Firefly Hollow Brewery

I went here with a friend who had never been to a brewery before (I know, crazy!) and we had a good time. The décor is open, there is a good amount of natural light, and the set up is altogether very inviting. In terms of the beer itself, it’s really outstanding and my favorite in northern Connecticut. From brown ales to porters to their casked offering of cone flakes dry hopped with simcoe, I was wowed every step of the way. My friend and I sampled every beer they had on draft and all of them were delicious. I easily would have gotten a full pour of almost all of them but had to bounce.
Also, I met Dana (the head brewer) at an event he was at talking about beer chemistry and he is such a kind and charismatic man who has worked at many CT breweries including Hooker and Willimantic. He’s so proud of what he does and his traditional styles like English bitters and old ales. I want to come back when they have food trucks with a few friends and make a night of it, because Firefly Hollow is definitely a worthy destination! Highly recommend!

Another great local CT Brewery located in an repurposed industrial building. I am actually not sure how long Firefly has been in business but from the looks of it when Mark and I rolled up on a recent Saturday afternoon, word of their tasty brews have made the rounds.
A comfortable bar and sitting area with three ladies working hard behind the bar making sure that all patrons were taken care of. Found a spot at the bar and if we had not eaten earlier we brought some food in or bought some from the local food truck outside. Lots of people eating, drinking and just having a good time.
Now for the important point of this review — the beer. We had the opportunity to split a flight of the 8 beers that they had on tap including their double IPA (Cone Flakes) and Big Brass (a bock) which were my two personal favorites. Not a huge fan of porters or stouts so those were just «ok». All in all Firefly Brewing produces beers to fit almost every beer lover. I was also lucky enough to grab a couple of cans of cone flakes which I believe they just started canning.
It’s a bit out of the way but worth the trip to Bristol.

My favorite CT brewery. Get the cone flake if they have it. They rotate their beers so there is always something new to try. Get a flight and try them all. Then bring home a growler. I’m looking forward to being able to buy their beer in local package stores

Firefly is a really fun way to spent a night if you’re at all into craft beer and not far from Bristol, CT. Location-​wise it’s not really situated by anything else exciting and unless you live nearby — then you’ll need a car to get here — that’s right kids, it’s designated driver time!
Getting here can be a little tricky. As per their website, «Finding us can be a bit tricky. We’re located on the side of a relatively steep hill. If you’re going up, it’s the first left after the railroad tracks. If you’re coming down the hill we’re the last right before the tracks. You’ll be looking down a narrowing alleyway along the lower end of an old mill building. If you look carefully about 10 feet up, you’ll see our sign inconspicuously hanging from the corner of the building. This is your cue to turn If you’re inclination is to question whether you’re going the right way, then you probably are. Our driveway is a couple hundred yards of industrial alleyway which opens up into a large parking lot in the back. Just have faith that we’re at the end of the road waiting to serve you a glass of fresh ale.» I was blessed that my sweetheart knows his was around his state so we got here sans difficulty.
My designated driver was my wine-​preferring (then) boyfriend and I was happy to be his craft beer loving, non-​driving, drinking person.
The tasting room space here is big, no frills and well kept. Plenty of tables and chairs towards the back area and stools by the bar area — which is where we sat because I much prefer sitting by a bar. Makes it easier to talk to employees there so you can learn more about the history of a brewery and about what you’re drinking. They also don’t serve food, but allow you to bring you own.
I unfortunately don’t remember all the beers I drank here (a flight of everything available followed by a pint of what was my fave), but I do remember a really good Porter — might have been Emily’s Porter Nitro… either way, I do remember all the beers being great and the staff was friendly, knowledgeable and sweet. Two thumbs up for Firefly!

This place is awesome. They have great variety of beers on tap. I am a big fan of their Cone Flakes IPA. They have plenty of seating space. I have gone on Saturday afternoons, so I have not experienced the big crowds that others have mentioned in their reviews. Service has been good both times I visited.
They bring in food trucks, so if you are hungry, you can get a bite to eat. They also serve a baked pretzel that looks good. I like that they will fill any growler. Some places only fill their own, so if you have one, bring it with you!
I will be visiting this place again.

Such a great local spot for a drink with friends! This brewery is hidden away behind a manufacturing facility, but it is well worth the effort to search for it’s door! The owners are amazing and the beer is fantastic. What more could you ask for on a Friday night?

They have great bathrooms.
The brew master here truly cares about the quality of his beer. He brews because it’s his destiny.
He constantly is growing and improving and so are his beers.

Love this place. Great rotating beer selection, super friendly staff, great food trucks there on the weekends.
It does get noisy and crowded at times though, so plan to be standing for a bit.

