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20+ Places for Oktoberfest in CT: 2019 Edition

Features Oktoberfest Holiday Festival CT Beer Beer Garden Events

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

It may be called OKTOBERfest, but 2019’s Oktoberfest festivities are kicking off as early as September!  Breweries are creating their own German inspired beers while popular restaurants are providing their own renditions of bratwurst and more.  Get your lederhosen ready… Oktoberfest 2019 is here!

The Hops Company, Derby

The Hops Company will be hosting its 4th annual Oktoberfest on Sunday, October 13, 2019 beginning at 12:00pm.  Featuring Von Trapp Brewery, the day will include live bands, giveaways, and specialty casks.  A highlight of The Hops Company’s Oktoberfest is the Stein Hoisting Contest.  Each winner will receive an overnight stay for two at the Von Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT.

Half Full Brewery, Stamford

Oktoberfest in the Park, presented by Half Full Brewery, returns to Stamford on September 27 & 28.  Festivities include food trucks, a Pop-Up Beer Garden, and Live Music from a variety of local and regional acts. The festival is held in support of the Mill River Park Collaborative and takes place on The North Lawn & Grand Steps in Mill River Park in downtown Stamford. 

Troupe429, Norwalk

Saturday October 5 is PRIDEtoberfest at Troupe429 in Norwalk.  The free event features plenty of drinks, food, and live performances. 

Sandy Hook Craft Beer Festival, Newtown

Just in time for your Octoberfest parties comes the Sandy Hook Craft Beer Festival.  There are currently over 45 breweries signed up and 6 food trucks.  Additional vendors will provide food, candy, spirits and other shopping fun.  Join them Saturday October 15 from 1-5pm.

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Guide To Healthy Eating in Connecticut 2019

Features healthy Best of CT Juice Bar Paleo Gluten-Free Special Dietary Needs Specialty Market Vegetarian Vegan Homepage

April Guilbault

80% of New Year’s resolutions don’t make it to February. Yeeks. Sorry. Not to start our 2019 Healthy Eating Guide off on a negative foot or anything. Are you determined, though, that this will be the year that you finally cut the junk, cut the excuses, and buckle down so you don’t have to move that ol’ belt buckle? We thought so and therefore, we’d like to give you a leg up on throwing that 80% statistic to the ground and showing it who is boss. When you surround yourself with the healthy stuff, it makes it easy to enjoy the healthy stuff, so that said, we’ve got a nice long list of inventive, delicious, inspiring spots that are serving up food that will help you cruise into February with your head held high. 

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20+ Places To Celebrate Oktoberfest in CT: 2018 Edition

Features Holiday Oktoberfest Beer Garden CT Beer Events

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Fall is here!  That means spice pumpkin lattes, apple picking, Halloween shopping, and of course… Oktoberfest!  Connecticut restaurants, farms, museums, and fairgrounds are holding their own versions of the German holiday.  These places are serving up German-inspired cuisine, brews, music, entertainment, and more. We will continue to update this list as venues announce events. Check back for more events throughout the month. 

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Friday Froth: An ESB Or Three?

Features Beer CT Beer Beer Garden Brewery

James Gribbon

This week we're going to look at some beers which could be confused for the country's least glitzy style, the Extra Special Bitter, or ESB. Most people who had access to beer, legally or not, in the Cro-The problem with taste sensations is their inevitable ubiquity. Like a new song quickly overplayed into agonizing repetition, the new hotness becomes common as mud or lobster mac and cheese. Bloody Mary gimmicks are an excellent example.

Magnon craft beer era of the 1990s will remember Red Hook ESB. It was a good touch bitter, with a sharp roast and a twinge of sweetness to its malt-forward profile. English inspired bones fleshed out by a toddling American craft beer industry, it sold a ton as a delicious change of pace from Bud/Miller/Coors/Molson/Corona, and was to be one of the first brands bought and ruined by "Big Beer," in this case Anheuser-Busch.

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Friday Froth: Kent Pils, Two Roads Spills on Area 2, And A Hazy IPA That Kills

Features Ingredients CT Beer Beer Garden Beer Brewery

James Gribbon

This week in Friday Froth we're going to toss back a beer in the middle of a trend, a new creation in an old style, and some brewery news which leads us to an aged beer.

