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Nicole Simeone
Firefly Hollow
On our annual trip to Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, we found ourselves at our usual pre-Haunted Graveyard stop, Firefly Hollow. If you aren’t paying careful attention to where you are going the first time you travel to this destination, you are more than likely to pass the old brick factory building by. Located at 139 Center Street, Firefly Hollow may not seem like the obvious choice from the outside, but it’s what’s on the inside that matters here. What you will find when you walk in their doors is very much a local “pop in and have a pint” kind of place. There is no overt pomp and circumstance rather a cozy and understated taproom where you can come and hang out with your friends.
In terms of food, the brewery is mostly a BYOF location, which made them a prime choice for us stopping here before Lake Compounce. We grabbed fast food on the way over and paired it with some delicious brews. I know, I know. Craft beer deserves a better partner than that, but we are always on a time crunch. Firefly Hollow does have pretzels, but as these are not baked in-house, they are on a first-come, first-served basis. The brewery hosts trivia as well as other events such as trivia and comedy if you are in any way local. Due to timing, we’ve missed their birthday celebration every time, which is a shame because their tap lineups are always appealing.
Not to say their standard list isn’t intriguing, and that is definitely true of the latest pilgrimage to Bristol. There were eight brews available when we stopped in. And would you look at that math, that equals two flights! Can you believe the luck?
The four in the front are, from left to right, Peach Creamer, Cumulus, Pumpkin Creamer and Exo. In the back, again from left to right, you are looking at the Glow, Ruby River, Bristol Common, Barrel-Aged Toadstool. Of all of these options, only the Bristol Common was familiar to us, so we had lots of new tastes to enjoy. Overall, there wasn’t a bad pick from this lineup. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Barrel-Aged Toadstool. Nothing wrong with it, just not my cup of tea, er, beer. I am going to pick out a few of the standouts for me.
Let me start with the BristoI Common. Its name a play on the beer’s official style, the California Common. A slight misnomer, but this style doesn’t find its way onto a lot of tap lists. CJ did a fantastic job reviewing one of the style’s widely distributed recipes from Anchor Steam in her inaugural post on NerdGirlsAreCool.com. Firefly Hollow’s version of the style has a rich, complex flavor to recommend it to drinkers. The drink beings on a sweet note with warm caramel, but not in a sticky overpowering way. The hops tip the scale toward the end giving the Bristol Common a bitter finish and balancing out the caramel.
Peach Creamer didn’t have a sharp nose to it, but there were faint wafts of vanilla coming up. Peach is a delicate flavor, I hesitated on including it on my paddle, but in the end, Adam probably wasn’t going to pick up on it since he’s not a huge fruit beer guy. I thought I was going to end up being Goldilocks sitting at the table looking for a middle ground. This didn’t happen. The peaches hit you upfront with the vanilla kicking in as the sip slides over your tongue. Even with a slightly tart finish, I found myself liking this beverage a lot. On a warm fall day, Peach Creamer would be an excellent choice to take out with you onto the porch.
Pumpkin Spice, in general terms, is divisive. I fall on the love side of the spectrum and would like to sit here and tell all of the pumpkin spice haters that Pumpkin Spice Creamer is going to change your mind. But, I would probably be lying in most cases. Firefly Hollow hasn’t attempted a pumpkin beer before now. It was absolutely worth the wait. The nose alone had me hooked. It smelled like I was holding a cup of chai tea under my nose. All of the vibrant spices coming together to prep the taste buds. The use of a cream ale as the base for the beer was an excellent choice. The mouthfeel played well with the allspice and vanilla to create the sensation drinking pumpkin pie. I can feel the cringing from all of the anti-pumpkin beer as I am putting this down on digital paper, but I don’t care. I enjoyed every last drop. So much so, that when I saw their post on Facebook announcing they would be releasing this in cans, I was ready to clear my weekend to take another two-hour drive just to pick up a four-pack. I’m not kidding.
We grab some beer to go before we left, a four-pack of their Oktoberfest and a bottle of Twinkler, a barleywine. I have not tapped into the barleywine bomber as yet. The Oktoberfest, on the other hand, I have sampled. This was a delightful, well-balanced brew that is one of the better Oktoberfests I have had this season.
If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend popping your head in and trying what Firefly Hollow has to offer. They have an excellent variety of beer, making sure there is something for everyone.
Cheers Nerd Girls!
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