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    Housatonic River Brewing

    3.9 (64 reviews)
    Open 1:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Housatonic River Brewing Photos

    HOUSATONIC RIVER BREWING ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Housatonic River Brewing

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    Reviews With Photos - Housatonic River Brewing

    Brisket/ chicken tacos
    Rob H.

    I visit New Milford every few months and make sure to stop by HRB every time for drinks and a good time. The backyard patio is large with plenty of seating outside along with a large pergola to cover Incase of the rain. A great outdoor drinking spot! The staple Gentle on my Mind IPA is a great beer and tend to go down too quickly. This last time I visited the kitchen was finally open. Our group tried the tacos, smashBurger and smoked chicken Caesar wrap. The smash burger stole the show and was delicious. Highly recommend it with jalapeños and onions. As always the service is great and Rich always goes out of his way to explain beers and help assist when trying new beers. Will be back to try more beers and food off the new menu.

    Typical posting of Trivia schedule from website...

    If you haven't been to HRB, you are clearly missing out! My group (The Royals) goes on Wednesday evenings for "Trivia with Rich" (so much fun!). Check the website for variations and themes, but our favorite is General Knowledge style) and some tasty beverages (so many varieties of beer, you won't be disappointed, but they also have wine for my sister and I who don't do brews) with friends... I've heard they have cocktails too but I haven't gone there yet. if you have a big appetite, come early to enjoy dinner before the game starts at 7 as you will absolutely have your hands full with the hefty portions served up by the staff (just a warning, you may need to share to finish it all!!!). See you there soon! Lynda M

    Smoked chicken Caesar wrap
    Kaitlyn F.

    We have been going to the Housatonic Brewery company for years. It is a great local spot with good drinks. The place over the years has had some improvements. Recently, they started to serve food. Their beers are really good. My husband and friends like the IPA gentle on my mind. I really like the cider donut beer with the cinnamon rim. The staff that works there are SO friendly. Everytime we go we always talk to them and they are very attentive. This time when we went we had some of the new food they are serving and we were shocked by how delicious it was. I had the brisket taco, the tortilla part was outstanding. We also had the smashed burger which was so cheesy. My husband had the smoked chicken caesar wrap. Looking forward to next time we are back and we can try more food!

    Smash Burger (served with fries)
    Colin C.

    Updating my previous review. They still have beer, with a new brewer! They still have guest wine. Now, in order to serve liquor, they've legally had to add a kitchen. Connecticut Beer Trail veterans have surely run into the El Taco food truck. Well, they wanted out of the food truck game, so one thing led to another, and now, most of the staff has signed on as HRB's cooks. I know the owner. I've got a mug on file here. I'm not leaving this place anytime soon. Accuse me of bias if you will, but I'm disclosing it. Regardless, the question I ask after my previous review of beer and music: is the food good? Given El Taco's publicized exit from the food truck game, I was surprised to see only burgers, sandwiches, and a token salad on the initial menu. Maybe they'll expand once they recoup some of the investment, right? There's nothing from the old El Taco menu, which is unfortunate. That being said, I ordered the Smash Burger, which comes with jalapeños, grilled onions, and a side of fries if you don't upgrade. It came out pretty quickly, and I've got to say, damn, it's good. The patties are smashed, the cheese is uniformly melted, and there's enough sauces on the side to please anyone. The burger was fine on its own, grilled to perfection, though I added Cholula and mustard for my tastes. The fries are hearty, lightly seasoned, and perfectly crisped -- a common pain point with anything cut this thick -- and my blend of ketchup and Cholula made them all disappear quickly. I expected more from the kitchen. However, the basics they're starting with are already top-tier. Things can only improve from here, and I'll be along for the ride.

    Bill T.

    Came here with some Yelp friends (hi Bill Z!) because we'd been talking about visiting and this weekend was the perfect time to do so. The weather was absolutely beautiful. We arrived shortly after opening and had our pick of the tables out back but by the time we left, it was very crowded. The space itself is great. The inside is beautiful and they have a nice bar setup. The back is terrific with a large, covered area with picnic tables and then more tables out in the open air along with several cornhole boards. Service was very friendly and quick. Everyone in our group (there were seven of us) enjoyed their beers. I had the apple cider donut and it was the perfect beer to drink on a crisp fall day. It's like a Hallmark Movie in a glass! I loved it and my stout-loving friends raved about the stout. Apparently they don't always have food trucks but we planned ahead and picked up some pizzas from New Milford Pizza Station just down the road and that worked out great! Also, they have a thoughfully-reasoned policy of not allowing anyone under 21 (that includes babies). Their website outlines the rationale and they are very respectful about their reasoning. I like kids and don't mind them in beer gardens. I will also say that is was very nice change of pace to be in a place that is for adults only. I really enjoyed the vibe. Also, if they had wi-fi, that would be awesome because my Verizon signal was so week when I was there I couldn't check in my beers on Untappd. We all agreed that this is someplace that we'd love to visit again.

