Rich Decker (left) one of two growers of hops at Dudley Farm in North Guilford, helps DuVig co-founder Dan Vigliotti (right) with harvesting in August. The donated hops were brewed into a special small batch DuVig named Dudley Farm Harvest Ale. The last of the ale has been reserved to share during a benefit five-course food and beer pairing at DuVig on Oct. 27, with a portion of proceeds going to non-profit Dudley Farm Foundation. (Photo courtesy DuVig Brewing Company )

From hopping on chances to brew up locally-grown hops, to supporting community non-profits and backing other local businesses, Branford-based micro-brewery DuVig Brewing Company is taking local to new levels.

On Thursday, Oct. 27, hops grown at historic North Guilford Dudley Farm, harvested and brewed into DuVig's unique small-batch Dudley Farm Harvest Ale, will be part of a special five-course beer pairing dinner at DuVig to benefit non-profit Dudley Farm Foundation.

It will be the public's last opportunity to taste the ale, brewed in September and first released four weeks ago, after DuVig took up a harvesting invitation from two growers who successfully raised some Cascade and Newport hops on land at the Dudley Farm Museum. The ale sold out quickly in the DuVig Tap Room and the rest has been set aside for the dinner.

The Oct. 27 event also marks DuVig's first "Beer Dinner at the Brewery," located at 59 School Ground Road. Partnering with Branford's Foe Foods, DuVig's Harvest Beer Dinner will pair five DuVig beers with five special dishes. Diners will tuck into crab and corn cakes paired with Cream Ale, roasted eggplant and goat cheese crostini paired with Dudley Farm Harvest Ale, blood orange glazed duck paired with India Pale Ale, braised short ribs paired with Oktoberfest Lager and white and dark truffles paired with barrel-aged Oatmeal Stout. Tickets, $59, are limited and available now at www.duvig.com

In addition to contributing a portion of proceeds from the Oct. 27 dinner to the Dudley Farm Foundation, DuVig is also giving the North Guilford non-profit a portion of proceeds from all Dudley Farm Harvest Ale sold to date.

Serving up ale to benefit the same local non-profit farm museum where the ale's hops were grown and harvested is a fulfilling milestone for this small Branford company, which was started by the Dugas and Vigliotti families in 2013. Co-founders Kim and Dan Vigliotti were home brewing enthusiasts who happened into a partnership with new neighbors and beer enthusiasts Darcy and Scott Douglas.

DuVig's brewery and tasting room overcame some obstacles to take root here, including a Grand Opening delayed by some lengthy School Ground Road bridge construction in 2014.

"We weren't expecting that bridge to be closed when we signed our lease. It was just a few weeks before we were ready to open," recalled Kim Vigliotti.



DuVig celebrated with a re-opening event six months later, after the bridge work was completed. DuVig had held on well through the construction period, brewing unique offerings and fostering a fan base that's grown in tandem with the shoreline's burgeoning reputation as one of Connecticut's craft brewery hotspots. In addition to DuVig, Branford's home to Thimble Island Brewery and Stony Creek Brewery.

"I would say in the next two years, we'd like to be much more prominent and more comparable in size to the other two breweries in Branford," said Vigliotti. "We are more of your typical mom-and-pop type of business right now. We really just wanted to see how the beer is received by the public. We've kind of penetrated the market now, for our size."

Vigliotti said Branford's breweries are certainly drawing visitors to town.

"It does bring people to one spot, and I think it does help the town economically, when people can stay for the day," she said. "Quite often we do find, on the weekends, there are people either on their own little tours, or going through the trail that Connecticut Beer Trail organizes a couple of times a month. There are some big tour groups going to multiple places, so it's really nice."

Vigliotti said the three Branford breweries are supportive of each other. Having a larger brewery just about a mile down the road also gave DuVig the chance to set up a contract brewing arrangement to get DuVig's Cream Ale in cans for market.

"We brew our Cream Ale over at Thimble Island Brewery and it gets canned there; so we're able to expand our market without really having to invest so much," said Vigliotti.

DuVig Cream Ale in cans can be found in Guilford at Ballou's Restaurant & Wine Bar and at the South Lane Bistro; while it's also on tap at The Stand Roadside BBQ in Branford. Other local restaurants with dedicated DuVig taps offering various beer styles include Home in Branford, KC's Restaurant & Pub in Guilford , Madison Beach Hotel, and Petrillo's Pizza in Madison. In addition, Moxie of Madison's signature Mother Plunker Ale is crafted by DuVig, (available as "Moxie" in DuVig's Branford tap room).

Highly concentrated hops and a bountiful amount of grains are de rigueur for DuVig beer styles. In another bit of local symbiosis, DuVig found a use for spent grains coming out of the micro-brewery. Once or twice a week, Guilford-based Olympia Farms (Route 1) takes it for feed. The family farm hosts cows, sheep, goats and chickens and offers seasonal products and produce.

"Once we go through the process of extracting the sugars from the grain, we have no use for it; so they take the spent grain for the (animals). It's a nice reciprocal agreement -- they help us and we help them. We don't have to pay to dispose of it, and they don't have to pay to feed those animals," said Vigliotti. "The animals love it; it's healthy and nourishing."

Pairing DuVig beer with locally grown food is another community connection DuVig wants to continue to foster, said Vigliotti.

"It's kind of cool thing for people to be able to support locally produced food and beverages," she said. "So whether it's at our brewery or a restaurant, that's a really neat, full-circle kind of thing."

Beyond the Branford brewery, DuVig is out and about on the shoreline, including sponsoring community events. DuVig generously donated beer for the Oct. 16 "Men Who Cook" event to benefit Women & Family Life Center (Dan Vigliotti also rolled up his sleeves and cooked up a contributory dish as a new chef). DuVig has also been named the official beer sponsor of the upcoming Guilford Half Marathon and 5K, coming Sunday, Nov. 13 to the Guilford Fair Grounds.

"We try to give back to the community in any way we can. The more local, the better," said Vigliotti.

DuVig's also finding more Connecticut farms are starting to grow hops because of the state's craft brewery boom. Last week, DuVig released its second beer made with fresh, local hops-- Leetes Island Amber Ale. The ale was brewed mainly with Cascade, Chinook and Centennial hops contributed by Guiford farmer Joshua Leete.

"That was another great opportunity for us; and we are going to try to work those in more," said Vigliotti. "I think people appreciate something that's as local as possible."

DuVig's Oct. 27 Harvest Beer Dinner is $59/person with a portion of the proceeds going to the Dudley Farm Foundation. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here To learn more about DuVig, including what's currently on tap and Tap Room hours, visit http://www.duvig.com or find DuVig Brewing Company on Facebook.