! KEITH O'CONNOR NATE BLAIS
Beerlovers and coffee rejoice Y
ou can now get your favorite pint of beer and morning cup of joe in one place at Connecticut Valley Brewing Company and its Birdhouse Coffee Bar & Kitchen in South Windsor, CT. “We are a family business. My father, Steve, who is now 51, had begun brewing beer in my grandma’s basement in college and shared his brews with family and friends over the years,” said Will Palauskas who is Marketing Manager at Connecticut Valley Brewing Company. But in the mid-2010s, what was a longtime hobby for his dad began to take on a career path. ”My dad and mom, Lori, were so passionate about craft beer and finally looked at one another one day saying it was ‘now or never’ to take the next big step and open their own brewery. They had visited many breweries over the years, where they not only enjoyed a good pint or two, but experienced what I refer to as ‘a special feeling of community.’ It is that same feeling of community that they wanted to create here in South Windsor,” Palauskas said. Their dream became a reality in 2018 when they opened their taproom and brewing facility, followed the next year by Birdhouse Coffee, a café and roastery that as their website proclaims, “celebrates
GOLOCALMAGAZINES.COM 19
