Connecticut Beer Archives

BRANFORD, Connecticut – Caius Farm Brewery, a new craft brewery, is excited to announce their highly anticipated launch with a grand public opening starting on Friday, March 10, 2023. Local entrepreneur and accredited brewer, Caius Mergy, presents his brewery in a newly constructed ~6,500 sq ft roman basilica style barn that houses both a 10–20-barrel brewhouse and an open-style taproom. Outdoors, the facility includes a 3-season heated German-style beer garden with ~3 acres of land that fronts the Branford River and ~1 acre of wetlands with lawns for seating and outdoor games. An enjoyable place for family and friends alike to gather.

Caius Farm Brewery’s tap room and public spaces are open Thursdays 4 p.m. – 9 p.m.; Fridays 2 p.m. – 10 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. The brewery will be closed to the public Monday through Wednesday when manufacturing will be underway.

Caius will offer an extensive variety of beers, spanning a wide selection of tastes, both seasonal and specialty ales, while specializing in German styles extensive variety of beers. In addition, there will be a focus on mixed fermentation sour beer as well as a “huge emphasis” on barrel aging. The brewery facility will also embrace a farmhouse atmosphere for its guests and the beer styles being produced.

For the younger crowd or those seeking a non-alcoholic option, Caius also has created a unique range of homemade flavored Italian sodas, called scriccio, that are created and mixed on-site as well.

There will be a range of food options, with a regular rotation of two food trucks. In the near future, Caius also plans to make available inside handcrafted charcuterie boards in cooperation with Fromage of Old Saybrook and tailored to be paired with Caius Farm beers – it will be a must try treat.

At Caius Farm Brewery, the unique and much anticipated range of craft beers collides with both local and global historical perspectives. Mergy reveals a tapestry of cultures through the flavors of his craft. With a master’s degree from the University of Oxford in Classical Archaeology, degrees from both the Master Brewer program at the Siebel Institute in Chicago, and the Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany, and professional brewing experience in California, Mergy combines his passions, expertise, and experiences, bringing back to his home state of Connecticut. Caius Farm Brewery is set to become part of the unique heart and soul of the Connecticut shoreline and destination for beer lovers in all of New England. While the area has so much to offer, there is nowhere else quite like it, it’s unprecedented. According to Mergy, “I just want to share the styles and my passion for the industry with the local community and keep it as a small family-oriented brewery. And I also want to make sure there’s always a style for everybody. That way, it’s a very welcoming place.”

The new, state of the art brewhouse sits on a historic site, where the David Baldwin house and farm once laid. Paying homage to Branford’s long respected farming community, Mergy maximizes the brewery’s connectivity to the landscape through the regeneration of a small hop yard, edible landscaping, fruit trees, and as a home to beehives to create a unique honey – all of which Mergy plans to use as ingredients. The brewery aims to limit waste by using sustainable practices and sourcing ingredients from local Connecticut farms and small businesses. Spent grain from the brewing process will also be provided to 3B Ranch in Northford, CT. Mergy is cultivating not just the land but a community as well.

“We can’t wait to explore the future of our beer with the local community, and we will keep to our slogan of: Body, Soul, Mind, Beer.” ©

If you would like more information on Caius Farm Brewery, please go to https://www.caiusfarmbrewery.com/ and also join them on Instagram or Facebook @caiusfarmbrewery for the most current updates. Please email info@caiusfarmbrewery.com for media inquiries.

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STRATFORD, Connecticut – True to its name, Two Roads Brewing Co. became Connecticut’s biggest craft brewer by taking its own, less-traveled path, always focused on delighting its fans while never resting on its laurels. That same ethos holds today, as the brewer embarks on its second decade with a more honed-in strategic approach to its business, its overall look, its brands, and its award-winning innovation.

The most visible evidence, unveiled today, comes in Two Roads’ first-ever, portfolio-wide packaging refresh – one that speaks to a more consumer packaged goods (CPG)-oriented approach to the brewer’s brand, shelf presence and marketing support. Retaining its iconic, fan-favorite crossed-arms logo, every Two Roads can, bottle and box now showcases a stronger master-brand architecture, greater emphasis on its sub-brands and styles, and a more modernly clean approach to design. While Two Roads’ original packaging helped establish the brand as a household name among discerning craft fans, the new design instills more consistency across all lines and products, enabling Two Roads to make a stronger, more unified statement on shelf.

Two years in the making, the refresh resulted from extensive internal and external research, including direct feedback from retailers and distributors and a series of consumer surveys, panels and focus groups.

“Our category is far more competitive than it was when Two Roads launched in 2012. Today, more than ever, craft brewers need to have branding that makes the selection process easier for the consumer: brands need to stand out, stand for something and have staying power,” said Brad Hittle, co-founder and CEO of Two Roads Brewing Co. “We’ve always been about taking the road less traveled, and our revamped packaging keeps that feeling front and center while making it easier to find us, identify our sub-branding and styles, and appeal to a new generation of craft fans.”

New Investments in Talent; Focus on Top Sub-Brands

The brewery’s evolution to a CPG mindset has it relying more on data to drive its business, marketing, and sales strategies. The shift resulted from the work of an internal task force formed during the pandemic charged with strengthening the company’s overall position and its leadership team with standout veteran beer and CPG executives.

General Manager Brian Hollinger, previously VP Operations at Dogfish Head, was hired to transition the company’s operations from “home grown” to “world class”, while on the commercial side, Brian Corrie was brought on as VP of Sales and Brian Duprey as Senior Director of National Accounts, both of whom have decades of experience working for top beer brands. Two Roads’ fortified marketing strategy – led by Collin Kennedy, who has more than a decade of experience in beer and broader CPG marketing – will help support their efforts.

Some of those executives were part of a newly-formed Business Insights team that used data and trade feedback to develop a revised and highly focused beer portfolio strategy centered on:

A deeper commitment to Road 2 Ruin – Two Roads’ Double IPA – as its flagship beer
Line extensions that leverage existing brand equity from other top performing SKUs like Lil’ Heaven and Two Juicy
Innovations that keep with its “road-less-travelled” mantra, including Juicy Box, an industry-first 16 oz. variety six-pack of hazy IPA’s
“Juicy Box took a total team effort and has been a huge hit; we are barely keeping up with demand. Consumers love the name and the product—a one-two punch for success,” Hittle continued.

Two Roads product development strategy also includes approaching “beyond beer” as a category that encompasses more than just hard seltzer and ready-to-drink canned cocktails. Within the last six months, Two Roads has released it first two non-alcoholic beers, Non-Alcoholic Juicy IPA and Non-Alcoholic American IPA, along with the first products from Two Roads Distilling: small-batch vodka and London-dry gin. Each was developed by the brewery’s renowned Master Brewer Phil Markowski and is currently available for sale at the Two Roads Brewery. They follow the brewery’s Daybreaker line of premium, vodka-infused ready-to-drink cocktails, available at retailers throughout southern New England. Each initiative emerged from the Markowski-run Area Two Experimental Brewing facility, which will continue to fuel smart innovation to delight evolving tastes.

About Two Roads Brewing Co.

Two Roads Brewing Co., launched in 2012, is a privately owned craft beverage company offering a wide-ranging portfolio of beers, canned cocktails, hard seltzers, distilled spirits, and other Road Less Traveled beverages. Located in Stratford Connecticut, Two Roads is ranked 54th among 9,500+ independently owned breweries in the US according to the Brewer’s Association.

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Connecticut Beer

Caius Farm Brewery to Open March 2023 in Branford, Conn.

Two Roads Brewing Launches Portfolio-Wide Packaging Refresh