And now, as another James May say, the nyeewws:

I recently was among the first few dozen civilians to ever see the inside of Two Roads' new mixed fermentation secondary brewery, Area 2. First announced in 2016, this new on-site facility in Stratford will focus on sour, barrel aged, and wild ales - all the little organisms bursting with possibility, and voted most likely to make your wine or Bud Light drinking friends say "This is beer?!?"

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Friday Froth: Roadtrip To New England Brewing Company

Features Beer CT Beer Beer Garden Brewery Woodbridge

James Gribbon

We're taking Friday Froth on the road this week, and making the trip to New England Brewing Company in Woodbridge. You can practically hit NEBCo from the Merritt Parkway if you had a t-shirt cannon or severely misjudged your speed upon taking exit 59. You should do this (not overcooking the exit, I mean - and standing on the highway firing large projectiles is probably some sort of Nanny State "offense," come to think of it), but you should nonetheless take the drive because the beer at the end is, as anyone living in the state for more than three weeks can attest, quite good. 

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Guide To Healthy Eats in CT: 2018 Edition

Restaurant healthy Juice Cleanse Juice Bar Organic Vegan Vegetarian Specialty Market Special Dietary Needs Best of CT Homepage

April Guilbault

We are only a few short weeks into this brand-spanking new year, and TVs are blaring with eating program ads, magazine covers are screaming about how to “Lose 10 lbs. in a week!” and gyms are overflowing with people running for their lives on treadmills (Run, Forrest, Run!). Naturally, the CTBites answer to the holiday indulgences? EAT! Ok, ok…eat…HEALTHILY! Our fair state is brimming with amazing grocers, restaurants, and speciality stores that can help you get back on track after a season of going full-tilt boogie with the eating and drinking. The best part is that everything is so delicious and interesting. Branch out this year and try some new flavors and foods…goji berries, Matcha, Cauliflower pizza crust (wha!), Jackfruit! Dive in and explore. Here are some venues that will help you do just that. One more note: We fully realize that due to the sheer amount of noteworthy establishments, we are not able to list them all here. Please refer to our past Healthy Eats roundups for more listings and also, please chime in with places that you know and love. The more the merrier! 

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Harlan Haus Beer Hall Opens in Bridgeport January 10 

Restaurant Beer Garden Beer CT Beer Bridgeport German Comfort Food Bar Homepage

Jessica Ryan

Five years ago Chef Stephen Lewandowski launched Harlan Social in the heart of the new and emerging South End area in Stamford. Named after his son Harlan, the modern American gastropub quickly rose into a mainstay for locals. Harlan Publick would open next, in the heart of SoNo. The local favorite offers creative comfort food and a wide offering of beverages. On January 10th, Harlan Haus, the German-inspired Bier and Wurst hall, will open to the public, in the historic People’s Bank Building built in 1917.    

A century later the well preserved, 7,000-square-foot space perfectly marries the historic Neoclassical elements with today’s modern influences. Most of the building’s architectural details remain well preserved from the elegant light fixtures above, to the curved teller bank wall that separates the bar area from the rest of the restaurant. Harlan Haus is poised for success with its promise to offer superb, innovative, family-friendly fare in a social setting. 

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BAD SONS Brewery Opens In Derby: Designed For Guests

Ingredients Features Derby Brewery Beer CT Beer Beer Garden Road Trip

James Gribbon

First of all: Beacon Falls, Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, Oxford, Naugatuck, Shelton - in acronym, BAD SONS, collectively "The Valley." Once the manufacturing heart of an industrial state, the factories shut down to reopen out west, overseas, or not at all, but their brick shells remained. Once known for hats, watches, and artillery shells, there is new life to be found in old factories in the valley, which have become perfect incubators for the Connecticut brewing industry's baby boom.

The BAD SONS brewery inhabits a space in Derby just down the Housatonic river from the Yale crew team's boathouse, about 300 yds from the Dew Drop Inn. This coal-era brick monolith may be where "BAD SONS" comes to mean "Valley Beer."

