Bear Hands Brewing Company – Putnam, CT

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By New England Beer Buddy Beer Beer To Go Blog Breweries Brewery Restaurants Connecticut Brewery Craft Beer Craft Brewery New England Brewery Taproom February 26, 2024

The northeast corridor of Connecticut, just over both the Massachusetts and Rhode Island borders, is rich in history. Particularly in the small town of Putnam. An age old rural Mill town that, in the 1860s, once produced uniforms for Union soldiers during the Civil War. A town that had not one but two devastating hurricanes blow through (in a week’s period) in the 1950s that almost flooded it completely off the map! The town survived and the Putnam of modern day hosts a thriving downtown full of shops, restaurants and bars.

However, your Beer Buddy came to this neck of Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner” for one reason only: The Beer! And I found a great stop for it at Bear Hands Brewing Company.

After three years of trying to kickstart their business, Justin and Kayla Trant opened Bear Hands Brewing Company in February of 2020. The brewery began in obviously challenging times but has persevered to be an ideal drinking and food spot in Putnam.

Located next to the historic Putnam Station, Bear Hands Brewing Company can be found in the corner strip of establishments and won’t be difficult to find. As you walk towards the building from the small lot or limited street parking, a beautifully painted mural adorn the sides of it’s wall to lead you in. Making your way to the main entrance you immediately spot two wooden carved “furry” friends outside the brewery doors. This duo seem happy to greet you and invite you inside.

You enter into the establishment and almost immediately feel the sense of an old local pub!

Tables adorn the walls and in the far right corner. These appeared like comfy spots to sit down and enjoy some beers, but as I love to belly up to the bar I went directly straight ahead.

Upon sitting down, I was immediately impressed with not just the good sized tap list but also the decor around the bar area and taps themselves. With crosscut saws hanging on the wall as well as paintings of both bears and lumberjacks having fun together, you get a sense of pride the brewery has in being located in a heavily rural area filled with woods based history.

Wasting no time I dug right into the beverages. I first went for the “Munted Maze”, a New Zealand Hopped Pilsner. Filled with the delicious zest of motueka, this lime flavored tasty pilz was a great way to start off my visit.

It was great to see so many different selections of particular styles at Bear Hands Brewing Company. 3 different New England IPAs, 2 different types of Pilsners, 2 different types of Sours, 2 types of Stouts as well as a Red Ale and a Lager were available on their eclectic beer menu. So great to see the variety and was enjoyable to taste the nuances and brewing differences from each representations of style.

A sucker for brewery collaborations, I was happy to see one that Bear Hands Brewing Company had recently done with an area neighbor, Black Pond Brews (More on them in a future post!) “Lesser of 2 Evils” New England IPA is the most recent of this partnership’s bi-annual creations. Smooth with an intense stone fruit flavor and piney finish, this was definitely a highlight for me on their menu.

A popular item, at least by those sitting around me at the bar, was the “I Can’t Feel My Face, Can I Feel Yours?” Baltic Porter. A very curious name (has nothing to do with the song by “The Weeknd”), the description of chocolate, nuts and coffee got my attention right away. Unfortunately, I just didn’t appreciate it as much as my fellow bar friends did. I found the enticing flavors a bit diminished and nothing truly stood out. A tasty Baltic Porter for sure but was hoping for a more.

If my hope for a confectionary dark beer was waned, I certainly didn’t have to hold out on hope for too long. I next went for the other available porter on the Bear Hands Brewing Company list, “Dessert.” If you enjoy a good pastry style beer then this is definitely for you. Strong chocolate and intense sweet vanilla all around and finishes with a yummy coconut finish.

As I was also in the mood for some snacking, I asked for suggestion when glancing over the food menu from their kitchen, The Brick Wall Eatery. My 5-Star bartender gave me her favorites, one of which was the chicken and beer cheese dip. I was very thankful for the advice! Large chunks of chicken in a tangy cheese sauce with a plethora of salty chips. A perfect bowl of nosh to satisfy you as you enjoy your brews. The chef not only delivered my snack but she checked in a little while later to make sure I enjoyed it. Very cool touch.

For those of you who may want to change up from your beer drinking palate, there is also a small cocktail menu. For those just “along for the ride” there are also sodas available.

If you’re looking for some swag to take home, Bear Hands Brewing Company has a selection of apparel for you to purchase.

Bear Hands Brewing Company definitely wants to be a place that can host as many customers as possible. Heading going downstairs leads you to a large prohibition style lounge. This vast space hosts trivia night on Wednesdays and is also used for large parties or to direct customers for more space on busy nights. More bar space, more tables, some couches and arcade games can be found in this underground dwelling. Although closed when I visited, it looked like an amazing space to enjoy a beer and I’d love to come back and spend some time there.

For those not in the Putnam area, a trip through the woods (even to Grandmother’s House) may not be your ideal plans for an afternoon. But if you like good beer, good food, a fun local atmosphere and a pub experience that takes pride in it’s heritage, a visit to Bear Hands Brewing Company will easily remedy that for you.