Field Trip - Greenwich Brewing Co, Greenwich CT

Our daughter (DoKBM) was in town for the holidays so we assembled some of her friends (future world leaders for sure) along with some of the usual crew on the other part of the age spectrum to visit Greenwich Brewing Co (GBC).  Always nice to get different perspectives.

 

Owners: GBC opened in September 2024 by co-Founders Randy Kemka and Kent Kolbig, longtime community members and veterans of the craft beer industry with involvement in 16 other breweries.

 

Vibe: Welcoming vibes in the cool multi-tiered nautical themed space with tall ceilings, nice light, long high top tables promoting socialization, TVs with sports, and groups large and small enjoying themselves that afternoon.

 

 

Beer: Randy’s early beer consumption began, as mine did, with  “value beer”, in his case Meister Brau (aka Mr. Beer) but evolved in college to the OG standard bearer Sierra Nevada.

 

For now, GBC brewing is done off premises at other facilities in their portfolio in New Jersey (home of the Jets & Giants ).

 

“Our liquids come from a collaboration of many founders and industry experts. We have brought all of our skills together to create the most exquisite liquids we can produce.”

 

Our crew that day enthusiastically agreed!  I am a fan of breadth of choices, e.g. Something for Everyone.  But it is not uncommon for a brewery with a large selection to have some that are great, good, and others that miss the mark.  Unanimously, ALL the GBC brews hit the mark and in several cases were quite amazing.  That's tough to do.

 

We had full engagement across the team on the proven Flights-Notes Methodology (FNM™) to all taste the same beer at the same time and capture notes for each.  (I’d recommend this when you visit breweries as it's interesting to compare notes).

 

Here’s some of our notes:

Catamaranic Hazy DIPA- “feels like at the beach”, piney and citrus bouquet, Tack American Porter - coffee notes. “Lighter than I thought”, Christmas - spicy nose, gingerbread, orange (KBM fave), Boga English Brown Ale - love this classic style, bourbon notes, Day Sailing Strawberry Lemonade Sour - pixie stick, “The best sour I’ve ever had”, Hop Anchor NE IPA - citrus up front, grapefruit, bright, CT Lager - crisp, crowd pleaser, Cardinal Red Ale - cross between amber and brown ale, Vanilla Porter - strong vanilla nose, pleasing mellow sweetness.

 

One of our participants happened to be the elementary school teacher of our now upper 20s contingent, and had one more sage lesson: “If everyone liked vanilla it would be a boring world”.  Fact.

 

 

Food: After sipping on some stellar brews, we were ready to dive into the creative food menu that Greenwich Brewing Co. offers.  We all enjoyed the extensive choices (all made in house) that include appys, salads, burgers, sandwiches, & kids menu. In Particular, the wings - especially the dry rub wings were EXCELLENT!

 

In an industry facing increasing competition and consolidation, breweries like Greenwich Brewing Co. are proving that with a focus on quality, community, and innovation, the craft beer revolution is far from over.

 

Check them out!

 

https://www.greenwichbrewingcompany.com/; Instagram: @greenwichbrewingcompany; (203) 485-0400; 109 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich, CT 06830 (entrance in back with parking)

 

 

Cheers!

 

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