Beer

[HuskyHawk]

“That gets a no outta me, Dawg”
- Dove

I'll be honest, the Shaker Pint sends a "no" signal for me right off the bat.

 

[Kemba Time]

I have successfully convinced my family that one day during our Thanksgiving week in Cape Cod should be reserved for a trip to Treehouse in Sandwich. I figure it will be much more manageable in late Nov. than mid-summer (especially since we're planning to bring a 3-year-old and an 18-month-old).

I still don't really follow what we have to do in advance for reserving time/drink tickets, so turning to you all for advice. What do I need to know before we go?

 

[HuskyHawk]

I have successfully convinced my family that one day during our Thanksgiving week in Cape Cod should be reserved for a trip to Treehouse in Sandwich. I figure it will be much more manageable in late Nov. than mid-summer (especially since we're planning to bring a 3-year-old and an 18-month-old).

I still don't really follow what we have to do in advance for reserving time/drink tickets, so turning to you all for advice. What do I need to know before we go?

There's none of that anymore. You just show up and can buy beers at the bar. No need to buy tickets online. The pizza is quite good, but is outside (you can bring it inside). Note the parking is somewhat limited, even more than usual because of the dredging project going on. Treehouse is what you see beyond the beach. I've seen lots of kids there, so that's no problem. Dress them warm enough to let them run around outside a bit.

Sandwich Town Neck Beach replenishment dredge project underway

The Army Corps of Engineers beach nourishment dredging project has started at the eastern end of the Cape Cod Canal piping sand along Town Neck Beach.

www.capecodtimes.com

 

[Kemba Time]

There's none of that anymore. You just show up and can buy beers at the bar. No need to buy tickets online. The pizza is quite good, but is outside (you can bring it inside). Note the parking is somewhat limited, even more than usual because of the dredging project going on. Treehouse is what you see beyond the beach. I've seen lots of kids there, so that's no problem. Dress them warm enough to let them run around outside a bit.

Sandwich Town Neck Beach replenishment dredge project underway

The Army Corps of Engineers beach nourishment dredging project has started at the eastern end of the Cape Cod Canal piping sand along Town Neck Beach.

www.capecodtimes.com

Thank you, great intel! If any of those construction vehicles are dredging when we are there, that will be all the entertainment my kids need while I sit back and enjoy a couple beers.

 

[Kolumbo]

I'm swinging back to tasty lagers and not the IPAs so much anymore. I rarely drink bud but it's throwback wednesday night for a classic

 

[Kolumbo]

I knew this but I still pour without foam for some reason. The head also allows you to more fully taste the beer. I know at a bar you want to make sure to get a full glass. Anyone actually prefer the head of foam?

 

[Dove]

I'll be honest, the Shaker Pint sends a "no" signal for me right off the bat.

Not a shaker pint glass.

Just a way too close photo. It's a beecher-style glass.

 

[Waquoit]

Regarding foam, I have a IPA here I'n trying for the 1st time and it's excessively foamy right out of the can. It's not the temperarure or the angle or velocity of the pour. It's a bubbly not creamy foam that eventually dissipates completely. Can a beer aficionado tell me what's going on? Is it on purpose?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Regarding foam, I have a IPA here I'n trying for the 1st time and it's excessively foamy right out of the can. It's not the temperarure or the angle or velocity of the pour. It's a bubbly not creamy foam that eventually dissipates completely. Can a beer aficionado tell me what's going on? Is it on purpose?

It's probably a mistake. Over carbonation is a common brewing error. The smaller breweries make those mistakes. The big ones almost never do. Batch consistency is harder than people think.

 

[karstenkibbe]

Regarding foam, I have a IPA here I'n trying for the 1st time and it's excessively foamy right out of the can. It's not the temperarure or the angle or velocity of the pour. It's a bubbly not creamy foam that eventually dissipates completely. Can a beer aficionado tell me what's going on? Is it on purpose?

Could be so many reasons… over-attenuation (yeast issue), too much carbon dioxide, could even be due to soap residue in the sides of your glass.

 

[Waquoit]

Thanks. If it was my glass I'm sure I would have seen smoething like it before. I still drank it of course. It wasn't flat.

