Stony Creek’s partnership with Foxwoods started simply, as the Branford brewers worked with the Mashantucket resort casino to make them a customized IPA.
“They wanted a house craft beer … they really wanted to find a local brand,” says Stony Creek brewmaster Andy Schwartz. The beer “took off really well,” he says, and that sparked conversations about other partnership opportunities, like a kiosk on the property.
Foxwoods had bigger ideas, though — in the form of a 7,100 square foot, two-floor brewery, beer garden and cocktail bar. Stony Creek’s new casino presence next to the Fox Theater is now open, with 16 beers on tap, a five-barrel brewhouse, food offerings and seating for more than 300 guests.
“Foxwoods is really trying hard in all areas to attract a more youthful clientele,” Schwartz says, noting the resort’s new additions to the property: attractions like the HighFlyer zipline experience, the Monza indoor karting track and the Sugar Factory restaurant and sweets shop, which boasts celebrity endorsements. “This is part of their plan and we’re happy to be part of it. It’s very exciting.”
“Stony Creek Brewery at Foxwoods is the result of two of Connecticut’s premier brands joining together to create a fun social atmosphere with great local craft beer,” says Jason Guyot, Foxwoods’ senior vice president of resort operations, in a statement. “Stony Creek Brewery has been an incredible partner and we’re thrilled to give our guests a new and exciting Foxwoods experience.”
The space’s first floor features a beer garden, a brew deck with a view into the brewhouse and what Schwartz calls a “fully loaded” gift shop with beer to go and brewery merchandise. The beers on tap will include Stony Creek’s core brews, like its line of Cranky IPAs and Dock Time lager, but the brewhouse on site will allow the team to experiment with new styles and recipes.
“It’s going to be whatever we feel like brewing,” Schwartz says. “It’s going to be creative stuff, test brews for maybe new beers out of the mothership, it’s going to be collaborations with local breweries.” Stony Creek also plans to offer guest beers from other Connecticut breweries.
Food trucks are a key part of the experience at the Branford brewery, and Stony Creek plans to mimic that at Foxwoods with a custom menu, served from a walk-up window on the first floor.
“It’s casual food, but speaks exactly to our ‘aggressively laid back’ concept,” Schwartz said, with selections like wings, sandwiches, salads, flatbreads and lobster rolls priced at about $10 to $23. Each food item comes prepared two ways: a choice of “bold, spicy flavors” representing West Coast style, and a more relaxed, comfort-food East Coast presentation.
On the second floor, guests will find a “distinctly different experience,” Schwartz says, intending to evoke a Southern California rooftop cocktail bar vibe with a stage for live entertainment and a “pool house”-style seating area available for private rentals. Upstairs, the food is higher-end, with shareable menu items like octopus escabeche and spicy pork lettuce wraps, and many cocktails are crafted with beer or beer-influenced ingredients, like hop-infused syrups.
Stony Creek’s popular Branford venue has become a Connecticut beer destination, with its striking, light-filled building overlooking the Branford River. In warm weather, the expansive tasting room opens to a waterfront deck and patio with picnic tables, Adirondack chairs and games like cornhole and bocce ball. Schwartz calls the Foxwoods brewery an “evolution” of the Branford concept, bringing in some of the beach-vibe touches but with new graphics, concepts and beers.
“That on-premise experience is what drives our business, so it’s time we expanded that experience,” he says.
The new casino project is a way to help Stony Creek set itself apart in an increasingly competitive beer industry, Schwartz says.
“To give [visitors] a place where we can have an experience, not just see you at a bar or see you at a grocery store or a liquor store…maybe they leave with a six-pack in their hand, or they go to the grocery store next time and remember the awesome experience they had…then, bonus,” he says. “If we can do something to differentiate ourselves and get them to experience the brand…that’s the most important thing.”
Stony Creek is in Foxwoods’ Fox Theater District. It’s open from noon to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and noon to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. 860-312-2338, foxwoods.com/Stony-Creek.
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