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Village Beer Garden Opens in Port Chester's Metro North Station w/ Ales, Lagers, Schnitzel and Bratwurst

Restaurant Beer Garden Beer Lunch Bar Openings

Stephanie Webster

The Village Beer Garden makes its debut this weekend at the Metro-North Train Station in Port Chester. Our House Hospitality, whose eating and drinking establishments include the Rye House in Manhattan and Port Chester, and Sala One Nine, Tapas Bar & Restaurant in the Flatiron District of New York, has created an open-air urban retreat reminiscent of a German Biergarten – only now with the whistle and hum of a north and south bound locomotive in the background.   

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The Outdoor Beer Garden at Shippan Landing, Stamford, Opens May 18

Restaurant Features Beer Garden CT Beer Beer Outdoor Dining Kid Friendly Stamford

Hey Stamford!

This in from Hey Stamford!

The Beer Garden in Shippan Landing is just weeks away from opening for the season!

Imian Partners, owners of the 15,000 square foot waterfront oasis plan to roll up their doors on Thursday May 18th and run through mid-October (weather permitting).  The hours of operation are Wednesdays & Thursdays from  4:00pm – 11:00pm; Friday:  3:00pm – 12:00am and Saturday & Sundays 2:00pm – 12:00am.

Throughout the Summer you can expect a variety of special events, including: Country Fest, A Food Truck Mash-up, Burger Throwdown, Yoga Fest and more! And, of course they’ll be opening as only they know how… a weekend long celebration to include cold beer, delicious food, amazing sunsets, live music and more!!  As more details become available we’ll be certain to share.  

Read the complete article on Hey Stamford.

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Embody Fitness Gourmet Opens New Location in Darien

Restaurant Darien healthy Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Take Out

Stephanie Webster

After nine years, EMBODY FITNESS GOURMET has a new location in Darien, at the Palmer’s Market Shopping Center (380 Heights Road). This is one of three Embody grab-n-go healthy organic locations; the others residing in New Canaan and Westport. 

Embody is our go-to spot for protein shakes, juices, and salads. In Darien, they have also started serving Intelligentsia coffee--one of the top coffee roasters in the country. Embody's menu embraces all forms of lean proteins and nutrient dense vegetables and fruits in their menu creations, many of which pair well together allowing customers to mix and match items for an entire day's worth of nutrition. My personal favorite...The Almond Buzz, a perfect combination of almond butter, almond milk, bananas, cacao and protein powder. 

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Lock City Brewing to Open Stamford Tap Room & Brewery via Hey Stamford!

Features Beer Beer Garden CT Beer sta Stamford Homepage

Hey Stamford!

If you’ve attended any craft beer festival in or around Connecticut over the last several years, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered Lock City Brewing Company.  Coming late Spring, you won’t have to attend your favorite beer fest to sample their brews. Lock City Brewing Company is putting the finishing touches on a brand new homebase, right here in Stamford.  

Head brewer, Michael Bushnell, and co-founder Patrick Casicolo, (sales and marketing) plan to open their flagship location in the Glenbrook/Springdale section of Stamford. I had a chance to meet with Michael Bushnell recently, where he walked me through the space and talked about their plans.  

Read the complete article on Hey Stamford!

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Eastern CT Beer Sampler: A Trip to Beer'd, Outer Light Brewing & Moxie

Ingredients Restaurant Beer Beer Garden CT Beer

James Gribbon

Last Friday, around the time the afternoon crowd was clicking on last week's column, I was overflowing with the desire to get out of town. A neighbor of mine, a semi-recent immigrant from eastern Europe, was heading home. In the years of our acquaintance I'd only known him to go two places: his day job as a carpenter, and his back yard. His whole idea of Connecticut, his entire concept of the U.S., for all I know, would be worksites, the highway, and a quarter acre of manicured grass. He was utterly unconcerned, but I was tragedy stricken - and determined to get out and do... something.

Just like in a movie script, that's when the phone rang.

"Sorry this is last minute, man," the caps lock Wisconsin accent told me who it was immediately. "But I need a trip to the casino. I got the room paid for, you just bring your liver." 

I didn't really have the money to play with, it was Friday rush hour on I-95, and I try to avoid casinos in general.

