Diana Stricker Photos
Thursday afternoon was a time for beer, blessings and talk of renewed economic development in Branford.
Ed Crowley Sr. and his family and friends, along with political figures like Governor Dan Malloy and State Rep. Lonnie Reed (D‑Branford) lifted shovels of dirt at a ground-breaking for the new Stony Creek Brewery along the Branford River. The Rev. Christopher Ford, pastor of St. Mary Church in Branford, offered a blessing of the land where the 30,000 square-foot brewery and beer-tasting facility will be built.
Rev. Ford (pictured) said beer has been brewed for centuries, but it was Catholic monks who first mass-produced it. He said those early monks often preached, “Don’t drink the water, drink beer, it’s healthier and safer.”
“I think we just found ourselves our new PR person,” Crowley joked after Rev. Ford discussed the history of beer and blessed the land.
The craft brewery will be located near the upscale Anchor Reef condominiums and the Shoreline East Train Station, within walking distance of the Town Center. The two-story building will house the brewery, a tasting room, decks on both floors, and a 2,400 square-foot celebration room that can be used for parties, banquets or meetings.
The site is part of the sprawling property owned by the former Malleable Iron Fittings (MIF) company, which closed in 1971 after serving as the town’s largest manufacturer for decades.
As Gov. Dan Malloy began his remarks, he thanked Rev. Ford for letting him know that “beer is a religious experience.”
On a more serious note, Malloy said looking at the old factory site reminded him of the state’s history. “Connecticut was the site of the industrial revolution,” he said, but added that times changed. “It seems for a while we lost our direction” and the state’s business and industry floundered. He said people like the Crowley family are helping bring a resurgence to the brownfields where vacant factories once sat.
“What we’re really celebrating in the shadow of these buildings, on a shore that was once used for industry, is the entrepreneurial spirit of the Crowley family and other families like them in our state,” Malloy said.
“This is how you do it,” Rep. Reed told the crowd. “They worked really hard to make it look easy,” she said of the Crowley family. “It’s their passion.”
Click here for a previous story about the Crowleys’ plans.
Old Factory Sites Slated for Development
Reed told the Eagle that the brewery project is important because it’s a sign that reclamation of long-idle industrial sites in town is once again on track. The original 2001 plans for the Anchor Reef planned development district called for four condominium buildings, a hotel, and two office buildings. The site currently includes two upscale condominiums, but the economy bottomed out before further construction could occur.
The Crowley family purchased two parcels from the owners of the Anchor Reef property to build the brewery. Reed says that indicates there is renewed interest in the area.
“It’s a signal that the time has really come,” Reed told the Eagle. In addition to the old MIF property, the nearby former Atlantic Wire property is being targeted for re-development. “A lot of us realize what a treasure there is, right in the middle of town,” Reed said of the properties.
Click here to read a story about the proposal to develop the Atlantic Wire property.
Town Planner Jose Giner, who attended the groundbreaking, told the Eagle that the developers of the Atlantic Wire property said they may present their master plans to the Planning and Zoning Commission in October.
More than Beer — It’s A Destination
“Our family is all about beer,” Crowley (pictured) told about 125 people gathered at the ground-breaking celebration at 5 Indian Neck Ave. “I’m so proud to say, we love beer and we know all about beer.”
Among the speakers at Thursday’s ceremony was First Selectman James Cosgrove, who said the project will be “a valuable asset to the town.” He praised the Crowley family, who live in Branford, for hiring local firms for architectural, engineering and construction work. He also said the brewery will increase tourism. “It’s going to be a destination attracting people to Branford,” Cosgrove said. He is pictured here with Reed, Gov. Malloy and State Sen. Ed Meyer (D‑Guilford).
Crowley said he expects the brewery to open by January. “Our motto is ‘Great beer from great people for great people,’” he said.
The family has big plans for the property. Branford architect Joe Sepot designed the building and Criscuolo Engineering of Branford undertook the engineering. Branford attorney David Gibson handles the legal affairs.
“There’s going to be tremendous views of the Branford River,” Crowley told the crowd, adding that the brewery leased 150 feet of dock frontage so people can arrive by boat. He said there will be 156 parking spaces, and racks for 48 bikes, so people can park, enjoy the brewery and then walk to any of the numerous nearby restaurants.
The brewery will not serve food, but will encourage people to order delivery from restaurants or bring picnic dinners to enjoy inside or on the decks. There will also be bocce courts, and the venue will have “beer and movie nights” so people can watch films from the waterfront decks.
Crowley, who recently retired as president of Dichello Distributors Inc. in Orange, has 40 years in the beer business. His son, Ed Crowley Jr., who is president of Stony Creek Brewery, has about 12 years of experience.
But it was Crowley’s wife, Peggy, who dreamed up the plans for a craft brewery in Branford about four years ago. She founded Stony Creek Beer about three years ago along with company manager Manuel Rodriguez. The beer is currently being brewed at the Thomas Hooker Brewery in Bloomfield, and is available for purchase at many locations.
Crowley credits his wife with being the visionary to build a brewery in Branford. “She had the vision four years ago and it’s her vision that stands today.”
“The site will be a true destination in Branford,” Crowley said as he invited the crowd to a reception at the river-front Nellie Green Restaurant, just a few steps away from the brewery site. Ed and Peggy Crowley lifted a toast to Gov. Malloy during the reception.
The project is truly a family affair. Kim Crowley, who’s married to Ed Crowley Jr, proudly showed off the latest addition to the family, 4‑week old Grace.
“The beer business is almost in our DNA,” Peggy Crowley told the Eagle. “We’ve always been entrepreneurs.” She said the idea to open a craft brewery came to her slowly and it took years of planning to make it a reality. “This is a great day,” she said. She is pictured here with her son, Ed and Andy Schwartz.
Manuel Rodriguez, (pictured) the manager, explained that site preparation and construction started in mid-May.
“We’ve moved a lot of earth,” Rodriguez said yesterday as the crews continued working on the site. He said more than 100 steel pilings have been hammered into the ground to provide a solid base for construction. He said they decided to elevate the first floor about six to eight feet, which is more than FEMA requires for construction in a flood plain. “This building is going to be here for a long time, so we went above and beyond,” Rodriguez said.
Stony Creek Brewery LLC is a member of the Brewers Association and the Connecticut Craft Beer Guild. For more information on Stony Creek Brewery, contact Rodriguez at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or visit the Stony Creek Brewery website.
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I will have a beer when Dan Malloy is not re-elected.