#3 Tullycross Tavern & Microbrewery & More!

Wow. What a Sunday!


I'm going to preface this by telling you about how this Sunday was the first Sunday since the 1600's that you could purchase alcohol outside of a bar or restaurant in Connecticut. I was so excited, I was at my liquor store a half hour before they opened. DOH! I returned and made my first beer purchase on a Sunday. I felt like I was taking part in history! So cool!


After that, it was time for the trip I had been planning for a few days...Tullycross Tavern!

Looks like a classy joint, amirite? That guy on the bench made me aware that my
bag was ripped and I was about to lose my growler. Even the clientele are nice!

I really loved the atmosphere, dim lights, nice, big bar right in the center. Bring on the beer!

Impressive list!

I went with the Cow Tipper Cream Ale to start with, and I'm SO glad I did. I hadn't had a cream ale in about 6 years and that was Pete's Wicked Wanderlust. This was delicious. A nice mellow, malty, smooth refreshing drink. I didn't get any good glass shots of it while I was there, but it poured a nice basic beer yellow, albeit maybe a little cloudy. A nice one finger head that disappeared quickly. The taste was phenomenal. Malty and delicious! A big creamy flavor. A really smooth feel to it. It was carbonated, but you wouldn't be able to tell. It wasn't a flat feel by any means. More a velvet. There was a lot going on. I could be crazy but I'm pretty sure there was a slight hops bite towards the end of the taste. It was love at first taste. I polished off that beer quickly and was already trying to decide what to get next!


I deduced that there was no way buying a pint of each one was a smart idea. A good one, absolutely, but not smart! That's when experience kicked in, and a sampler was ordered! But what was I going to get? SO MANY CHOICES! I get overwhelmed easily! That's when I did science. My best friend and his girlfriend were with me, so I tried their beers! He had the Flux IPA which was good and she had the Tavern Light which was actually REALLY good! I don't expect much from a beer with "light" in the name, but the flavor profile of this was surprising! A very crisp and sweet drink. I would actually order this any day. So here's what I got...

I seriously love the idea of samplers. I'm going to do this more often!

I'm going to give a very brief review of the 5 beers, from left to right.


Tully's Irish Red: This was the beer I was initially excited for. Unfortunately, it was underwhelming to me. In a blind taste test, I couldn't tell you the difference between this and Killians. But that's not bad, because Killians is good! 3/5

Silk City Stout: Admittedly, I'm not really a fan of stouts, but I'm TRYING. It wasn't until the end of my small glass that it started to grow on me a little. I probably wouldn't order it on my own though. 2.5/3

Apricot Wheat: Is it ok if I cuss once? This beer blew my fucking mind. I was expecting #9, instead I got blasted in the mouth by the sweet, dry, fizzy wheat. It was so good and so different. It could have easily been a sour and its halfway there. I wanted to ask if there were any moscato grapes used in the brewing process. Everything about this beer reminded me of a newer favorite I had had recently, Napa Smith Crush Beer. I loved this Apricot Wheat and I want more, soon. 4/5

Pale Ale: This was a nice, balanced pale. Not too hoppy, not too much of anything, really. I could easily put a bunch of these away without becoming overwhelmed with flavor. Admit it, it happens! 3/5

Flux IPA: Another underwhelming beer. Not much of a smell, not much of a hop taste. It wasn't bad, but I would order other beers before this one. 3/5

Towards the end of my last glass, from across the bar I hear, "Hey, are you Hipster?" Must have been the way I kept sticking my nose in the glass. If I were a dog, my ears would have perked right up! After shouting across the bar to one another for a few minutes, I went over and introduced myself to the two gentlemen who were patrons and we proceeded to discuss beer for about 10-15 minutes! I must have had the BIGGEST smile on my face. I couldn't believe it, that's two times since I started this blog! I don't think I shut up about it for the rest of the day. I'm loving the craft beer scene a lot! 

After chatting with the bartender (she was great!) I decided on my growler of Cow Tipper and got on my way! We ended our Sunday at Main Pub in Manchester. After a much needed sandwich and a couple more beers (Harpoon Rye IPA & Smuttynose Robust Porter. My first time having both and they were both great beers) it was time to call it a day.


And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I spent this very momentous day. An overall success! I'm looking forward to my next trip up to Tullycross! And for the local readers, check out their Facebook and if you're feeling froggish, head on over! 

And last but not least, here's a cumulative photo of all my legal Sunday purchases!

Sweet, sweet law changes!

And now Im off to do something totally awesome...bottle some homebrew!


Cow Tipper Cream Ale:


ABV: 6.7


Smell: 3/5
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 4/5
Feel: 4/5


Overall: 3.5/5

Cow Tipper Cream Best Paired With: Michael James Anderson - Left of the Dial