"Sure. Let me pack." Let's see what happens, I thought. I am a leaf on the wind.

Although the end results were largely indistinguishable, the casino was marginally more entertaining than feeding those same $20 bills to sea gulls. I was neither keen to go back the next day, nor on the prospect of a two hour, day-wasting drive home. It was my turn to provide the inspiration:

"Let's hit a brewery I know."
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Catch a Healthy Habit in Fairfield: New Summer Menu, Raw, Vegan, Gluten Free

Restaurant Juice Bar Smoothies Special Dietary Needs Vegetarian healthy vegan Raw

Jessica Ryan

Unassumingly tucked away amongst the store-fronts in downtown Fairfield is Catch a Healthy Habit. Maybe you’ve not been in a while…maybe you’ve never been at all, or you’ve been curious, but you’ve never been. The Cafe has been in Fairfield for over six years and in New Haven for two years prior to opening in Fairfield.

This casual, health-based, raw, gluten-free and vegan eatery focuses on clean eating. Their products are organic and non-GMO and the tastes and presentations are delicious and beautiful. They recently launched their new Spring/Summer menu and Stephanie Webster, armed with her camera, and I had the opportunity to stop in and sample some of the newest goodies to grace the menu. The food is gorgeously plated, visually stunning, allowing the naturally vibrant colors of spring to take center stage. As the weather heats up and we shed our outer layers we still need to satisfy our hunger without feeling weighted down.

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Kent Falls Brewing Begins Bottle Sales At The Farm: A First Look

Ingredients Restaurant Beer Beer Garden Brewery CT Beer

James Gribbon

If, in an alternate world, you'd bought stock in Kent Falls Brewing Co. the first time you read about the small, Connecticut based brewer here on CTBites, you'd be rich by now. The brewery isn't actually public in the financial sense, but it will welcome the public to its farm in Kent, Conn. for the first time on June 11. Kent Falls beer has previously only been available on tap, in bottles at a few shops, and at single farmer's market. All that changes this summer, and anyone up for a drive to the NW corner will be able to buy it bottled at the source, Saturdays from 11a.m.-5p.m., with a focus on special releases like brewery-only IPAs and barrel aged beers. A special bottle release is planned for the grand opening on the 11th.

Kent Falls has seen its popularity skyrocket lately and, as I've said several times before, the beer justifies the acclaim. The announcement of their new retail sales plan ended up being just the push I needed to finally visit their brewery and the working farm in which it's seated. Here is your first look.
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15 Places to Eat Healthy in CT: Juice Bars, Restaurants, Organic Markets & Food Trucks (2016 Edition)

Ingredients Restaurant Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Organic healthy Best of CT

April Guilbault

No partridges and pear trees in our version, but there were....

12 Frosted Cookies...11 Drinks-a-Drunk...10 Dips-for-Dipping...9 Ice-Cold Cocktails...8 Trays of Hors d’oeuvres...7 Festive Brunches...6 Company Dinners...5 Cooooookie Traaaaays (everybody sing)!...4 Cheese Straws...3 Baked Hams...2 Yule Logs...and (finally)...1 Healthy Meal for MEEEEE!!

Time to get back on that wagon, everyone. And thankfully, you have us to help you do it! Happy 2016 to you and may it be filled with good eats and good health! And ok, a good organic wine or beer now and then.

Here are 15 Healthy Restaurants, Juice Bars, Organic Market & Food Trucks across the state of Connecticut.

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The Stand Juice Company Opens 3rd Location in Westport

Restaurant Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Westport healthy

Jessica Ryan

Vegetarians and vegans and clean eaters rejoice, The Stand Juice Company has opened its 3rd location and is now open in Westport.

Carissa and Mike Hvizdo are passionate about what they do and passionate about the plant based juices, snacks, sandwiches and baked goods they serve at The Stand. Their commitment to “providing good food and a better earth using the land to do so,” has paved the way to their newest and 3rd location.

Mike and Carissa met at a farmer’s market. They will tell you that their connection was profound - brought together by her passion for living life off the land and Mike’s first-hand experience with conquering a rare blood disease through natural healing methods, which ultimately led to him earning his holistic educator certification and his work with the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, FL.

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