think they hit the high bar set by so many other breweries busting out of the woodwork in our state.  That being said, the representative was nice enough to hear me out and indicated that they appreciate the feedback.  I did enjoy my sample of the golden ale, tho! 

CBG Revolution Brewfest

Craft Brew Guy put on an amazing event.  He's got a passion for great craft beer that that may rival my own.

The Revolution Brewfest had some of Connecticut's best brewers represented. 

(In no particular order) 

Shebeen, Thimble Island, Stubborn Beauty, New England, Back East, Bottom Side Up, Lasting Brass, Relic, Half Full

The selection of hand crafted beers was remarkable.  Many of the brewers poured similar style brews on tap but each had their one unique twist which made them all different.  It's what I love best about craft beer!

It was an fantastic day and I'm not ashamed to say I had more than my fair share of beer.  And, I probably got stupid obnoxious. But that's how Brauista rolls.

Please see my individual reviews for each of the breweries represented

Porkin' out on a full pint of Half Full Bright Ale

Once again, date night found us at our favorite place for hot wings and cold beer.  Danielle greeted us with a pitcher of cold beer and a pair of frosty mugs and Katalin served us up some spicy wings that were just as saucy as she is.

I would also like to point out that the wings were especially tasty for some reason.  Very saucy, peppery and quite a bite.  YUM!








I'm always happy to see a new craft beer on the board and happier still to see it's a local brewery.  So, of course, I ordered a pint.

Bright Ale (5.20% ABV) is the gateway beer brewed by Stamford, CT brewery Half Full.  It is a pale ale / blonde ale hybrid.

In the glass it is, indeed, a bright ale.  It is a clear, effervescent gold just a hue shy of honey.  There was little head to speak of, just a halo of foam around the edge of the glass.












The aroma was very lemony, somewhat astringent with a hint of soap.

The taste is immediately lemon followed directly by the bitterness of grapefruity hops. The finish was crisp and clean.

The mouthfeel was very light and the beer goes down quite easily.  

My husband thought Bright Ale tasted like lemony disinfectant.

I thought the taste was odd and definitely a little detergent-like; perhaps the combination of lemon and bitter hops.  It was a little off putting but drinkable.  

I'd be interested in what others experienced when they drank Bright Ale.  

Overall: undecided

Beer, burger and bourbon

Last night we went to Plan B for beer, burgers and bourbon.  In that order. 

Besides having very creative burger combinations and an outstanding selection of bourbon, Plan B has a varied and constantly changing rotating beer list.  So, it’s always fun to see what goodliness they have on tap.  

Unintentionally, we seemed to focus on dark beers.  All of which were really quite good.  

We had ordered a Hooker Chocolate Truffle Stout but wouldn't you know it tapped out just then?  The waiter brought us a tasted of Rogue Double Chocolate Stout and Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero. While yummy on both counts we went with the following.

Double Stout Black Ale (8.8% ABV) by Green Flash Brewing.  Served in a chalice, the beer was black as black with a thin but lingering head that left behind a nice amount of lacing.  I didn’t detect a lot from the aroma but it had a big chocolate flavor with a touch of smoke that ended with a bitter coffee / chocolate finish.  The mouth feel is creamy and smooth.  Very drinkable for such a robust brew.  Overall, very good.

Chocolate Coffee Brown Ale (5.5% ABV) by Half Full Brewery. Being a Connecticut brewery, Half Full is a local-to-me brewery.  Served in a shaker pint, this beer was black with ruby highlights. It smelled to me like a caramel macchiato.  It tasted much like an iced coffee and was exceptionally drinkable.  The mouth feel was thin and bubbly.  It finished very clean.  This is a beer I could drink way too much of.  Overall, very good.

Pitch Black IPA (6.5% ABV) by Widmer Brothers Brewing Company.  Served in a shaker pint it was, indeed, pitch black with a head that left behind extreme lacing.   The aroma was hoppy, as I would expect from an IPA, but also malty.  It tasted like bitter coffee and hops.  The mouth feel was creamy and smooth.  Actually, it felt and tasted very much like it could have been a hopped stout.  I really, really liked this brew.  Overall, very good.

Stone Smoked Porter (5.9% ABV) by Stone Brewing.  Served in a chalice, this beer was very dark with mahogany highlights.  It came to the table with a thick head that left behind layers of lacing on the glass.  The dominant flavor, as the name suggests, was smoke accompanied by a touch of coffee.  It had a medium, bubbly mouth feel.  I'm not a big fan of smoked beers, but this one was pretty good - not killer smokey.  Overall, very good.

Along with the beer, I had their burger of the week special which was a 9-ounce burger topped with a fondue style cheese made with smoked gouda and ale, frizzled onions, bacon and grilled pineapple.  The cheese was fantastic but honestly I could have done without the pineapple.  The pineapple and cheese sauce went well together.  The cheese sauce and burger went well together.  But the cheese sauce, burger AND pineapple - not so much.  

Where most people would finish their meal with a chocolaty dessert, I finished mine with a nip of chocolate infused bourbon.  The base bourbon was Pure Kentucky XO.  It was smoooooooth and delicious.  The chocolate infusion was subtle and quite nice.  The perfect digestif. 

A pleasant, relaxing date night with my hunny; I enjoyed the meal as much as the company!  

Cheers!