Name: Willimantic Brewing Company

Location: Willimantic, Connecticut

Type: Brewpub

Available in DC Market: No

What you need to know: Not too often do you hear about breweries or brewpubs from Connecticut. In fact, before learning about Willimantic Brewing Company when researching them for last year’s SAVOR profile, I would have been hard pressed to name a brewery in Connecticut. Maybe that’s a geographic failing on my part. I guess I picked a good one to be my first one, because Willimantic was named the Connecticut brewpub of the year in 2010 and 2011 and by Ratebeer as the sixth best brewpub in the world, according to their website. In any event, David and Cindy Wollner started their Main Street Cafe in 1991. No beer in the story yet. Sit tight. Three years later, after outgrowing the original space, they moved down the street to a new location that could house a bigger restaurant. Finally, one more move put them in a space that was big enough to also house a seven barrel system. It is on this system that they continue to produce a variety of house-brewed beers. They also have a number of guest beers, many of them from New England breweries.

Sponsorship

Beer #1: Flowers Infusion (Saison / 6.7%)

Notes: Not a lot of information about this beer out there. Not even listed on the brewpub’s website. Let’s go out on a limb and say this beer is brewed with an infusion…of flowers.

Beer Advocate: N/A (not enough reviews)
Rate Beer: N/A (not enough ratings)

Beer #2: Pony Espresso Stout

Notes: Another beer that doesn’t appear on the brewpub’s website. I like puns though, so points for that. Obviously going to be some kind of coffee stout. From the reviews, it looks like there is a very strong coffee note to this (derr), some vanilla, dark chocolate, and some lactose sweetness.

Beer Advocate: 91 (8 reviews)
Rate Beer: 91 overall, 80 style (19 ratings)

Summary: Willimantic has an extremely good reputation as a brewpub, and these two offerings definitely are not part of a “normal” line-up. I think breweries/brewpubs should get points for bringing beers that aren’t mainstays of their portfolios.Definitely stop by and say hi to this Connecticut brewpub.

This profile is a part of the DCBEER.COM SAVOR Brewery Profile series. For more information, follow the link to see profiles of all 2012 SAVOR participants.

Beer Review Disclaimer: The beer reviews found on Beer Advocate and Rate Beer do not represent the opinions of this site. We provide these in the hope that they will serve as a resource showing what some craft beer fans have thought of the beers. These reviews can be a helpful guideline, but are not the be-all end-all about a beer’s strengths or