It’s designed to look like your grandmother’s basement recreation room, complete with the comfy floral couch, but at this new brewery there won’t be a need to hide the beer or keep the music low.
The Twelvenote Brew Co. will celebrate both beer and music in a big and intertwined way at this new brewery opening in the vibrant Black Rock section of Bridgeport.
“It’s a cool vibe,” owner Bryan Pietrzak said of his new place that serves eight different kinds of craft beer on tap, each with its own song title and set list.
He calls his 750-square-foot tap room “fun-sized” and he’s counting on the ambiance to hit a high note
“We’re shooting for a modern industrial look with a touch of your grandma’s rec room basement with a lounge area,” where one’s band might practice, he said.
There’s light stone and wood all around.
The new smaller brewery pushes against a stream of similar businesses that have closed in the state recent months.
Pietrzak, 45, and his wife moved to Connecticut from Pennsylvania about a year ago to be closer to family and take a crack at fulfilling his dream opening a brewery.
He started home brewing about 10 years ago, then went to school for it and last year decided it was time to give business a try. He chose the new location at 3389 Fairfield Ave., Unit 3, based on the results of a water sample they sent.
“It was perfect,” for making beer, he said, noting the low minerality and low alkalinity. “Black Rock ended up finding us.”
Once there, Pietrzak said, “I realized what a wonderful community this truly is.”
Before moving to live the dream, Pietrzak was a welder and machinist at a major corporation for 20 years and a percussionist in a band for 17 years. He left both.
“I have a passion for beer and music,” he said.
His two passions really show at Twelvenote Brew Co. and he never misses a chance to make a music or beer pun.
“We offer harmonious experiences,” he said.
Each beer is named like a song, and has a curated, set list.
As for music itself in the taproom there will be a heavy presence delivered in myriad of ways: live, disc jockey, streaming concerts on a huge television, and vinyl nights.
He’ll carry a “symphony” of eight flavors, he said.
The tap room has growlers to go and beer on tap. They sell light snacks like chips, popcorn and in an unusual departure from that category, will carry canned fish because he likes it – including salmon, sardines, and trout. For additional food they can get casual food delivered from the neighboring The Blind Rhino.
As for beer-making, they are as open as the are with music: “We’re trying to explore the spectrum. It means I finite possibilities with what you do.”
The have eight styles right now: Scottish light on nitro, American brown ale, American wheat, Irish Red, Blonde ale, American pale ale, West Coast IPA, Juicy IPAs. It’s a seven barrel brewery.
“It’s about bringing the community together,” he said. “We care about the community and intend to be part of it more and more and in the near future.”
They have opened to the public, Nov. 22, days are Wednesday to Sunday. See all hours at https://www.twelvenotebrewco.com/