11 Best Craft Breweries near Wallingford

“First time there and we love the vibes. The folks that work there were so kind and welcoming.“

“Love the ciders every time I come here. And dog friendly too! Def my favorite ciders!!“

“Love love love this place. I have spent so many hours hanging out here. In the morning it’s so fun to come sit on the couch and read a book — the coffee is delicious! And the coffee menu is really cool and fun. Any latte here is a win. And Hanna is the most incredible and friendliest barista!! It’s also a really fun vibe in the afternoon to come for a beer and hangs. They have vegetarian options for food usually and a great food truck outside. I am all about aesthetic and this place crosses all the t’s and dots all the i’s. My new go-to spot!!“

“Super event space, awesome staffers.“

“Great spot to grab some excellent beer from a variety of onsite brewers. Great model to help smaller brewers get things started, but more so a really fun taproom and biergarten. Nice open space with comfortable couches and bar seating. A few tables inside as well but a ton of seating on a deck and at patio tables inside the parking lot. Hard to say what they specialize in since the breweries and styles change, but my favorites are hazy IPAs and imperial stouts, and they are amazing here from Abomination to Evil Twin to False Hope to Tox to Fat Orange Cat. Midweek pizza is available and it’s delicious. Weekends bring a food truck which as always can be hit or miss.“

“On Thursday, 🍻SBC🍻 enjoyed a great time at Cheshire Craft Brewing in Cheshire, CT. We were joined by 3 very good brewery friends and we talked the time away as we sipped a variety of brews. We had been toCCB about a year ago and had been wanting to get back. It is friendly, cozy, and has great beers! Joy began with Orangey Sky, a Kolsch Style Ale, and ended with The Shire, a Chocolate Stout. I had When U Wish, an Irish Red Ale, followed by RAMber, a Roasted Amber Ale. Both of us gave thumbs up to our choices. 🍻SeniorBeerChat🍻 highly recommends Cheshire Craft Brewing…try it…you’ll like it!“

“The brunchy colada is AMAZING. The bartender tonight recommended it to us, he had just ordered it. I only got 1 can to take home, I'm not a huge beer fan (we like ciders more) and I like radlers, and this is both of those combined in a sour, with juice. It's like a summer brunch in a can. Now i need to find where it's sold....“

“Feels like you’re hanging out at your best friend’s house.“

“This review is a part of my quest of visiting all CT breweries. I met Counter Weight numerous times during beer festivals, but never understood their appeal to the public. It was until I visited the brewery.

First things first, the brewery occupies a big building and has an enormous space. The first floor is sectioned into 3 rooms, allowing for some privacy should you plan any events. There's also a patio, where the majority during our visit were the dog owners, and a 21+ game zone with some field games. They also have space on the second floor, but I did not go there. The brewery partnered with Ritual Pizza as their kitchen. We ordered a pizza and chicken tenders, and everything was delicious. The whole place was packed on Saturday evening.

Now, for the beers. This brewery specializes in 2 directions: traditional European beers and IPAs. As I'm not a big fan of IPAs, I was focused on the European styles during my visit. You cannot order beer flights here, but they can provide a short pour (10oz) of any beer with a limit of one short pour at a time. I tried many of Counter Weight beers before, but still their lineup was almost completely new to me, so my guess is that the beers are rotated often. I was able to try 5 beers during my visit. My absolute favorite was Grodziskie - a traditional 3.5% smoked wheat beer, which is incredibly hard to find in CT. But in general, I loved everything I had - Vienna Lager was rich in taste, Ein Helles was a direct hit in the style, and so on.

I'm pretty impressed by the quality of the beers produced here. If you're a fan of European beers, this should be a stop on your journey.“

“Never been to the brewery but if it is as good as the beer I just randomly bought from them, I can only assume it is amazing. Not sure how long they've been around but the beer has the taste of decades of experience. Keep up the good work and send more stuff to Michigan“

“I just got married at Kinsmen Brewing and wow! The food, the space, the stage, the decor....It was an absolute pleasure working with Michele. Everyone was so nice and the day was executed perfectly. People walked out of there saying it was the best wedding they ever been to. I'm so glad I chose Kinsmen!!!“