This profile first appeared in Yankee Brew News.
Named after the iconic ridge and city park that overlooks the East Rock area of New Haven, and a stone’s throw across the Mill River from the former Rock Brewery, one of New Haven’s historically celebrated German breweries, on entering East Rock, I instantly fell in love with the vast murals, large wooden picnic tables, half circle bar, and glass windows showing the sizeable processing area in the back.
Head brewer Tim Wilson’s passion for Pilsner and lager brewing has earned him several medals at the Great International Beer Festival, including a gold for his German style Pilsner. Per the website: “At our brewery, time-honored methods and imported ingredients are used to produce pure, crisp, and authentic interpretations of German beer… painfully slow but a pleasure to drink.”
So, how was the beer? Truly fantastic.
The Pilsner (5.2% ABV), was a gently hop-forward version that was refreshingly crisp. The Dark Lager (6.2% ABV), a Munich-style dark lager, had deep roasted flavor, but just enough to not go bitter, which I appreciated. The Oktoberfest (6.0%) had a little more hop in the profile than I might prefer, but was still very enjoyable and drinkable. But my favorite by far was the Amber Lager (4.8% ABV) a Vienna-style lager with an absolutely perfect malty-sweet balance.
As the wall mural says inside: Rediscover Lager! I will absolutely be back for that Vienna lager, of which I brought home a four-pack.
East Rock Brewing Company
285 Nicoll Street in New Haven