 

[Patman]

Thanks. If it was my glass I'm sure I would have seen smoething like it before. I still drank it of course. It wasn't flat.

yeah, foam on a pour is one of the last things brewers worry about when making a beer. Could the carbonation be a little high, sure.

I'm hoping there isn't yeast in the cans but you can never truly avoid it and its not always bad, but in spirit almost all the fermentable sugars should be gone by that point.

 

[AreBee1969]

We were able to get to Tox this weekend to see the new space on Bank Street. We ran into our buddy who gave us a behind the scenes tour of the brewery floor and the yet unopened event space with a speakeasy vibe. Beer was on point as always. More pics to follow.

 

[AreBee1969]

 

[AreBee1969]

The Sonora Imperial Stout was dynamite and everyone was digging the live Dart Frog exhibit!

 

[karstenkibbe]

We were able to get to Tox this weekend to see the new space on Bank Street. We ran into our buddy who gave us a behind the scenes tour of the brewery floor and the yet unopened event space with a speakeasy vibe. Beer was on point as always. More pics to follow.

View attachment 104994 View attachment 104995

Really good guys at Tox. Despite being on the other side of the state from my home, a visit to the new spot is high on my weekend beerventures priority list.

 

[AreBee1969]

Really good guys at Tox. Despite being on the other side of the state from my home, a visit to the new spot is high on my weekend beerventures priority list.

I wanted to get to Fox Farm and Little House too but the timing didn't work out.

 

[Patman]

View attachment 104996 View attachment 104997

dang that's some nice brew space. the light fixture over the bar on the other hand is... a bad idea.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

The inevitable contraction of the brewery market in CT continues to push on. Quite a few very good quality breweries closing recently or soon:

• Hopmeadow in Avon
• Great Falls in Canaan

There were also a bunch in the late summer/early fall.

Can’t get by with mediocrity any more. You need to be some combination of very good/excellent across most or all of: beer quality, physical location, distribution strategy, ambiance/vibe, & business management.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The inevitable contraction of the brewery market in CT continues to push on. Quite a few very good quality breweries closing recently or soon:

• Hopmeadow in Avon
• Great Falls in Canaan

There were also a bunch in the late summer/early fall.

Can’t get by with mediocrity any more. You need to be some combination of very good/excellent across most or all of: beer quality, physical location, distribution strategy, ambiance/vibe, & business management.

Interesting. I'm not seeing much connection between beer quality and staying in business, except for the obvious cases.

I see some really mediocre places that are mobbed. Because they essentially fill the local pub role, prices are reasonable, they have food trucks, live music, lots of space including outdoor space. Increasingly, people don't seem to care very much about the beer. More people just drinking English Milds, pale lagers and other lower abv beers.

The take-away brewery beer market is dying. It's almost all on-prem consumption now and you better provide a good experience for that. Makes sense given that I can get incredible beers at the local liquor store now. One example is Phantom Farms in Cumberland, RI. First time there, location is superb, beer was downright bad. Now they've got the beer up to a range of "ok" to "pretty good" and the place is jammed.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Interesting. I'm not seeing much connection between beer quality and staying in business, except for the obvious cases.

I see some really mediocre places that are mobbed. Because they essentially fill the local pub role, prices are reasonable, they have food trucks, live music, lots of space including outdoor space. Increasingly, people don't seem to care very much about the beer. More people just drinking English Milds, pale lagers and other lower abv beers.

The take-away brewery beer market is dying. It's almost all on-prem consumption now and you better provide a good experience for that. Makes sense given that I can get incredible beers at the local liquor store now. One example is Phantom Farms in Cumberland, RI. First time there, location is superb, beer was downright bad. Now they've got the beer up to a range of "ok" to "pretty good" and the place is jammed.

Yea, I think the "base" requirement nowadays to stay in business is mediocre drinkable beer with other options (spiked seltzers/wine/cider) for the non-beer crowd that tags along with the beer nerds.

The other things influence whether you thrive or just scrape by. Definitely need people in your venture with business and marketing savvy. I have a family member working their way into the brewing industry who has now worked at 3 different breweries. The range of business/management/marketing ability by owners/managers is quite wide. Some breweries are a labor of love and scraped together more of a part-time "turn a hobby into a business". Others come out of the gate with a well-designed business plan and a ton of capital investment.

