8 Things You Should Know About Two Roads Brewing

Two Roads Brewing put Stratford, Conn., on the map for beer nerds. Since opening in 2012, the independent company has remodeled a historic building, rehabilitated wetlands, and received notoriety for its many beers spanning flagship classics like Ol’Factory Pils and No Limits Hefeweizen, plus seasonals like Ok2berfest, and its ever-expanding roster of exquisite lambic-style sours and goses.

Here are eight things you need to know about Two Roads.

Two Roads’ founders are poetic.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

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Such were the words penned by Robert Frost in 1916’s “The Road Not Taken.” Those words are also written on a wall at Two Roads — the brewery got its name from the poem.

Two Roads’ master brewer is a legend.

Phil Markowski is an industry legend. A former engineer, Markowski had been brewing for decades before co-founding Two Roads in 2012, with past stints at the New England Brewing Co. in Norwalk, Conn., and Southampton Publick House in Southampton, N.Y., along with several awards under his belt. At Two Roads, Markowski continues to innovate. He practically wrote the book on farmhouse ales. No, wait, he literally wrote the book on farmhouse ales.

He also loves pilsners, and apparently hates coconuts.

Two Roads’ co-founders are legit, too.

Two Roads was co-founded by Markowski along with Brad Hittle, Clement Pellani, and Peter Doering. Hittle’s previous beer career included Pabst Brewing and Rolling Rock; and Pellani worked at Labatt USA, New England Brewing, E. & J. Gallo Winery, and consulted for Pabst. Doering apparently had a hand in the largest luxury yacht ever built in America. We imagine he cracked a beer or two on it.

Two Roads is a contract brewery. No, the other kind.

Far from nomadic or “gypsy,” Two Roads launched with a strategic intention to brew its own beers as well as other brewers’ beers at its state-of-the-art facility. This has proven extremely successful. Industry darlings like Evil Twin, Stillwater, and Lawson’s Finest Liquids brew beer at Two Roads.

Two Roads makes its sour beers in a truck.

The Tanker Truck Sour Series, introduced in March 2017, is a line of kettle-soured beers with delicious iterations like Passion Fruit Gose, Persian Lime Gose, and the recently released Tropical Fruit Gose. Two Roads didn’t have time to let beers sour in their brew kettles for several days, and didn’t want to risk contaminating its and its clients’ brews with airborne souring bacteria. So, they took it outside. By repurposing an old milk tanker truck parked outside the brewery, the Tanker Truck Series was born.

Soon, Two Roads will barrel-age sours in a brand new facility.

In fall 2018, Two Roads plans to debut its second facility, Area Two Experimental Brewing. The expansion will include a brewing campus comprised of a 25,000-square-foot barrel-aging and souring facility with enough space to stack 1,500 barrels, along with Two Roads’ very own coolship. Area Two will also have a tasting room on site, with an outdoor deck overlooking a wetlands preserve. It’s gonna be epic. It’s also steps from the original location, so you can easily make a day of it.

Two Roads is located in a historic building.

Two Roads is located in an early 20th-century manufacturing building formerly owned by U.S. Baird. Two Roads’ founders were given a state grant of $500,000 to remediate the warehouse when they purchased the space in 2012.

Some remnants of the manufacturing plant remain, like a giant hook hanging over the brewhouse (yikes!) and a circular sink in the men’s bathroom.

Two Roads hosts epic events.

The sixth annual Two Roads Ok2berfest is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Pre-sale tickets are $25 and include festival entry, a commemorative Ok2berfest stein, and your first beer on the haus.