    Bar
    Dan P.

    Housatonic River Brewery provides a great venue and concept with subpar beer. Beer: Tried the Sassenach Scotch style ale- started decent with a mildly hoppy roasted malt but finished with a chemical taste. And the wheat beer had a "pine sol" chemical taste. Service: friendly bar tender Overall cleanliness: average Bathroom cleanliness: above average Outdoor seating: great outdoor area Ambiance: on a Sunday afternoon the music was a little too loud and consisted of 80s rock (and not the best of the 80s). Mixed sort of vibe, almost a confused ambiance Misc.: no kids, no pets

    Interior seating
    Chris T.

    This place has a nice large outside patio. If you prefer inside there is a nice area inside as well. There is plenty of seating for everyone. This is easy to find right off Highway 7. There is old 80s music playing throughout the beer garden. The ladies behind the bar are friendly. Now the beer was disappointing. I highly recommend trying a sample before purchasing. The bathrooms and interior are above average clean. Beer: I got the wheat beer and it has an odd piney after taste. When it was cold it was drinkable but as it warmed up, it really had a funky after taste. I couldn't finish it. There are so many great breweries i the area, skip this one.

    Inside bar at Housatonic Brewery
    S. S.

    1st impression is the atmosphere is cool! The beer garden in the back is pretty cool! The locals seem to like dancing t the cover band. But the service isn't to friendly, seems like their working for their pay checks and nothing more. The Taco truck serves a great steak burrito but the beer doesn't match the food. Beer seems to strong for the food. Wouldn't mind hanging out here if I was n the neighborhood but wouldn't go out of my way to make this a destination

    Dan R.

    There was no indoor service yesterday, but no worries -- because their beer garden was packed. Here's the workflow -you grab a table in the beer garden, and someone will bring you a beer menu and a food menu for the food truck of the day. They had a nice beer selection - an Octoberfest, a Belgian Whit, a PILS, a NEIPA, a Bock, a Brown Ale, a Porter, a Sour, a Stout, an IPA, and a DIPA, plus hard seltzers and ciders. I loved the fact that they weren't an IPA-centric place! I went for a $7 "Runnin With the Devil" -a Belgium Whit named in honor of the late Eddie Van Halen. It was a big glass, probably 12 ounces I'd guess, and it was ice cold and delicious. The service was friendly, and we had a very enjoyable visit. The only downside was the smoke that came out of their fire pit and seemed to envelope the entire beer garden. We came home smelling as though we had both crawled down a chimney.

    Tyler R.

    When someone hands you a beer that is such a delicious shade of pale, cloudy yellow...happy times ahead. My dad and I chose to come here before we knew said beer would eventually be poured for us, but Gentle On My Mind was an excellent choice for our first (and second) drink. Soft and easy to drink, simultaneously hoppy, with the hint of citrus you'd expect, and want. We were both craving a beer(s) after playing a very hot and muggy 18 holes, and in the current world of social distance, well-spaced outdoor picnic tables sounded like a great follow up to golf. The setup is exactly what you'd expect. Indoor space being a "not so much" these days, there are plenty of picnic tables outside. The parking lot is huge, and from what I read in other reviews, food trucks often set up shop here. We got here just after a weekday opening so no trucks for us, but we did bring a sandwich from a little cafe in town. The only downside? No flights. I wanted nothing more than to try Paradox and Fair Warning (IPAs all daayyy) but since Gentle On My Mind was very much hitting the post-golf spot, we stuck with that - and took two 4-packs and a branded IPA glass home with us. In fact, I had one can tonight, in that very glass. One might say it reminded me to write this. The brewery has a great location, plenty of seating, excellent beer, and, depending on the time of day, food trucks - so you can literally just plant yourself here until they close. COVID stuff: I already hit the highlights, but nothing is happening inside, and fights are off the table for now. Other than that, it feels pretty normal.

    a menu on a blackboard

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    4 months ago

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    13 days ago

    Had a great time there. It's clean and friendly and they have great live bands . I haven't tried the food, but my friends seem to enjoy it.

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

    Business owner information

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    Dave L.

    The Outcrops are awesome and so are your kind words!

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    2 years ago

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    Dave L.

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    9 months ago

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    Dave L.

    Thank you for the kind words Loren!

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    8 months ago

    Beers are tasteless, atmosphere is boring, management is rude. This place just sucks.