Random musings:

Stony Creek has some of the most "meh" beer in CT but a great brewery vibe, and a fairly dense population (I-95 corridor) to draw from, and huge capital support. Still doing well, as far as I know.

Tox brews some of the best beers in the state, but their original location was just kinda "OK". But they tapped into the higher-volume brewing & distribution model for their core beers through the Twelve Percent contract brewing folks. I'm guessing lots of grocery-store and package-store bought "Fugu" helped support their move into their new brewery (which I still need to go down and visit).

Paddle Creek (now closed) brewed pretty good beer but opened in a pretty "meh" location (north part of East Hartford) that was just not a real big draw for folks to visit.

Norbrook is in the middle of nowhere but is thriving. They brew "good" to "very good" beers. But the place is an absolute destination for a day trip. Amazing mountain biking trail network, great disc golf course, hiking through fields/woods. Animals for the kids to go check out. They have a regular "Car Show" night that draws a ton of people from that social niche. The showshoeing through the woods is phenomenal and they always get more snow than any part of the state given their location and elevation.

Dudleytown (in Windsor) did a great job coming out of the gate with clear huge investments in the space/layout and a cool CT-centric theme (If you've never heard of Dudleytown, check out The Curse of Dudleytown - US Ghost Adventures
They brew very good beer. They picked a spot that, on first look, may be a "meh" spot on Day Hill Road (basically an Industrial Park road). But, they are literally right next to FastPitch Nation, a destination spot for Softball tournaments in New England. They also have a dome for year-round club sports, That area is a thriving metropolis of hungry and thirsty parents who have been out in the elements all day watching kids play softball all day throughout the sping/summer/fall.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Yea, I think the "base" requirement nowadays to stay in business is mediocre drinkable beer with other options (spiked seltzers/wine/cider) for the non-beer crowd that tags along with the beer nerds.

The other things influence whether you thrive or just scrape by. Definitely need people in your venture with business and marketing savvy. I have a family member working their way into the brewing industry who has now worked at 3 different breweries. The range of business/management/marketing ability by owners/managers is quite wide. Some breweries are a labor of love and scraped together more of a part-time "turn a hobby into a business". Others come out of the gate with a well-designed business plan and a ton of capital investment.

Random musings:

Stony Creek has some of the most "meh" beer in CT but a great brewery vibe, and a fairly dense population (I-95 corridor) to draw from, and huge capital support. Still doing well, as far as I know.

Tox brews some of the best beers in the state, but their original location was just kinda "OK". But they tapped into the higher-volume brewing & distribution model for their core beers through the Twelve Percent contract brewing folks. I'm guessing lots of grocery-store and package-store bought "Fugu" helped support their move into their new brewery (which I still need to go down and visit).

Paddle Creek (now closed) brewed pretty good beer but opened in a pretty "meh" location (north part of East Hartford) that was just not a real big draw for folks to visit.

Norbrook is in the middle of nowhere but is thriving. They brew "good" to "very good" beers. But the place is an absolute destination for a day trip. Amazing mountain biking trail network, great disc golf course, hiking through fields/woods. Animals for the kids to go check out. They have a regular "Car Show" night that draws a ton of people from that social niche. The showshoeing through the woods is phenomenal and they always get more snow than any part of the state given their location and elevation.

Dudleytown (in Windsor) did a great job coming out of the gate with clear huge investments in the space/layout and a cool CT-centric theme (If you've never heard of Dudleytown, check out The Curse of Dudleytown - US Ghost Adventures
They brew very good beer. They picked a spot that, on first look, may be a "meh" spot on Day Hill Road (basically an Industrial Park road). But, they are literally right next to FastPitch Nation, a destination spot for Softball tournaments in New England. They also have a dome for year-round club sports, That area is a thriving metropolis of hungry and thirsty parents who have been out in the elements all day watching kids play softball all day throughout the sping/summer/fall.

This aligns with what I see in Mass and RI. I know all about Dudleytown, b/c of my connection to Chris McKinnell at UConn (The Warrens).

The place I linked, Phantom Farms, is brand new, but there is a Phantom Farms restaurant/market place that has been around for years. So they clearly had money at the jump.

Other places I've seen succeed sometimes have a blue collar vibe, like the brewery equivalent of a dive bar. It can work even in a meh industrial location if you're attracting the after work crowd. Ravenous Brewing in Cumberland RI is like that. Very mediocre beer.

Start Line in Hopkinton, MA is doing well, kind of the opposite way. Lots of corporate types, holiday work parties, good food and decent beer, big location. It was a farm feed store that started a brewery then the brewery took it over, including greenhouses out back that make a nice winter/outdoor beer garden.

Find a way to appeal to customers, whether it's beer quality, food, atmosphere, music, whatever.

 

[Patman]

Yea, I think the "base" requirement nowadays to stay in business is mediocre drinkable beer with other options (spiked seltzers/wine/cider) for the non-beer crowd that tags along with the beer nerds.

The other things influence whether you thrive or just scrape by. Definitely need people in your venture with business and marketing savvy. I have a family member working their way into the brewing industry who has now worked at 3 different breweries. The range of business/management/marketing ability by owners/managers is quite wide. Some breweries are a labor of love and scraped together more of a part-time "turn a hobby into a business". Others come out of the gate with a well-designed business plan and a ton of capital investment.

Random musings:

Stony Creek has some of the most "meh" beer in CT but a great brewery vibe, and a fairly dense population (I-95 corridor) to draw from, and huge capital support. Still doing well, as far as I know.

Tox brews some of the best beers in the state, but their original location was just kinda "OK". But they tapped into the higher-volume brewing & distribution model for their core beers through the Twelve Percent contract brewing folks. I'm guessing lots of grocery-store and package-store bought "Fugu" helped support their move into their new brewery (which I still need to go down and visit).

Paddle Creek (now closed) brewed pretty good beer but opened in a pretty "meh" location (north part of East Hartford) that was just not a real big draw for folks to visit.

Norbrook is in the middle of nowhere but is thriving. They brew "good" to "very good" beers. But the place is an absolute destination for a day trip. Amazing mountain biking trail network, great disc golf course, hiking through fields/woods. Animals for the kids to go check out. They have a regular "Car Show" night that draws a ton of people from that social niche. The showshoeing through the woods is phenomenal and they always get more snow than any part of the state given their location and elevation.

Dudleytown (in Windsor) did a great job coming out of the gate with clear huge investments in the space/layout and a cool CT-centric theme (If you've never heard of Dudleytown, check out The Curse of Dudleytown - US Ghost Adventures
They brew very good beer. They picked a spot that, on first look, may be a "meh" spot on Day Hill Road (basically an Industrial Park road). But, they are literally right next to FastPitch Nation, a destination spot for Softball tournaments in New England. They also have a dome for year-round club sports, That area is a thriving metropolis of hungry and thirsty parents who have been out in the elements all day watching kids play softball all day throughout the sping/summer/fall.

I liked paddle creeks beers when I stopped through.

I agree with the tenor. Quality helps but it isn't essential.

 

[AreBee1969]

Yea, I think the "base" requirement nowadays to stay in business is mediocre drinkable beer with other options (spiked seltzers/wine/cider) for the non-beer crowd that tags along with the beer nerds.

The other things influence whether you thrive or just scrape by. Definitely need people in your venture with business and marketing savvy. I have a family member working their way into the brewing industry who has now worked at 3 different breweries. The range of business/management/marketing ability by owners/managers is quite wide. Some breweries are a labor of love and scraped together more of a part-time "turn a hobby into a business". Others come out of the gate with a well-designed business plan and a ton of capital investment.

Random musings:

Stony Creek has some of the most "meh" beer in CT but a great brewery vibe, and a fairly dense population (I-95 corridor) to draw from, and huge capital support. Still doing well, as far as I know.

Tox brews some of the best beers in the state, but their original location was just kinda "OK". But they tapped into the higher-volume brewing & distribution model for their core beers through the Twelve Percent contract brewing folks. I'm guessing lots of grocery-store and package-store bought "Fugu" helped support their move into their new brewery (which I still need to go down and visit).

Paddle Creek (now closed) brewed pretty good beer but opened in a pretty "meh" location (north part of East Hartford) that was just not a real big draw for folks to visit.

