Spring Break
Local Beer And Good Times On Tap
Timothy Bleasdale
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Focus
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.
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.
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