Have a buddy heading here in 3 weeks on business. Any recommendations on shops? What beers could he expect to get? TIA
99 Bottles, Total Wine are probably the two best in Norwalk. 99 Bottles is your local place, Total Wine is the new chain on the block ...
Well, for starters.....have him hit Total Wine for Captain Lawrence Golden Delicious. Bottles are priced at an insanely low $9 which is significantly lower than any other price you'll see....and it's a killer beer, to boot. While he's there, have him grab you some Two Roads Workers Comp. Excellent/sessionable saison at a very reasonable price (I think it's something like $1.79/bottle). They have NEBCo cans there as well, but you're probably better off grippin' those at Ninety9. They'll likely still have Gandhi Bot from the most recent drop. They still have Wet Willy and Premeditated Murder, but are all out of IST. If you're looking for other local weirdness, I think Ninety9 still has Olde Burnside's Stone of Destiny. Bizarre barrel-aged "black and tan" or something to the effect. Small fliptop bottle. I'd say that's a pretty good start.
We should add that if he has time on his hands, there are now three breweries in the general vicinity that are worth the visit. New England Brewing (Woodbridge, the furthest but the best beer) - most days it's growlers and tastes only, but Amity Liquors is a stone's throw away and has a great selection. Generally there until 5 or 6 during the week and 11-3 Saturday so a bit tough if your buddy is working and/or not staying the weekend Two Roads (Stratford) - New kid on the block but super experienced team. They have tours, tastings, pints, beer in growlers and sixers to go. That said, I am pretty sure the Total Wine price right now beats the brewery 6 pack price. Hours are friendly, too. Open until 7 or 8 during the week plus Saturday/Sunday so have weekend or after work options. The beers are all high quality. Half Full (Stamford, the closest) - Pretty new on the block as well. There beers are fine (the IPA is improving each time they make it). They do very limited tours and tastings (a couple days a week). Growlers available. A longer trek to Elmsford, NY will get him to Captain Lawrence which is a good experience, good beer, definitely pricey on the retail side though (you can generally find their beers cheaper in stores).
Port Chester Beer Distributor is about 20 minutes from Norwalk, across the NY border. They always have some things we can't get in CT. Their beermenus.com page was last updated on the 4th, so that would give you an idea of what they have usually. Also, if he were to trek to NEBCO or Two Roads breweries... traffic north around rush hour can be rough for a good portion of the drive. Makes getting to NEBCO by 6 tough for me.
Total Wine was stocked to the rafters when they first opened ($18.99 4/pk), but that pile vanished a few weeks later. I haven't seen any locally in at least two weeks (Ninety9 had some for a while, but I'll presume that it's gone by now)....Coffee has pretty much disappeared as well. Still waiting on Cherry. Perhaps he'll luck out if the timing is right. If you need a Coffee, I'd be happy to give him one IP.
