Local Beer And Good Times On Tap

With the weekend close at hand, you've probably heard at least one person utter that all-too-familiar Storrs motto: "There's nothing to do around here." But really, that's not true. Especially if you like beer.

Many beer enthusiasts have dreamed of making a pilgrimage to the source of their favorite brew. Unfortunately for many of us, the cost of plane tickets to Dublin or the gas on the drive to St. Louis tend to make this difficult, if not impossible. Not to mention, the weekend is only three days long. So a beer-grimage is out of the question this weekend, right? Wrong.

Located less that 20 minutes south of campus in Willimantic, The Willimantic Brewing Company & Main Street Café is just the place to head when your feet start itching for that beer-grimage. Affectionately known as Willi Brew to patrons and local fans, this brewpub offers an exciting slice of the American craft brewing sensation that is uniquely intertwined with the history of Willimantic itself.

The story of American craft brewing begins almost 50 years ago in San Francisco, Calif. In 1965, Fritz Maytag bought a failing historic brewery on Potrero Hill in San Francisco. About five years ahead of his time, Maytag revived the brewery and went on to brew a number of now famous "hand-crafted" beers. By the time the 1970s rolled around, the American beer market had drastically changed. Most of the traditions and styles brought to the states by immigrants from around the world had disappeared, replaced on shelves and in glasses by light-adjunct lager (adjunct meaning the beer is brewed with grains other than just barley such as rice or corn), such as Bud Light. For beer enthusiasts, Maytag represented a brighter future for the brewing industry. Many beer enthusiasts turned to homebrewing at this time and spawned a new grassroots beer culture that went on to produce many who followed in Maytag's footsteps.

Today, there are approximately 1,390 craft breweries in the U.S., according to The Brewers Association. Roughly 69 percent of these craft brewers, like Willi Brew, are brewpubs, which offer unique beers with a typically fuller, more complex flavor than the average light American lager. Perhaps the most exciting aspect though, is that these beers are usually brewed in the restaurant - in the case of Willi Brew, in the dining room.

Dining at The Willimantic Brewery on a Saturday night offers a warm atmosphere with good food and great beer. The restaurant offers two evening seating options - the dining room or the pub area, which features a 60-foot mahogany bar.

A glance at the Willi Brew menu gives the impression that the culinary offerings are as carefully crafted as the beers. Ranging from the classic pub style food, Bolten Beer-Battered Fish & Chips ($13.99), to the more sophisticated, Sterling Cedar Plank Maple Salmon (price varies depending on fish market), the food at Willi Brew is diverse, unique and well worth the price.

But if you can put down your fork, you won't go thirsty either. Willi Brew currently offers on tap eight of their 14 beers that they list on their Web site. Last Saturday, I sampled both their Rural Rout Red, a red ale with a full flavor, and their flagship brew, Certified Gold, a bright golden ale with a fine even taste. However, if you don't fancy one of Willi Brew's beers, they also offer 24 guest beers hailing from as close as Pawcatuck (Cottrell Brewing Old Yankee Ale) to as far away as Belgium (Lindeman's Framboise), according to The Willimantic Brewery Web site.

Even the building that is home to The Willimantic Brewing Company is exciting. The imposing granite and limestone building, built in 1909 as a U.S. Post Office, fronts Main Street with a tall, impressive Greek-revival style façade. The entire restaurant is filled with post office memorabilia, preserved from the building's days under the federal government. The pub area sits in what was originally the customer lobby, while the dining room and brew vats fill the old post office work room.

So this weekend when you're looking for something to do, consider making a beer-grimage down to Willimantic to visit The Willimantic Brewing Company. They'll cook you up a dinner and pour you a drink you won't soon forget.

Contact Timothy Bleasdale at

Timothy.Bleasdale@UConn.edu.