Gotta Catch 'Em All
A trip up to the Nutmeg State and a visit to a funereal brewery
I’m a huge geography nerd, and I’m always looking for ways to combine that interest with beer. Many times I find myself asking brewery-related questions that require some research to find an answer. Yesterday, I asked myself, “how many U.S. states do not have a craft brewery in their largest city?”
This is an offshoot of a question I had researched a few years ago, when I asked “what’s the largest U.S. city without a craft brewery?” That answer was, and still is, Moreno Valley, California.
Anyway, you might be thinking, “Chris, there’s no way that the largest city in every state doesn’t have a craft brewery.” And you’d be right. I was actually surprised by this, given that this country has its fair share of statistical anomalies. But there are four states whose largest cities have just one craft brewery. Newark, New Jersey has Newark Local Beer (there’s also a much larger brewery in town). Fargo, North Dakota is home to Drekker Brewing Company and only Drekker Brewing Company. Wilmington, Delaware had two until October when Iron Hill closed all their locations, but now they’re left with just Wilmington Brew Works. In Mississippi, Fertile Ground Beer Co. is Jackson’s only brewery.
So there’s your answer: every U.S. state’s largest city has a brewery, but not every state’s largest city is Portland or Denver when it comes to breweries.
Breweries by Train: The Metro-North New Haven Line
This is the fourth in a series of helpful brewery guides for those looking to escape New York City for a beer along the lines of one of our three commuter rail systems. You can read previous guides for Metro-North’s Hudson Line, LIRR’s Babylon Branch, and NJ Transit’s Gladstone Branch. This week, we head to the Nutmeg State via Metro-North’s New Haven Line.
From Westchester County all the way to New Haven, Metro-North can get you to quite a few breweries along its New Haven Line. Here’s a rundown of the breweries and taprooms, stop by stop, as long as you’re willing to endure the two-hour end-to-end ride on a commuter train.
New Rochelle: While they closed their Brooklyn brewery and the beer is currently brewed in a space Upstate, 18th Ward Brewing’s Taproom in New Rochelle is a four-minute walk from the city’s Metro-North station and the closest taproom to Grand Central along the New Haven Line.
Mamaroneck: Just a short walk from the south end of the station, you’ll first see Half Time Beverage, which is a paradise for those seeking beers at home. But around the far side of the building, you’ll find the home of Marlowe Artisanal Ales, who moved into the space in 2023.
Port Chester: While Run & Hide Brewing has grand plans to move into a space even closer to the Metro-North station in Port Chester, they’ve got a taproom (the beer is brewed elsewhere) on Westchester Avenue where they’re pouring their own beers and guest taps along with some tasty sandwiches.
Greenwich: Real estate in this hoity-toity Fairfield County town is not cheap, so it’s not surprising that its namesake brewery is confined to a small taproom. Greenwich Brewing Company may not brew in Greenwich, but their pint-sized bar and hot chicken joint, which is accessed up a stairway and down a hallway, is a hidden gem.
Stamford: Half Full Brewery has been a staple of Stamford’s beer scene for years, and while their original brewery and taproom closed last year, the brewery lives on at Third Place by Half Full Brewery, a bright, airy spot that’s just a six-minute walk from the east end of the Stamford Metro-North station.
South Norwalk: Just a short walk up Chestnut Street from the SoNo station, you’ll find Spacecat Brewing Company, a vibrant brewery, taproom, beer garden, and food truck that’s been churning out cat-themed beers since 2021 in a converted old mill building.
Fairfield-Black Rock: As we get closer to Bridgeport, we finally reach our first stop with two breweries. Just a stone’s throw from the station via a walkway, you’ll find Elicit Brewing Co.’s Fairfield location, a booming space that can be a bit of scene. If you’re looking for something more low-key, Twelvenote Brew Co. just opened about a 20-minute walk away, churning out musically inspired beers in cozy space.
Bridgeport: You’ll find three breweries near the Metro-North stop serving in Connecticut’s largest city. Berlinetta Brewing focuses on European style beer in a sleek taproom downtown that’s fitted with an audiophile’s wet dream of a sound system. Brewport Brewing is a big, industrial space inside a highway interchange that pairs pizza and beer. And Rhode Island-based Foolproof Brewing opened a brewery, taproom, and kitchen in the East End of the city last year — a space so big, it even has a car elevator and often has classic cars on display.
