Beer

[wethyhusky]

Sorry, I must interject.
I own Great Falls Brewing Co in North Canaan, so I’m going to speak from some knowledge. Any manufacturer of beer in the state of Connecticut must have a permit to make beer and/or sell beer. My permit for example is a brew pub/manufacturing license (costs me $1600/yr). A farm permit allows for a couple special designations like amount that can be sold at a farmers market but are limited to 75,000 gallons of production per year. But, they have to have a permit.

As for tax, we pay federal tax on the first 50000 barrels of $3.50 & $7.00 CT plus if we retail our beer we pay tax on that. And we also pay a town mill rate on our lease improvements and all our production equipment. So, to suggest that we are some how “under-taxed” is a little misleading.

As for saturation/beer bubble, craft grew 5-6% by volume of overall market in 2017. With growth coming mostly from hyperlocal/smaller breweries. Loss is coming from macro-breweries (mostly In-Bev) and the largest micros (e.g. Boston Beer & Yeungling).
We in the industry think it is slowing slightly, but there is still plenty of room for more breweries. Just, not much for Regional breweries. In CT, we were in the bottom 1/3 per capita for breweries in 2016. We’ve moved to the to 50th percentile. For example, our brewery has permit #78 - still not many for a state of 3.6 Million (in contrast, Vermont has 55 breweries for 600K people).
Lastly, Norbrook brewery opened in Colebrook a month ago and sold out of beer in 3 weeks. In the NW corner, there is definitely no saturation.

In about 4 weeks, we’ll open our doors , and I invite all my boneyard brethren to come have a cold one with me.

Cheers,
Chris “Idahoshusky” Tripler
CLAS ‘91
Founder of Great Falls Brewing Co

I live in Wethersfield, but will gladly support your business. Keep us posted here on your opening

 

[Dove]

They were more or less out of business/ closing their doors about 6 months ago. The CEO offered lifetime unlimited growler fills for lets call it $1000 to keep the doors open and then they teamed up with other breweries to brew their beers at their location.

This craft brewery bubble is going to pop soon. Over saturated and any farm that grows hops doesn't need a liquor license to sell/ have a tap room. Liquor distributors and breweries are getting quite angry about that

Are you sure they don't need a manufacturer permit?

 

[idahohusky]

Here’s the summary of the liquor/beer manufacturing permits allowed in the state of Connecticut, in pleasant table format.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2017/rpt/pdf/2017-R-0349.pdf

Are you sure they don't need a manufacturer permit?

 

[SixRings]

Here’s the summary of the liquor/beer manufacturing permits allowed in the state of Connecticut, in pleasant table format.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2017/rpt/pdf/2017-R-0349.pdf

Thanks Idaho. Looking forward to supporting you. Where CT laws really fall behind are the amount per day you can sell in cans - 9 liters per day. That’s about 19 cans. So if you ever get to a point where you’re canning product a customer can’t even buy a case of beer from you. Ridiculous.

 

[mjmoney23]

The new Lawsons brewery is outstanding. Big beautiful space and great beers. At 15 plus tax for a 4 pack, a visit if you are remotely in the area is a no brainer. Double sunshine is as good as advertised, cant wait to try a can of triple later on.

 

[idahohusky]

Thanks Idaho. Looking forward to supporting you. Where CT laws really fall behind are the amount per day you can sell in cans - 9 liters per day. That’s about 19 cans. So if you ever get to a point where you’re canning product a customer can’t even buy a case of beer from you. Ridiculous.

That’s the state’s nod to the distributors. Trying to find that balance.

 

[Walker11]

I started seeing a bunch of varieties of Modern Times being sold in CT @Rocktheworld. I was told they just began distributing to CT. I tried their Space Ways, a "hazy ipa" and it is good, not amazing but I did like it. I look forward to trying other varieties. I feel like nowadays with so many companies having such high quality beers the determining factor between good and great is freshness, which does not bode well for a San Diego based outlet considering I drive past good local breweries daily but I do like experimenting.

