This article first appeared in Yankee Brew News.
Dead Language has been on my radar since I saw a social media post about their opening back in spring 2024. I finally made the 90-minute trek to Hartford, Connecticut, this month, and came away not only impressed by the excellent beer (see my Connecticut brewery profile!) but also the people behind the bar. I’m thrilled to share how this cheery, but no-nonsense businesswoman took the leap into entrepreneurship with her husband Chris DeGasero.
Can you tell me about your professional background, and why you chose to take the leap into the craft beer industry?
Prior to opening Dead Language, I spent nearly 20 years working in corporate strategy, sales, compliance, and project management. Most recently, I was a financial services program manager in Hartford. However, as a young professional, I lived in Manhattan in the 2000s and I “worked” my way through the tap lists of the best beer bars in New York City. I fell in love with American craft beer and foreign exports at that time. I was blown away at the diversity beer had to offer. This is also when I met my husband, Chris; we connected over beer, and we started traveling for beer. And homebrewing. Eventually, it evolved to Chris committing to making his career as a brewer of beer. With my business background and our shared dreams, the idea to open a family brewery together started to grow. I feel very fortunate to see that dream through, all these years later.
When designing the Dead Language environment, what did you aspire to create, or want to ensure that people experienced? What do you want them to walk away thinking, feeling, and experiencing?
We are located in a 19th century urban factory space in Hartford’s historic Parkville neighborhood, and I found myself really inspired by industrial loft living spaces. The majority of breweries I visit feel like traditionally masculine factory spaces: lots of black and gray, sensible restaurant furniture, hard lines, minimal art, function first. I wanted Dead Language to feel funky, inviting and cozy: hyper-colored, intimate, soft lines, maximalist art, leisure first. To do that, we scoured local estate sales, thrift shops, and friends’ and family members’ basements to create a cafe atmosphere. Nearly all of our furniture and art is vintage and has a story. What I really hope for is that people feel comfortable, welcomed, and relaxed and enjoy Dead Language as a unique place to rest your feet and mind while enjoying a tall satisfying cold crisp lager.
What do you and Chris strive to achieve with every beer you serve? What makes a beer a “Dead Language” beer, in your opinion? What’s a beer you’ve served at Dead Language that you’re especially proud to serve? If you could recommend one beer for a new guest to try, what would you recommend?
Dead Language is focused on clean, clear, easy-drinking beers, but ultimately, we brew exactly what we want to drink ourselves. We are decidedly anti-trend and we will only put out beers that live up to our highest, uncompromising standards. I am personally very proud of our variety: we have various elegant Czech, German, and Polish lagers, Weissbiers, and bold American IPAs. For first-time visitors, I always recommend they start with “Marigold,” our Czech Pilsner on side-pull. The reason is that, as a style, crafting and maturing an exceptional Czech Pilsner is a pinnacle of brewing excellence in our eyes. We are very proud of ours and will spend the rest of our brewing days committed to the pursuit of mastering it.
What is it like working as a husband/wife team at the same place? How do you and Chris make it work?
It is incredible. Coming from the corporate world, I got used to a lot of formality: conference calls, prioritization and strategy workshops, decision trees, tons of committee process and procedure. Now my days look completely different. I need to be agile, independent, and chase progress over perfection. We joke about the efficiencies we gain by living together; we can have informal business discussions while taking our dogs for a hike, for example. We don’t have to wait for anyone else to weigh in; we make all the decisions. On the other hand, I expect we will struggle with creating a work/life balance. However, at this time- 6 months in- we are having so much fun that it doesn’t feel as though that will be insurmountable. But the more we grow our team, the more we can offset those challenges.
Do you have any announcements, events, upcoming releases, etc. for Fall/Winter 2024 you’d like the readers to know about?
We are hosting el Dia de Los Muertes on Saturday November 2nd! We will have beer specials, live music, a Mexican food truck, and a community ofrenda, plus we are inviting our community to bring in framed photos of their loved ones who have passed to decorate our taproom altar and honor their memory. We will also be hosting a Christmas Market on December 7th, and I am very excited about what we are working on for our taproom. We have several exciting beers lagering or in the works, including an Altbier, Dunkel, English Bitters, Vienna lager, and Weizenbock.
I can’t stress this enough – come to Hartford’s Parkville neighborhood and say hi to both Kyle and Chris at one of my favorite brewery discoveries this year!
Dead Language Beer Project
1429 Park St #115, Hartford, CT 06106
