Farmington River Brewing Company opened in Bloomfield, CT in 1996. I first tried their Mahogany Ale at the Third Annual RI International Beer Exposition in October of that year:
I attended the evening session of the Third Annual RI International Beer Exposition Saturday, and thought I would elaborate upon it a bit here. Compared to last year, the number of booths seemed slightly smaller, but the crowd actually appeared larger. The good news was that many more beers were represented on draught this time around. A partial report on some of the better draught beers: English-style ale lovers had only to stop by the Ipswich booth for their wonderful Ipswich Ale, Ipswich Dark Ale, and Ipswich Oatmeal Stout (a true hop attack). Directly across from Ipswich was the booth of the Emerald Isle Brew Works from my hometown of West Warwick, RI. The cask-conditioned Bank Street Ale was blissfully estery and refreshing, while the Emerald Isle Porter was roasty and coffeeish.
Other impressive draught brews: Union Station Spiced Pumpkin, Snow Cap, Snow Goose, Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter, Magic Hat Jinks Stong Ale, Farmington River mahogany and Blonde, Harpoon Winter Warmer, Geary's Pale Ale, and Nutfield Winter Frost. A line of English beers was offered in bottles, including Black Ram Yorkshire Ale and Brain's Traditional Welsh Ale. Anheuser Busch offered their Muenchner and Black and Tan. Many other beers made their local debut.
I also write the following recommending the beer to a thirsty traveler:
I recently sampled a
new brew from Ct., Farmington River Mahogany Ale, not
sure where in Ct. it is brewed but it was a very flavorful beer. Order a
glass if you are fortunate enough to stop at an establishment which offers
it.
Gregg Glaser wrote about the brewery in an article for the Yankee Brew News you can access here. He said this about Mahogany Ale:
Mahogany Ale, the micro's first beer, is patterned after an English-style ESB.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft