🟢 New Britain Favorite Files for Bankruptcy

Happy Tuesday, Hartford!

I just got back from a long overdue family vacation! But I’m back and better than ever!

The weather in the Caribbean is like 90 to 95 degrees, but when I got back to CT, the weather was 29 degrees… (Oooof!)

Anyways, the one saving grace to being gone for a week is when I get back the trees (foliage) are BEAUTIFUL! This time of the year is definitely a favorite of mine and I look forward to continuing to watch the leaves change.

Anyway, let’s get down to business.

In today’s edition of The Hartford Pour, we’ll get into:

— Chris M.
Local Whiskey Nerd, Husband, Dad, Entrepreneur (Fun Tip: I’d rather an all-inclusive resort than a cruise)

Most liquor stores sell you a bottle and send you home.

Worldwide Wine & Spirits (480 Queen St, Southington) would rather pour it for you first and make a friend.

Owner Taylor Deegan runs one of the busiest event calendars at any liquor store. I'm talking blind bourbon showdowns he hosts himself, King of Kentucky seminars, hands-on cocktail classes, Italian wine nights, sake and amaro deep dives, plus a bunch of tastings that raise money for local causes like the Special Olympics Torch Run.

A lot of them sell out, so don't sleep on it.

If you've never met Taylor, imagine a double espresso with a liquor license. This is a man who has purposely dressed up as a piñata (that’s him in the picture above), so you know these aren't stuffy wine-and-cheese nights.

It’s REAL fun!

And when it's over, the shelf prices are so good I genuinely question his sanity.

Check out the past lineup, grab a seat, and tell Taylor THP sent you.

OK, you just got paid and it’s Friday night… what are you doing?

For me, drinks at a local spot to meet some friends or just take out Mrs. Hartford Pour.

"Bankruptcy" is a scary word to see next to your favorite brewery's name. So let's clear this up fast:

Alvarium Beer Company has filed for bankruptcy.

However, Alvarium Beer Company is not closing.

One of my favorite breweries in New Britain filed for Chapter 11 earlier this month. Specifically, it's Subchapter V, the “small business” version of Chapter 11.

I admit, I had to look it up, but Subchapter V translates this way… They keep pouring beer while they sort out the money stuff behind the scenes.

Brian Bugnacki (the owner) called it "a strategic move to ensure Alvarium's future," and said the taproom, the brewing, the coffee roasting and every job on the team stays put.

The cool part is that me and you can do something to help… what is it?

Show up.

The best thing we can do for a local spot going through a rough patch is show up thirsty.

So head to 365 John Downey Dr in New Britain and order a Honey Shot. It's an 8.2% double NEIPA from a brewery whose whole personality is bees, so it just feels right.

If hazy isn't your thing, the Crispy Roll Japanese rice lager is an easy-drinking 4.1%.

They're open Wednesday through Friday 3 to 10 p.m., Saturday noon to 10, and Sunday noon to 7.

Grab a four-pack on the way out. Tell them THP sent you.

See that bowl of spicy beef pho in the picture above? My only complaint is that it could've been spicier.

That's a me problem, lol. I'm weird like that.

Everything else about it was flat-out amazing. Quick tip: the menu lists a small, but they only serve large and very large. Large is WAY more than enough food, so pace yourself.

Now, I didn't walk in planning to order bubble tea. But the staff here is super friendly, and when I couldn't pick a drink, they pointed me to the taro boba you see in the image below.

Friends... that taro boba was AMAZING. It's honestly worth going back just for the drink.

No pho? No problem. I'll take a boba for the road.

Pho Van is tucked away at 1001 Day Hill Rd in Windsor, the kind of spot you'd drive right past without knowing. It's easily one of the best pho spots in the Hartford area.

Get the pho, get the boba, and thank me later.

Tuesdays get a bad rap. Let's fix that, starting with wine (it should always start with wine).

Max Downtown in Hartford (185 Asylum St) is hosting An Evening with Bedrock Wine Co., the Sonoma winery that made its name on old-vine Zinfandel. If you've never had a Zin from vines older than your grandparents, consider this your sign.

It's booked through OpenTable, so reserve ahead instead of showing up and looking lost at the host stand, lol.

If wine isn't your thing, first of all, check your temperature, second of all head to Elicit Brewing in Manchester (165 Adams St) for Music Bingo at 6:30 PM, and this week every single song is from a scary movie. Try not to scream... unless you win.

Either way, Tuesday just got a whole lot less Tuesday.

It’s hump day and we have two options. One is smooth, the other is very competitive.

The smooth one is Jazz Wednesdays at Black-Eyed Sally's in Hartford (350 Asylum St), put on by the Hartford Jazz Society from 7 to 10 PM, and it's free (and who doesn’t love free?). Live jazz and Southern food on a Wednesday night is about as grown-up as hump day gets.

If you'd rather flex your movie knowledge, Elicit Brewing in Manchester (165 Adams St) is hosting Disney Halloween Trivia at 7 PM. Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, Disney villains, haunted mansions, the whole nine yards.

Feeling ambitious? Win trivia, then catch the last set of jazz. I mean, you gotta celebrate, right?

Here's a Thursday that goes from coffee to curtain call without a single boring minute.

Start at Birdhouse Coffee at Connecticut Valley Brewing in South Windsor (765 Sullivan Ave) for First Flight, a $15 flight of four coffees from their November menu before anybody else gets to try them.

Swing by anytime from 4:30 to 7:30 PM. And since you're literally standing in a brewery, a pour of Trailblazer, the New England IPA they've been brewing since 2010, is fair game too.

Afterwards, it's #ThirstyThursday at Max Downtown, Max Fish, and Max's Trumbull Kitchen, which means half-price bottles of wine. Yes, the whole bottle.

Then finish at Bar Max inside the Goodwin Hotel in Hartford (1 Haynes St) for Borrowed Wings, a TheaterWorks show staged right in the bar. It’s doing so well they added a second show, so pick 6:30 or 8:30 PM.

Coffee, wine, theater. Basically a three-course Thursday.

Do you know of an AWESOME restaurant or bar? Or something not included in this email you’d like to see?

REPLY to this email and let me know!