Spring Break
Local Beer And Good Times On Tap
Timothy Bleasdale
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Focus
With the weekend close at hand, you've probably heard at least one person utter that all-too-familiar Storrs motto: "There's nothing to do around here." But really, that's not true. Especially if you like beer.
Many beer enthusiasts have dreamed of making a pilgrimage to the source of their favorite brew. Unfortunately for many of us, the cost of plane tickets to Dublin or the gas on the drive to St. Louis tend to make this difficult, if not impossible. Not to mention, the weekend is only three days long. So a beer-grimage is out of the question this weekend, right? Wrong.
Located less that 20 minutes south of campus in Willimantic, The Willimantic Brewing Company & Main Street Café is just the place to head when your feet start itching for that beer-grimage. Affectionately known as Willi Brew to patrons and local fans, this brewpub offers an exciting slice of the American craft brewing sensation that is uniquely intertwined with the history of Willimantic itself.
The story of American craft brewing begins almost 50 years ago in San Francisco, Calif. In 1965, Fritz Maytag bought a failing historic brewery on Potrero Hill in San Francisco. About five years ahead of his time, Maytag revived the brewery and went on to brew a number of now famous "hand-crafted" beers. By the time the 1970s rolled around, the American beer market had drastically changed. Most of the traditions and styles brought to the states by immigrants from around the world had disappeared, replaced on shelves and in glasses by light-adjunct lager (adjunct meaning the beer is brewed with grains other than just barley such as rice or corn), such as Bud Light. For beer enthusiasts, Maytag represented a brighter future for the brewing industry. Many beer enthusiasts turned to homebrewing at this time and spawned a new grassroots beer culture that went on to produce many who followed in Maytag's footsteps.
Today, there are approximately 1,390 craft breweries in the U.S., according to The Brewers Association. Roughly 69 percent of these craft brewers, like Willi Brew, are brewpubs, which offer unique beers with a typically fuller, more complex flavor than the average light American lager. Perhaps the most exciting aspect though, is that these beers are usually brewed in the restaurant - in the case of Willi Brew, in the dining room.
Many beer enthusiasts have dreamed of making a pilgrimage to the source of their favorite brew. Unfortunately for many of us, the cost of plane tickets to Dublin or the gas on the drive to St. Louis tend to make this difficult, if not impossible. Not to mention, the weekend is only three days long. So a beer-grimage is out of the question this weekend, right? Wrong.
Located less that 20 minutes south of campus in Willimantic, The Willimantic Brewing Company & Main Street Café is just the place to head when your feet start itching for that beer-grimage. Affectionately known as Willi Brew to patrons and local fans, this brewpub offers an exciting slice of the American craft brewing sensation that is uniquely intertwined with the history of Willimantic itself.
The story of American craft brewing begins almost 50 years ago in San Francisco, Calif. In 1965, Fritz Maytag bought a failing historic brewery on Potrero Hill in San Francisco. About five years ahead of his time, Maytag revived the brewery and went on to brew a number of now famous "hand-crafted" beers. By the time the 1970s rolled around, the American beer market had drastically changed. Most of the traditions and styles brought to the states by immigrants from around the world had disappeared, replaced on shelves and in glasses by light-adjunct lager (adjunct meaning the beer is brewed with grains other than just barley such as rice or corn), such as Bud Light. For beer enthusiasts, Maytag represented a brighter future for the brewing industry. Many beer enthusiasts turned to homebrewing at this time and spawned a new grassroots beer culture that went on to produce many who followed in Maytag's footsteps.
Today, there are approximately 1,390 craft breweries in the U.S., according to The Brewers Association. Roughly 69 percent of these craft brewers, like Willi Brew, are brewpubs, which offer unique beers with a typically fuller, more complex flavor than the average light American lager. Perhaps the most exciting aspect though, is that these beers are usually brewed in the restaurant - in the case of Willi Brew, in the dining room.
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