Back East Brewery & Kitchen – Bloomfield, CT

0 5

By New England Beer Buddy Beer Beer To Go Blog Breweries Brewery Restaurants Connecticut Brewery Craft Beer Craft Brewery New England Brewery Taproom January 17, 2025

I typically try to write about breweries that I’ve only visited for the very first time. Allows me to get a first impression, introduce me to a taproom’s staff and layout and be able to try beers I’ve never had before. For my beer adventure to Back East Brewery & Kitchen, it was a little different. I’ve been to Back East many times in the past. I’ve waited in line for their “Ice Cream Man” IPA releases, I’ve sat in my car for to-go order pick-ups during COVID and I’ve visited their previous, much smaller taproom. However, when I learned that Back East added The Kitchen to their establishment, I tried to find some time to make a trek down and reintroduce myself to a brewery I’ve been quite fond of for over a decade. I had to go in all doe eyed and I’m not exaggerating when I say that it certainly felt like I had never been there before.

By most Connecticut brewery lifespans, Back East is one of the OGs. Opened in 2012 by Tony Karlowicz and Ed Fabrycki, Jr. the brewery has been a favorite staple outside of Hartford for many years. They’ve expanded their taproom multiple times to meet the demand and their locally crafted beers have become quite popular. Their “Porter” won Gold at The Great American Beer Fest and their beers have made many a “Best Of” lists. Still my favorite, the aforementioned “Ice Cream Man” is a Citra forward IPA that, I’m not kidding, people would wait in line for (when that was still a thing). “Ice Cream Man” has evolved into other varieties as well (“Double Scoop”, “Gelato Girl”, etc.).

The Back East Brewery taproom, once a small hole in the wall, has grown over the years to 3,900+ square feet with a seating capacity of 120. Very spacious, very comfy with plenty of tables to fit good sized parties. For those like me who prefer to snuggle up close to the taps, the Back East Brewing bar also has plenty of room.

Adjacent to the bar as you walk in is a small cooler section with multiple option cans to-go. On the other side of the room from this is a merchandising section with your usual shirts, glasses, hats, etc.

The beer options at Back East is quite extraordinary. With 20 different tap lines you will not spend much time having to decide what to try first…or next. For those that do not prefer beer they also got you covered with guest Ciders and a Wine/Cocktail menu.

As it had been awhile since my previous visit, I really put in some pre-visit studying of the Tap list and couldn’t wait to try all the beers that were new to me. My first beer, obviously, had to be yet another version of “Ice Cream Man”, this being “Triple Scoop” Triple IPA. Although the abv is at 10.4% I found this to be super smooth and packed full of Citra punch. I can’t rank it higher than it’s forefather (sentimental reasons) but still an amazing beer. They say it’s the “last evolution” of “Ice Cream Man” but I’ll wait for Quadruple Scoop to make an appearance someday.

Next up was the “Peanut Butter Shot” Milk Stout. I’m always blown away when a beer that advertises having peanut butter ACTUALLY tastes like peanut butter. A full-flavored, roasted dark beer that is basically a peanut butter cup in a glass.

For those that like to expand their beer palates to the fruitier side of things, Back East Brewery loves to experiment with different fruits and variables in their ales and sours. One of which was the “Blackberry Berliner Weisse”, with an easily drinkable 3.5% abv and subtle tart undertones. An eyebrow raiser of theirs is the “Blackberry Cinnabun” Sour. Just as it’s name sounds, this sour is packed with blackberries, cinnamon and milk sugar to create what I can only describe as a Sunday morning breakfast beer.

As much as I was excited about the beers I was equally excited about their new food offerings. The Kitchen was open in early 2024 with Head Chef Ben Nicholson on board, adding yet another perk to an already incredible beer location. The menu includes shareables, burgers, tacos, bowls and sandwiches. After starting off with the usual taproom appetizer of Pretzel Bites, my brewery buddy got herself the Swiss Delight double smash patty burger while I got the Southwestern double smash patty. My burger was packed with guacamole and smothered with a chipotle ranch sauce. The fries that accompany the burgers were very similar to a certain burger chain famous for golden arches. A taproom with food options is always a welcome convenience but The Kitchen really knocked it out of the park for me.

With so many options of pours and the need to drink responsibly, I decided to pick a couple beers to take home in Crowlers. Although they are pretty abundant in taprooms now, Back East offers their Crowlers as “Twistees”. The purpose of these is for when you want to open a Crowler for just a single pour but want to save some for later. Personally, when I open a Crowler I usually share or drink it all myself within the hour but it is a convenient and rather cool innovation.

For take home I grabbed the “Bubble Scoop” (yep, another variation of “Ice Cream Man”) and “Tis The Season” Saison with Spruce Tips. The “Bubble Scoop” certainly had notes of Hubba-Bubba in the backdrop of Citra. “Tis the Season” had a prominent pine finish but more lowered the peppery factor you find in most saisons. This seasonal beer is part of Back East’s “Find Your Way Back” series, a collection of small batch creations.

In an industry that thrives on standing out above the rest it’s great to see that Back East Brewing, like it’s “Ice Cream Man”, is constantly evolving. They are expanding and trying new ways to keep the customer’s happy and wanting to come back for more. With great beers, great food and a super comfortable taproom atmosphere I would say they have achieved their mission of “celebrating the culture of beer.”

Location: 1296 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002

Beer Recommendations: