Broad brook brewing company

How does one become a Brewmaster? For Eric Mance, owner of Broad Brook Brewery in Suffield, it started the day he turned 21 and began drinking Budweiser and other popular American beers. “They make good beer, but lack a true flavor profile and I was looking for something different,” Mance said. He began to try imported beers such as Spatan and Beck’s from Germany along with Belgian and English beers. That soon led to Mance and his future business partner, Tom Rossing, to seek out craft beers found at Long Trail, Magic Hat, Shipyard, Allagash, and other New England and imported breweries. The pair was inspired to begin home brewing with the thought that someday, maybe, they might open their own craft brewery - something that wouldn’t happen until 2013 after several years of experimenting. “Our interest in the craft brewing industry was definitely piqued as we saw more and more beer lovers seeking out craft brews, along with a possible place for us in Connecticut which at the time had few craft breweries,” said Mance. Spurred on by friends who told them they loved their home brews, they realized that wasn’t enough. “Of course, they’re going to love your beer because they are getting it for free,” laughed Mance, who along with Rossing looked for additional ways to validate their brews. “We began sending our beer to competitions all over the country and we won quite a few. Knowing that others appreciated our beer further validated that what we were brewing was legitimate and of good quality. Our next step was to pour our beers at various beer fests in order to build name recognition before ever opening our own brewery. Suddenly we were now standing next to Long Trail and Shipyard, brewers we looked up to. And, now people were lining up for our beers and coming back for more,” Mance said, noting it was time to do the research and finally open their own brewery. “I have a business background which

helped in understanding what it takes to start and run a business. We were brewing out of Tom’s garage in Broad Brook, and that is how we got our name. One of the things we realized is that we needed a place with traffic and we found a space in East Windsor behind Sofia’s Plaza, which was the right size for us at the time and gave us good visibility,” Mance said. After maximizing their space capacity in East Windsor within two years after opening, it was time to look for a new location. After a long search, the partners eventually found a plot of land to build on in Suffield on Route 75 near Bradley International Airport and opened this May. When designing their new building, Mance said it was important to add a full kitchen. “What we noticed through having a tap room was that people would come in, have a couple beers, some even bringing their own food. But making a fantastic beer wasn’t enough to keep them in their seats and many were leaving within an hour or two to find somewhere to eat,” said Mance. It was a good decision for them to add the kitchen. “Despite COVID-19, we are busier than ever and have a wait list on Fridays and Saturdays to get in. We couldn’t be happier. Still, with COVID-19 we are limited in our capacity and are strictly adhering to state guidelines to provide a safe environment for our staff and customers,” said Mance. It is their brewing philosophy that Mance feels sets them apart from others. “Every brewery has their only little interpretations to their beers, that is what drives customers to go to different breweries. I think the biggest thing for us is that we try to brew as close to the style as possible. For example, our Broad Brook Ale is an English Special Bitter and all of the ingredients that go into it are from England. Our Munich Lager and Oktoberfest are brewed with premium malts and hops from Germany,” said Mance. Along with a well-crafted beer, an eyecatching label also helps sales and that is where artist Dean McKeever comes in. “We give Dean the beer’s name, style, a paragraph about the brew, and on some occasions the direction we would like him to take. Just as an example, in early November we brought back our Promiscuous

Unfiltered IPA after a long hiatus. Its tongue-in-cheek label shows a woman’s hand with a pair of keys hanging from her fingers,” said Mance. Thirsty customers can today choose anywhere from 12 to 15 beers on tap at Broad Brook Brewing. “We are a two-brew system brewery with a big 30-barrel brew house where we make almost 1,000 gallons in a batch, along with what I call our three-barrel test kitchen, which only makes 90 gallons in a batch. It’s in the test kitchen where we come up with new ideas for our beers. We were recently experimenting with cherries, vanilla and chocolate and ended up with something that tastes almost like Black Forest cake. When you are only making 90 gallons it allows us to test it out in our tap room and if people like it, then put it into full production as we will be doing with Leaf Peeper Pale Ale,” said Mance. Those in search of a good pour will find a wide variety of beers at Broad Brook Brewery from traditional ales and lagers to unique interpretations of these styles including fruited sours. “There is always something new and exciting on tap,” said Mance. Asked what their most popular beer is with customers, he answered “that’s a tough one.” “What one person likes, another person doesn’t. But I can tell you that our most asked for beers have been Jigawatts, Lucid Dreams, and Euphoria,” said Mance. Lucid Dreams Milkshake IPA is hoppy, juicy and smooth and brewed with Zythos and Sabro Hops and lactose. Jigawatts DIPA 3.0 is their full-flavored New England Double IPA that is double dry hopped with Cascade, Mosaic and Citra. Euphoria is an unfiltered brew that is their version of a New England Style IPA. It is a juicy blend of Columbus, Mosaic, and Citra hops, displaying an earthy and piney undertone enhanced by multiple dry hopping additions exploding with bold citrus, grapefruit, tropical flavors and aromas balanced with a softer mouth. And, just in time for Christmas, Broad Brook Brewing is bringing back its Holiday Homewrecker Ale with a light roasty scent and hints of caramel and coffee only available at the brewery. Just as flavorful as the beer, its label pokes fun at Santa

who is riding a wrecking ball that is crashing into a house. “People love it…. it’s a dark ale, just a good winter warmer that is higher in alcohol,” said Mance. In addition to sipping on some tasty brews, customers can enjoy some taste-tempting treats from Executive Chef Derek Andersen, who has come up with some crafty creations of his own for their tap room menu. “We wanted a kitchen where everything is fresh and made from scratch. Derek does a phenomenal job with the menu using unique ingredients that provide a flavorful dining experience accompanied by sipping on our beers. It’s not your typical pub food and you won’t find a fryolator in the kitchen, but we do have a wood-fired brick oven for our pizzas,” Mance said. Noshers can snack on marinated olives, cheese and meat boards, charred wings and more. If you want something more substantial, the menu features a bacon burger, pork sliders, jalapeno popper grilled cheese or smokey grilled cheese, as well as several other selections. There are also 12 pizzas to choose from varying from simple cheese or pepperoni to more inventive creations such as Drunken Swine, made with beer cheese, fontina, applewood smoked bacon, carmelized red onion, chives and roasted garlic aioli. “Our tap room is family friendly if you want to bring your children along. Our staff consists mostly of family members, including my wife, Rita,” said Mance, who noted they also serve wines from Connecticut wineries, as well as locally-made hard cider and soda. Take-out food is also available. Since opening in their new location, Mance said they have increased their distribution to cover all of Massachusetts and Connecticut. In addition to purchasing cans at the brewery, their beers can also be found in many stores as well as on tap in restaurants.

Broad Brook Brewing is located at 915 South St., in Suffield, Conn. Hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 3-8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 860-623-1000 or email info@broadbrookbrewing.com.