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Try the HRB burger outstanding. Great beers and other drinks! Nice outdoor seating and great staff

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    Ask the Community - Housatonic River Brewing

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    Food (4.4) Service (4.4) Ambiance (4.6)…read more First visit since New owner and menu improved from what we already enjoyed. Prices are average-high but worth the money and portions are large. The calamari app was very "good" as was the tuna app. I had the panko crusted Drunken Chicken which comes over mashed potatoes and VERY fresh and delicious vegetables, Massive and VERY good! Wife had the Sea Bass which she liked, but the risotto it sat on was bland. The Burgers are massive and my son rated it "very good" but had better. See the slab of bacon on top in pic. Yes the Out of This World Mac and Cheese was delicious even if not my style... They still carry a fine wine and craft beer selection including many locals. The service was good yet they sent us away because no reservation, said over an hour wait. Left phone anyway and they called 10 min later. Water with hummus dip came quickly, yet waitress was slammed. She was very pleasant and delays were acceptable being they were packed at 7PM on weekend. Ambiance had not changed from the traditional pub style with a large happy bar. Very clean with good energy all around. Will add this back onto our regular list. Keep up the good work!

    I went for a date night for the first time there and I was left truly impressed overall. The food…read morewas excellent, we ordered various wings for appetizers, I ordered a 12 oz steak entree and he ordered a cheeseburger. Everything was cooked to perfection, with the steak being cooked medium rare. I also ordered passion fruit martinis since it was a seasonal featured drink for summer and they didn't disappoint. It was delicious, refreshing and packed a punch and I had two since I wasn't driving lol. The service was exceptional as it was welcoming, friendly and attentive. Definitely worth every ounce and I plan on returning soon.

    Photos
    An actual rail on the top of the wall dividing the booths from the bar. Love the historic detail!
    An actual rail on the top of the wall dividing the booths from the bar. Love the historic detail!
    Garlic parmigiana wings and Greek fries
    Garlic parmigiana wings and Greek fries
    Chocolate chip pancakes with a side of bacon

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    Chocolate chip pancakes with a side of bacon
    The White Horse

    The White Horse

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    This is our third time eating at this excellent restaurant. The food never disappoints…read more We started with an appetizer- we chose the Shepard's pie croquette. It was fried, crispy on outside and moist and delicious on the inside. As far as drinks we got the loong island iced tea( NY Accent) and an espresso martini. I loved mine b/c you could taste the cawfee. The main course was difficult, I wanted a comforting meal but the burgers looked sooo good. After we decided to share the pot pie because it never disappoints and the horse filo is funny as sh*t- It makes me smile. Overall great lunch with the hubs, great views perfect day..

    We had been here before, and I didn't leave a review at that time because the place was extremely…read morecrowded and felt that our experience may have been a one off. We came here because it was highly recommended and the ambience was great. In our first visit, our food took forever to arrive and service was very slow. I ordered the Reuben and when I went to pick it up, there was a large hole in the other side of the bread and the whole thing just fell apart. . The pastrami was very dry and just not very good. Aside from that my wife's meal was very good and we had a beverage and enjoyed the ambiance. This time we went and felt that we had lucked out because there was no one in the place. Our first mistake was, we sat at a high top in the bar, but it was too close to the door, so it was very cold. Every time the door opened the cold air with flow in. I put that on us for choosing a poor seat. The waitress promptly came over and took our drink order and said she would be right back to take our food order as we were very hungry. We waited and waited and it took a while for her to arrive. It looked like she forgot about us and quickly stopped by the table after walking past And asked if we were ready and took our order without writing it down. About 10 minutes later someone else came over and said I'm trying to confirm your order because it was not written down and make sure that we had ordered was ordered properly. The place had hardly anyone in it and not all the tables were taken so we expected our food to be received rather quickly however, after about a half an hour, we started seeing the tables that came in after us were receiving their orders and we still had not arrived. We both had ordered burgers which didn't seem that complicated. After about 15 more minutes, and since we'd been there, almost an hour we still had not received our food. My wife finally went up to the bar and mentioned something to someone there and she said she would go check on the kitchen. She went into the kitchen and immediately came out with our food. Strange? So we basically waited almost an hour for our food and it appeared to have been ready in the back and just sitting there. When we first tasted our food, it was not warm at all. The fries were cold and soggy, and my both of our burgers were warm not hot. This convinced me our order was there and never picked up. At first we thought about sending it back but then after waiting almost an hour, we decided just to eat it and leave. I feel bad having to leave a bad review but it is what it is and that's what happened. I would understand if the restaurant was overly crowded but like I said there was many open tables so I'm not understanding what was the issue. They were running food out, but these runners seemed a bit confused. After two tries, I'm not sure we'll try it again because we like the other place in town up the street just as much. We traveled almost an hour just to go here. There are places that are closer also much better and actually in town.

    Photos
    Dining room at The White Horse, New Preston
    Dining room at The White Horse, New Preston
    Chicken Pot Pie
    Chicken Pot Pie
    Bar

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    Bar

    Housatonic River Brewing - breweries - Updated July 2026

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