BRANFORD, CT, — Stony Creek Brewery announced Tuesday plans to construct a fully operational brewpub inside Foxwoods Resort Casino®, which is the largest resort casino in North America. This will be the company's second brewing operation in Connecticut, and will create an opportunity to share their "award winning beers and aggressively laid back lifestyle with visitors to the Northeast's premier resort destination," company officials announced in a statement.

As the craft beer category looks to find new audiences and new occasions, Stony Creek is positioned to help grow the size of the pie in Connecticut.

"Craft beer has the ability to cross all chasms and bring people together as a community," said Stony Creek founder Ed Crowley Sr. in a news release. "We see this every day at our brewery in Branford—people come from all over the northeast for our beer, and end up staying for hours to enjoy the distinct experience we offer. And together with Foxwoods we can create a truly special place unique to craft beer, something that can act as a sort of post card of their time in Connecticut. This is an amazing opportunity to put Connecticut craft beer on a bigger map."

Brewmaster Andy Schwartz is excited to give his team of brewers another place to play, experiment, and share their beers, officials said. "The beer is the most important thing we do—we are passionate about this," says Schwartz in a statement. "So it is crucial that this be more than just another taproom that pours our beer. The guests at Foxwoods will be surprised to find a real, fully operating brewery inside the casino. It's a chance for them to see the place where beer is made. We're going to be producing new and innovative beers on this smaller system, doing collaborations, and hosting exciting events. Our whole team is stoked."

The Specifics

The 7,100 square foot two-story space, located adjacent to the Fox Theater, will offer two distinct experiences. The ground floor will be pure New England, complete with clapboard walls, calming colors, a spacious beer garden and communal areas for backyard games and socializing. The upstairs bar will offer another version of the "aggressively laid back" style of Stony Creek—a nightlife. "Upstairs we wanted to combine some of the waterside vibe from the main brewery in Branford with a bit of the west coast inspiration found in the beers," says Michael Kiser, Good Beer Hunting's Creative Director, who in collaboration with architect Joe Sepot, is leading the concept development and design of the space. "It'll have a cocktail lounge vibe but with a beer focus, something we know will appeal to a wide audience who might be surprised to find themselves in a brewpub in a casino on a Saturday night. The whole thing will feel like a bit of an outdoor oasis."

Foxwoods officials say attracting new audiences and providing new experiences is paramount to the future of their innovative business.

"We see craft beer as a major attraction in food and beverage, as evidenced by the incredible success we have had with the house IPA we've been making with Stony Creek for the past year," said Jason Guyot, Vice President Resort Operations & Development at Foxwoods Resort Casino. "That naturally lead to conversations about how we could bring the true local beer experience to our guests. We are thrilled to be part of Connecticut's growth in craft beer."

Construction is set to commence this winter with a target opening of summer 2018. Good Beer Hunting is a brand development studio located in Chicago focused on the beer category. Joseph Sepot Architects is a full service architectural and interior design office based in Branford, CT. Stony Creek Brewery has become a tourist attraction in Branford and on the Shoreline. Patch has reported that 30 percent of the vehicles that stop at the brewery are from outside of Connecticut. Crowley has said the brewery is marketing itself now to become a tourism attraction all over New England – and its working. He said the proximity to the nearby Shoreline East train station helps in that effort.