Yankee Brew News Archive

The Alewife Grille & Brewery:

Originally Published: 08/96

By: Gregg Glaser

The Alewife Grille & Brewery opened for business last April 8 as Connecticut's fifth brewpub. Located in Glastonbury, just south of Hartford on the east bank of the Connecticut River, Alewife is the dream project of husband and wife Tom and Jennifer O'Neill. "We've been homebrewers for seven years," says Tom O'Neill, "and for several years we've thought that this is something we'd like to do."

Alewife is the first venture into commercial brewing and the restaurant business for the O'Neills. Tom continues to work part-time as a corporate and tax lawyer in Hartford, and Jennifer handles much of the management, marketing and accounting duties for the brewpub. Head brewer is J.J. Ramos, formerly of Federal Jack's Brewpub and Kennebunkport Brewing in Kennebunk, Maine.

The Alewife Grille & Brewery is large, open and airy. As you enter, a glass-enclosed, brick clad, copper domed brew kettle/whirlpool is visible on your left. Designed and installed by Allan Pugsley of Pugsley Brewing Projects of Maine, the 7-barrel brewhouse is a Peter Austin system. A mash tun sits on top of a hot liquor back, next to the kettle. The central area of Alewife, raised several steps from the ground floor, houses a three-sided bar. A large peaked skylight is overhead. A 145-seat dining area surrounds the bar, and large glass walls let in a great deal of light. An outside patio includes seating for forty-five persons.

Downstairs is the rest of the brewing equipment. The system includes four 330-gallon fermentation tanks, a heat exchanger, a hop percolator, eight 7-barrel conditioning tanks and a lab. As with all Pugsley/Austin brewhouses, open fermentation with yeast from England's Ringwood Brewery is standard operating procedure.

The beers on tap at Alewife are all ales. Cellarmaster Extra Special Bitter (1.054 OG/5% ABV), served cask conditioned at cellar temperature, is an amber-colored beer brewed with pale, crystal, chocolate and carapils malts and torrefied wheat. Hops are Fuggles and Goldings. Sweet Caroline's Irish Red Ale (1.046 OG/3.75% ABV) consists of pale, crystal and Munich malts, torrefied wheat, and Cascade, Mt. Hood and Tetnang hops. Miss Elizabeth's Porter (1.050 OG/5%ABV), deep amber in color, is an English-style porter brewed with pale, crystal, chocolate, black patent and wheat malts and hopped with Mt. Hood and Cluster. Bombay Express India Pale Ale (1.060 OG/5.87% ABV), copper in color, contains pale, crystal and chocolate malts, torrefied wheat and Northern Brewer, Cluster and Cascade hops.

Peaches and Cream Ale (sorry, no brewer's specs on this one) was Ramos' first specialty beer at Alewife. A creamy head and a subtle peach aroma and flavor mark the beer. Arthur's Revenge Stout, brewed in the style of a dry Irish stout, appeared after an initial visit. A summer wheat beer, in the American wheat beer style, is planned, and Shipyard Brewing's Brown Ale and Goat Island Light are also brewed by Ramos at Alewife. The tie-in here is that Alan Pugsley is also a partner in Shipyard, and all Pugsley-designed brewpubs brew at least a couple of Shipyard beers. Pints at Alewife sell for $3.50, 10-ounce glasses for $2.25 and 6-ounce samplers for $1.50.

The Grille part of Alewife is a full-service restaurant, serving lunch and dinner seven days a week. Sandwiches ($5.95-$7.95) include leg of lamb, a portobello mushroom burger and roasted garden vegetables. Dinner offerings ($11.95-$17.95) consist of grilled and roasted chicken, chops and steaks, as well as lasagna and seafood.

O'Neill says that business is great at Alewife. If the crowd present on a recent visit is any indication, this new Connecticut brewpub has found a perfect location and a loyal following. The beers are good, the food appetizing and the decor pleasing. Add one more brewpub to the I-91/Connecticut River Valley beer tour.

The Alewife Grille & Brewery, 2935 Main Street, Glastonbury, Connecticut, 860-659-8686.