Gov. Dan Malloy helps break ground at new Branford brewery site

Stony Creek Brewery founders Peggy and Ed Crowley Sr., eight and ninth from left, along with brewery employees, construction representatives, politicians, dignitaries and friends take part in a ground-breaking ceremony Thursday at the future site of the Stony Creek Brewery at 5 Indian Neck Ave. in Branford. less Stony Creek Brewery founders Peggy and Ed Crowley Sr., eight and ninth from left, along with brewery employees, construction representatives, politicians, dignitaries and friends take part in a ground-breaking ... more Photo: Peter Hvizdak — New Haven Register Photo: Peter Hvizdak — New Haven Register Image 1 of / 201 Caption Close Gov. Dan Malloy helps break ground at new Branford brewery site 1 / 201 Back to Gallery

BRANFORD >> Founding a brewery was always Peggy Crowley’s dream, and on Thursday that dream took one step closer to becoming a reality.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was one of several officials who, along with a local priest, sank shovels into a mound of dirt at the edge of the Branford River, the symbolic ground-breaking for the Stony Creek Brewery that is expected to open in January.

“My wife Peggy (Crowley) started this business four years ago,” her husband, Ed Crowley Sr., told the crowd that had gathered to commemorate the ground-breaking. “She had the vision and her vision stands true today.”

This won’t be your average brewery, according to the Crowley family.

Stony Creek Brewery will not be serving food but will be working with local restaurants for delivery, which patrons can enjoy either on the planned deck or inside a tasting room. A 2,400-square-foot celebration room will be built on the brewery’s second floor to accommodate parties and gatherings. The outside deck area is slated to cover 1,400 square feet. The Crowleys also are integrating bocce courts and cornhole boards into the property, which is located within walking distance of the train station on Indian Neck Avenue. The Crowleys also will build a bike rack for visitors and the brewery will host a movie night, complete with a projector screen on the outside deck during summer nights.

“This site will be a true destination,” Ed Crowley said. “We want that vibrancy of the area. We want something different, something we don’t have on the Shoreline.”

Malloy said the old warehouses serve as a reminder of the state’s prominent role in the industrial revolution.

“The best ideas that produced mass production actually came out of Connecticut,” he said. “When Henry Ford wanted to learn how to run a factory, he traveled to Colt in Hartford.”

The Rev. Christopher Ford of St. Mary’s Catholic Church conducted a blessing of the land, sprinkling holy water onto the ground along the river.

“We have homilies from bishops in the Middle Ages urging people to drink beer rather than water because the water was contaminated,” Ford said, drawing a round of laughs from the crowd. “They were essentially saying, ‘drink beer, it’s healthy and it’s safe.’”

First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove praised the Crowley family for the support it has given to Branford. A fundraiser was held as part of Thursday’s celebration, with proceeds going to benefit the Branford Community Dining Room.

“They did not get discouraged by the challenges of this site,” Cosgrove said about the 5 Indian Neck Ave. location. “They’re giving us back a clean site that will be a valuable asset to the town.

The 18.2-acre parcel once was home to Malleable Iron Fittings, a company founded in 1864. The company closed in 1971 and the site remained dormant for years before developers broke ground at Anchor Reef in 2003. The condo development plan originally called for a 110-room hotel, restaurant and conference center spread out over three buildings. The eastern-most plot, where the brewery will be located, was never developed.

The property was recognized by the state in 1999 as being contaminated with asbestos and mercury. Part of Stony Creek Brewery’s role, in addition to development, includes cleaning up its portion of the property.

“This is how you do it,” said state Rep. Lonnie Reed, D-Branford. “The Crowley family worked really hard to make it look this easy.”

Retiring state Sen. Ed Meyer, D-Guilford, called the development “remarkable,” and added that the new brewery is a “testament to Connecticut and to its growth.”

Malloy noted that the state “seemed for a while to have lost its direction” when it came to courting new businesses.

“When entrepreneurs like the Crowley family come forward with great ideas and a desire to see their community get stronger and get better, then there’s no stopping them,” he said. “This is an unbelievable opportunity.”

Ed Crowley pointed out that nearly all of the work being done at the site is being handled by local architects and contractors. Branford architect Joe Sepot was tasked with designing the 30,000-square-foot facility.

“Our family is all about beer,” Crowley said.

Stony Creek Brewery will offer seasonal and limited-release brews, available by draft, bottle or can. Its current varieties of India pale ale include the 203, 860 and 401 beers, a nod to the state’s area codes and an inclusion of Rhode Island, another state the Crowleys hope to target for distribution.

“We have train tracks to our door,” Crowley said, adding that he hopes to capitalize on the location’s walkability factor. “It’s an awesome feeling when the Acela or Shoreline East trains go by.”

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