Since August, Hog River Brewing has been taking Hartford by storm with tasty craft brews. The brewery is a lifelong dream of Connecticut native Ben Braddock, who up until now has been perfecting his skills brewing for many successful local breweries. He has started his dream gig with the goal of keeping Hog River Brewing a community hub, where everyone is welcome and feels at home.

Served within the industrial-inspired taproom, the beer list is constantly rotating to feature new brews. Current selections include the Black Earth Schwarzbier, the Golden Messenger Kölsch-style ale, and the Elizabeth IPA. Try a flight of five beers for around $10 to make sure you can sample a little bit of everything. Most weekends they will have food trucks outside to complement your beer, with options ranging from pizzas to banh mi sandwiches.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Adam Barhan