Five hundred and fifty brews await you at West Hartford’s new destination for craft beer.
World of Beer, a chain of taverns with locations in 20 states, opened its second Connecticut location in Blue Back Square Monday, Jan. 26, with 50 rotating taps and another 500 local, regional and international beers by the bottle.
The 4,000 square-foot space seats about 189 guests, said general manager Matt Sousa. Draft beers feature such Connecticut breweries as Two Roads in Stratford, Half Full in Stamford and Stony Creek of Branford; and special releases from Hartford’s City Steam, including an imperial amber brewed exclusively for the tavern. About 70 state beers are represented, between draft and bottle selections, Sousa said.
Bottled beers are displayed in lit cases, and organized by region or country. Before opening day, World of Beer employees are put through an extensive 14-day educational program to learn the ins and outs of the vast beer selection, Sousa said. Once the program is finished, employees have to pass two exams with a total of 300 questions, and earn a score of at least 90 percent. For more assistance, servers present guests with an iPad loaded with World of Beer’s app, which lists the up-to-date variety of beers the location currently offers.
The tavern, which is in the former National Jean Company space, took about five months to renovate and open, Sousa said. Since the new space has a bigger and more functional kitchen than many restaurants in the chain, the menu is larger and more extensive than its counterparts. “People tend to think if you see ‘World of Beer’ in the name, they’ll probably have minimal food, or just appetizers. That’s not the case,” Sousa said.
“Tavern shares” or appetizers, make up a larger part of the menu, like black and tan onion rings, an artisan sausage board, German pretzel with mustard or beer cheese and chicken wings. World of Beer also features salads, flatbreads, burgers and sandwiches, and desserts, all with a suggested beer pairing. Many dishes are prepared with beer, like a Guinness-infused bratwurst and a half-pound burger topped with Chimay Classique cheese and housemade Chimay sauce. Items are priced at $6 to $16.
Beers are available in sampling flights of four 5-ounce glasses. Wine and cocktails are also available, and many mixed drinks are even crafted with a splash of beer, like the Margar(IPA) with hoppy India Pale Ale replacing the classic Triple Sec.
A loyalty program, which helps members earn points for each purchase, also encourages guests to track each beer they sample, with prizes and incentives for higher totals of loyalty points, Sousa said.
>>World of Beer is at 73 Isham Road in West Hartford. It’s open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. 860-904-2124, worldofbeer.com.