Norbrook is in the middle of nowhere but is thriving. They brew "good" to "very good" beers. But the place is an absolute destination for a day trip. Amazing mountain biking trail network, great disc golf course, hiking through fields/woods. Animals for the kids to go check out. They have a regular "Car Show" night that draws a ton of people from that social niche. The showshoeing through the woods is phenomenal and they always get more snow than any part of the state given their location and elevation.

Dudleytown (in Windsor) did a great job coming out of the gate with clear huge investments in the space/layout and a cool CT-centric theme (If you've never heard of Dudleytown, check out The Curse of Dudleytown - US Ghost Adventures
They brew very good beer. They picked a spot that, on first look, may be a "meh" spot on Day Hill Road (basically an Industrial Park road). But, they are literally right next to FastPitch Nation, a destination spot for Softball tournaments in New England. They also have a dome for year-round club sports, That area is a thriving metropolis of hungry and thirsty parents who have been out in the elements all day watching kids play softball all day throughout the sping/summer/fall.

Agree with pretty much every one of your musings except I would put Stony Creek’s beers slightly below “meh” bordering on bad.

A couple additional tid bits. A new brewery is going to open up in Tox’s old spot. Hopmeadow ownership said on Reddit that their location was “tough” and their landlord didn’t care for them at all which helped lead to their closing. Legitimus owners have recently opened a pub-style restaurant in Collinsville. We made a couple trips to Almost Famous in Granby for Live Music Trivia. Mthe place has a music vibe, a huge space and pretty good beer. Lots of non-beer offerings for those who don’t drink beer.

Really bummed about Great Falls. We get up to the NW corner for hikes and general tomfoolery and would make them a waypoint in our travels. One of my first homebrews was a spruce ale, and I had a soft spot for Bakerville Blue a spruce NEIPA made with spruce tips from my hometown borough of New Hartford.

 

[Purple Stein]

Yea, I think the "base" requirement nowadays to stay in business is mediocre drinkable beer with other options (spiked seltzers/wine/cider) for the non-beer crowd that tags along with the beer nerds.

The other things influence whether you thrive or just scrape by. Definitely need people in your venture with business and marketing savvy. I have a family member working their way into the brewing industry who has now worked at 3 different breweries. The range of business/management/marketing ability by owners/managers is quite wide. Some breweries are a labor of love and scraped together more of a part-time "turn a hobby into a business". Others come out of the gate with a well-designed business plan and a ton of capital investment.

Random musings:

Stony Creek has some of the most "meh" beer in CT but a great brewery vibe, and a fairly dense population (I-95 corridor) to draw from, and huge capital support. Still doing well, as far as I know.

Tox brews some of the best beers in the state, but their original location was just kinda "OK". But they tapped into the higher-volume brewing & distribution model for their core beers through the Twelve Percent contract brewing folks. I'm guessing lots of grocery-store and package-store bought "Fugu" helped support their move into their new brewery (which I still need to go down and visit).

Paddle Creek (now closed) brewed pretty good beer but opened in a pretty "meh" location (north part of East Hartford) that was just not a real big draw for folks to visit.

Norbrook is in the middle of nowhere but is thriving. They brew "good" to "very good" beers. But the place is an absolute destination for a day trip. Amazing mountain biking trail network, great disc golf course, hiking through fields/woods. Animals for the kids to go check out. They have a regular "Car Show" night that draws a ton of people from that social niche. The showshoeing through the woods is phenomenal and they always get more snow than any part of the state given their location and elevation.

Dudleytown (in Windsor) did a great job coming out of the gate with clear huge investments in the space/layout and a cool CT-centric theme (If you've never heard of Dudleytown, check out The Curse of Dudleytown - US Ghost Adventures
They brew very good beer. They picked a spot that, on first look, may be a "meh" spot on Day Hill Road (basically an Industrial Park road). But, they are literally right next to FastPitch Nation, a destination spot for Softball tournaments in New England. They also have a dome for year-round club sports, That area is a thriving metropolis of hungry and thirsty parents who have been out in the elements all day watching kids play softball all day throughout the sping/summer/fall.

I took my son to a birthday party at the Day Hill Dome a few weeks ago and the other dads and I were like "Is that a brewery?" We didn't go over -- but next time, I absolutely would! Setting up in that spot with parents who are looking for an excuse to duck out for a few is a really smart move by Dudleytown.