Stratford: A 20-minute walk from Stratford station will get you to the sprawling campus of Connecticut’s largest brewery, Two Roads Brewing. Yes, a campus, where you’ll find the main taproom, the brewery (tours every Saturday afternoon), Area Two (their experimental taproom), a Hop Yard, a Beer Garden, a food hall and bar, and a golf simulator.
Milford: While not exactly walkable from the town’s Metro-North station, Milford boasts three breweries: Dockside Brewery, which has a sprawling deck overlooking the Housatonic River; Tribus Beer Co., which has become the hype-beast brewery of Southwestern Connecticut; and Milford Point Brewing, which is right off I-95 for a quick stop for beer.
New Haven: We’ve reached the end of the line, but New Haven is full of beer surprises. Start at the north end of town and get to East Rock Brewing, which specializes in German-style beer. Then work your way down to Hoax Brewing, which is housed inside an Italian joint called Nolo. Armada Brewing is making a wide variety of beer styles out of its home in New Haven’s Fair Haven neighborhood. And the oldest beer game in town, BAR, is part nightclub, part pizza joint, and part brewpub, making beer downtown for nearly thirty years.
Upcoming Beer Events of Note
Manhattan: Mad Scientists Beer Dinner at Sixpoint Brewery at Brookfield Place, Friday 12/5 at 6pm, $75
Brooklyn: Gun Hill Publick House 3rd Anniversary at Gun Hill Publick House, Friday 12/5 from 7-10pm, free entry
Brooklyn: Cantina Cantina/Saltfields Rice Life Release at Beer Street South, Saturday 12/6 at noon, free entry
Brooklyn: Hops Hill Atlantic 3rd Anniversary at Hops Hill Atlantic, Saturday 12/6 from noon, free entry
Brooklyn: Stout Season 2025 at Other Half Brewing Gowanus, Saturday 12/6 from noon-4pm, tickets start at $70
Brooklyn: Fury Fest at Sound & Fury Brewing, Saturday 12/6 from 6pm-close, free entry
Manhattan: Threes Brewing Feast of Seven Fishes & Seven Beers Dinner at Cull and Pistol, Thursday 12/11 at 7pm, tickets $95
Brooklyn: Bierwax 8th Anniversary at Bierwax, Saturday 12/13 from noon to midnight, free entry
Brooklyn: Gun Hill Barrel Aged Beer Festival at Gun Hill Publick House, Saturday 1/24 from noon-5pm, tickets start at $60
Brewery Tracker
Total brewery count: 3,910
Total breweries visited in 2025: 284
Total breweries visited in Michigan: 93
Brewery Visit of the Week
Brewery #1302, Brewery Vivant, Grand Rapids, Michigan (Visited 14-Oct-2018)
Longtime readers of this newsletter may know that I’m a sucker for a brewery in a weird repurposed building. Brewery Vivant was definitely the first one I’ve visited in a former funeral home. The space still maintains beautiful stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings, and an imposing brick face. And perhaps most appropriately, the setting also inspires beer names, like Dread Necromancer and Wizard Burial Ground. My standout has and continues to be their Farm Hand, a simple, straightforward Saison that pairs quite nicely with their food menu. While they’ve integrated more modern-style beers into their lineup since my visit seven years ago, I’ll still gravitate toward their old-world stuff that gave this brewery their start. I’m overdue for a return to Grand Rapids and Brewery Vivant will be back on my itinerary again.
The Doom and Gloom Tracker
At least 3 breweries I’ve visited closed or announced their closure this week:
Brewery #151, Trinity Brewing Company, Colorado Springs, Colorado [Visited 7-Nov-2013]
Brewery #3689, Beaches Brewing Co., Toronto, Ontario, Canada [Visited 8-Mar-2025]
Brewery #3878, Hijinx Brewing Company, Allentown, Pennsylvania [Visited 25-Oct-2025]
The Weekly Reader
The story behind the story of Jim Koch’s yeast-eating [Aaron Goldfarb, VinePair]
The state of the beer industry through a Colorado lens [Ben Markus, CPR]
The state of the beer industry through an Oregon lens [Zac Ziegler, KLCC]
Some of the most scenic breweries are here in New York [Kate Bernot, Outside]
One Last Thing
I started this newsletter with a mention of some under-breweried cities, and I’ll end with the one I’m visiting this weekend: Savannah, Georgia. Despite being a major tourist destination, a known city of debauchery, and not far from another beer city heavyweight in Charleston, Savannah has just four breweries. On the bright side, that’ll make it easy to see its beer scene in full in just 48 hours. Gotta catch ‘em all.
Cheers,
Chris