 

[Rocktheworld]

I started seeing a bunch of varieties of Modern Times being sold in CT @Rocktheworld. I was told they just began distributing to CT. I tried their Space Ways, a "hazy ipa" and it is good, not amazing but I did like it. I look forward to trying other varieties. I feel like nowadays with so many companies having such high quality beers the determining factor between good and great is freshness, which does not bode well for a San Diego based outlet considering I drive past good local breweries daily but I do like experimenting.

Keep in mind that “hazy” doesn’t automatically mean it’s of a New England kind of hoppy, juicy, sweeter style. Glad to see it looks like you judge beers on invidual merit rather than comparing everything to Treehouse.

 

[AreBee1969]

Sorry, I must interject.
I own Great Falls Brewing Co in North Canaan, so I’m going to speak from some knowledge. Any manufacturer of beer in the state of Connecticut must have a permit to make beer and/or sell beer. My permit for example is a brew pub/manufacturing license (costs me $1600/yr). A farm permit allows for a couple special designations like amount that can be sold at a farmers market but are limited to 75,000 gallons of production per year. But, they have to have a permit.

As for tax, we pay federal tax on the first 50000 barrels of $3.50 & $7.00 CT plus if we retail our beer we pay tax on that. And we also pay a town mill rate on our lease improvements and all our production equipment. So, to suggest that we are some how “under-taxed” is a little misleading.

As for saturation/beer bubble, craft grew 5-6% by volume of overall market in 2017. With growth coming mostly from hyperlocal/smaller breweries. Loss is coming from macro-breweries (mostly In-Bev) and the largest micros (e.g. Boston Beer & Yeungling).
We in the industry think it is slowing slightly, but there is still plenty of room for more breweries. Just, not much for Regional breweries. In CT, we were in the bottom 1/3 per capita for breweries in 2016. We’ve moved to the to 50th percentile. For example, our brewery has permit #78 - still not many for a state of 3.6 Million (in contrast, Vermont has 55 breweries for 600K people).
Lastly, Norbrook brewery opened in Colebrook a month ago and sold out of beer in 3 weeks. In the NW corner, there is definitely no saturation.

In about 4 weeks, we’ll open our doors , and I invite all my boneyard brethren to come have a cold one with me.

Cheers,
Chris “Idahoshusky” Tripler
CLAS ‘91
Founder of Great Falls Brewing Co

That's great info Chris. Thank you! I was wondering about the saturation levels here in CT.

I'm grew up the NW corner (New Hartford) and look forward to seeing you guys open up! Great things are happening on the brew scene out there. Legitimus is doing a great job in the old Waring Factor in New Hartford and kids I went to high School are opening a brewery in Winsted, (Little Red Barn Brewing). As you mentioned, Norbrook had a great start and actually had to shut down for a while because they were wiped out! Kent Falls does a great job too. I'm guessing you've heard about the 1881 Series which are events centered around breweries owned by UCONN Alumni. There are several.

Good luck to you Chris!

 

[Waquoit]

I am drinking a Counterweight Wizard Fight as we speak. Excellent. And I did a Tree House run last week.

 

[CCSUBlue92]

Check out Still Hill in Rocky Hill. Cool tap room. Excellent Octoberfest, APA, and stout. Not crazy about their IPA.

 

[Caronimo]

When’s the boneyard pregame at Hanging Hills for an XL center game?

 

[Dove]

Beer'd now being in stores is a game changer for me, I have no reason to buy anything else except for my fave sessions like Sea Hag, SUBduction and Lil Heaven. Hobbit Juice will be in stores within days.

 

[Waquoit]

Beer'd is top-notch.

 

[sledog]

Here's something different. Just saw a CATV show (Fox AM?) interviewing the 'inventors' of Good Boy Dog Beer - non-alchy. The dog model slurping the beer didn't look too happy about it. Should be a big hit with the Huskies.

 

[August_West]

Keep in mind that “hazy” doesn’t automatically mean it’s of a New England kind of hoppy, juicy, sweeter style. Glad to see it looks like you judge beers on invidual merit rather than comparing everything to Treehouse.

So now you want west coast dreck graded on a curve?

 

[HuskyHawk]

The new Lawsons brewery is outstanding. Big beautiful space and great beers. At 15 plus tax for a 4 pack, a visit if you are remotely in the area is a no brainer. Double sunshine is as good as advertised, cant wait to try a can of triple later on.

Looking forward to my first visit. The triple sunshine is amazing. Have to have the Maple fayson too.

 

[storrsroars]

So now you want west coast dreck graded on a curve?

My brief sojourn into the microbrew scene in Torrance CA suggests the overriding ethos is to throw stuff against the wall and see what sticks.

The two I went to were much more sour-heavy than IPA. Had something at Monkish that was bordering on kombucha. The Smog City menu had at least a half dozen ingredients I haven't seen included in a beer. Anything resembling an attempt at "balance" is out the window. It's all about overwhelming flavoring.

Guess I'm not a hipster since I'm not buying it.

 

[Rocktheworld]

At Trillium in the new fort point location, which is really cool

Moon Island was the best I had but no better than the better beers I’ve had from Monkish, Mikkeller, Modern Times, Great Notion, or Other Half

Red stonington New England wild saison (aged on raspberries). A mouthful, and frickin intense.

Marblehead lighthouse ipa was alright, actually had a slight west coast kinda taste to me

Scaled up double ipa is decent, definitely nothing crazy

All $8-9 ...

 

[HuskyHawk]

At Trillium in the new fort point location, which is really cool

Moon Island was the best I had but no better than the better beers I’ve had from Monkish, Mikkeller, Modern Times, Great Notion, or Other Half

Red stonington New England wild saison (aged on raspberries). A mouthful, and frickin intense.

Marblehead lighthouse ipa was alright, actually had a slight west coast kinda taste to me

Scaled up double ipa is decent, definitely nothing crazy

All $8-9 ...

Scaled Up is the worst DIPA they make. Not a fan at all. The Pour prices are high, it’s not really a bar and they get away with it. I don’t go there to drink but buy half pours to try new things before buying.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Scaled Up is the worst DIPA they make. Not a fan at all. The Pour prices are high, it’s not really a bar and they get away with it. I don’t go there to drink but buy half pours to try new things before buying.

Jerks, I asked and dude said they don’t do half pours

Gonna be at hopsters at some point. Same area, near the convention center, looked decent from the outside. You been?

 

[August_West]

Jerks, I asked and dude said they don’t do half pours

Gonna be at hopsters at some point. Same area, near the convention center, looked decent from the outside. You been?

You’re not a local

 

[HuskyHawk]

Jerks, I asked and dude said they don’t do half pours

Gonna be at hopsters at some point. Same area, near the convention center, looked decent from the outside. You been?

The half pours are on the board at Canton. Have not tried the new Fort Point place. 3-5 at Canton. For a big stout or DIPA it works for me.

I’m off to Vermont tomorrow. Going to hit the new Lawson’s brewery on Saturday.

 

[mjmoney23]

The half pours are on the board at Canton. Have not tried the new Fort Point place. 3-5 at Canton. For a big stout or DIPA it works for me.

I’m off to Vermont tomorrow. Going to hit the new Lawson’s brewery on Saturday.

It's a great visit. One of the nicest tap rooms i have been in. The amount of good beer on VT is on another level. Even going to a good package store there will give you a good yield .

 

[HooperScooper]

Jerks, I asked and dude said they don’t do half pours

Gonna be at hopsters at some point. Same area, near the convention center, looked decent from the outside. You been?

Hopsters sucks. Don't waste your money.

I liked Scaled Up.

Went to the new Trillium place last Friday. It was nice but it's a little too expensive and it seems like they're taking advantage of everybody because their beer is good. I had a $17 burger, that was average at best, that turned into a $20 burger because I requested a small side salad instead of the fries. The small side salad was like 2 pieces of lettuce in a small cup. I asked why I'm paying $3 to replace fries with 2 pieces of lettuce. Seemed a little excessive.