Clocktown Brewing, Thomaston CT

26 November 2022

Today was a beautiful day for a drive and a beer, so off I went to somewhere new.

Clocktown Brewing is on the backside of a large industrial building, but fortunately the GPS knew how to get me to the right parking entrance and signs took me the rest of the way. They have a great outdoor area, as you can see, and a very large indoor space. All the brewing equipment is behind the bar.

There are 12 taps and they offer flights of 3 or 4 as well as both 12 and 16 ounce pours. I started with a flight, of course:

Probation American Pale Ale – I did like this one! It would be a great beer anytime of the year.

1853 Session IPA – This may have been my favorite of the four, an easy-drinking IPA that wasn’t too sweet and wasn’t too strong. It was a tough choice not to get a full pint of it.

Second Hand NEIPA – While this was sweeter than the 1853 (not surprising), it was still very tasty and if I hadn’t had the 1853 I would have really loved this one.

After Hours Schwarzbier – The flavor was good, but as with many beers of this style, I felt it was too thin. It could have used more mouthfeel.

Their food menu isn’t huge, but there’s a lot of variety including pizzas. I opted for the single Smashburger, a real treat with interesting standard toppings! I upgraded the standard fries to Truffle Fries and didn’t regret that choice for a minute – and they provided both mayo and ketchup for the fries and/or the burger. I thought I was hungry, but I took a good third of the fries home for tomorrow!

The flight was followed by a pint and a 12oz, and if you think they look about the same size, you’re right! I ordered a 12oz and paid for a 12oz, but as the server said, “Well, they messed up and poured a full pint!”

Thomaston Lager – With the coming of cooler weather, lagers have more interest for me and this one is a real winner! I suspect it’s a regular there and I’ll certainly have another if I ever return.

Nightmare on Elm NEIPA – To be perfectly honest, I got this on more for the name than anything else, but I found I liked it much more than the Second Hand. It was more flavorful and less sweet.

My only complaints are that the server was barely attentive – she was often nowhere to be seen and never stopped by to see if I needed anything; I had to get her attention while she was talking to other servers – and the room was just plain noisy, primarily due to loud music playing. It would not have been easy to hold a conversation there.