Firefly is in a converted warehouse so it has a really cool atmosphere inside. Their beers definitely pack a punch. Their stout was the most memorable, I could really taste the coffee! When I was there I saw 2 babies which is nice if you want to enjoy some local beer with your friends who have a child. Overall, great set up and great beer!

Charming brewery in a bucolic setting. The ambiance inside is like 90’s grunge/​Saved By The Bell College Years style. Nice Oatmeal stout and chocolate porter. Would like to see them get a little more innovative.

Ode to Firefly
Oh, Firefly you doth move me
I cannot leave you bee
Your Cone Flakes make me thirsty
Red Lantern takes one to the sea
Love,
Lauren

This place is ok, but none of their beers really stand out. I got a flight and their beers fall squarely into the decent category. Their Oatmeal Stout, Saisson and Red Ale all tasted fine, but none of them were better than anything I could get anywhere else. I am guessing part of their problem is that they only make the «typical» beers that you can find at most every other brewery and they don’t have any flavors that really stand out (They did have a cream flavor which I didn’t like, but was kind of unique). I will say their prices for growler fills are very reasonable ($ 12 for 64oz), so you can’t go wrong by coming here, but it is probably a place I won’t be back to.

Love this place. Hidden inside the back of an old factory building, it’s a very nice space… big and open and well-​designed, with plenty of areas to hang out. No food as of yet, but I think you can order pretzels. The beer is very good… order a pint of Cone Flakes (if they have it) while you wait to get a growler filled for home.

Firefly is as good as it gets in the area. Despite the 5 stars, though, I just wish it had normal bar hours, as I’m sure everyone else who’s a fan of the place wishes.
Since it’s a brewery and not a bar, they have restrictions on when they can serve beer, so they’re only open 4 days a week, and they close down at 8:00pm. Since they cannot make food, they make up for it by having local food trucks set up outside, which is a perfect compromise.
Every beer I’ve tried there has been fantastic, and I’ll usually try whatever nitro they happen to have on tap. The place has a great atmosphere and is dog-​friendly both indoors and on their outdoor patio.
Located in an almost nondescript former factory building and only a small sign with the brewery’s logo pointing towards the back lot, it could be easy to miss the place. The one downside of the location is their parking situation, which is a gravel mess in the back of the factory with a narrow roadway getting you to an area where people aren’t really sure where and how to park.
Here’s to hoping they one day expand their hours, but for now, they’ll just have to settle with being the best brewery in the area!

great spot, small brewery with tasty beers regardless of what you get. we were there for my brother’s birthday and the wait was a bit long for beers, but that’s to be expected when 25 people are there with one party.
the vibe was pretty relaxed, kids, dogs, but overall an awesome spot to grab a drink and shoot the breeze

How on earth can I give a place 5 stars when I can’t even taste their offerings? Easy. My husband will drive once a week from our house in Wethersfield simply to fill a Squealer to bring home for himself!
I finally got to come here and YAY! I was so happy I was able to bring in my own cider since I can’t have beer! Hung out with the (un)official BeerDog, Chablis, who by the way pretty much owns the place and is ridiculously friendly and low key… unless you happen to be another dog. Just be wary, she thinks you’re on «her turf».
Rumor has it «Coneflakes» will be in cans soon… Which is very exciting news!

I really enjoyed spending an afternoon at Firefly Hollow. They make great beers, with fun names, and have a cozy atmosphere. The Lizard Breath was my favorite. You can bring your own food or they often have a food truck. We enjoyed some grilled cheeses. The seating is a mix of tables and comfy chairs. It is a good spot for a small birthday gathering or get together with friends. I saw one couple who brought a cheese plate. Pretty smart idea.
I would give 5 stars, if it wasn’t for the huge line that developed to get a beer. On weekends, it seems like they could have more staff on hand or separate growler filling from beer sampling. Also, I was kinda surprised by the number of children people were bringing here. All and all a very nice experience though.

Great place, great beer, and I’m looking forward to going back! I settled in to a cozy chair to enjoy my flight on a lively Thursday evening. It has the casual ambience of most breweries I have visited. I liked all the framed Cone Flakes art on the walls (I kind of remember them having a label art competition at one point and assume these pieces were the entries).
As for the beer, I have become a big fan of their Cone Flakes IIPA at other bars in the area, but it was actually the milder Lizard Breath IPA that came home with me in a growler. I also really liked the Toadstool Stout, as other reviewers have mentioned. On the night I was there, a gentleman was cooking and serving barbecue, and a calendar of upcoming food vendors was posted. Nice to have food options on site!
Friendly staff, cool atmosphere, and tasty brews, what else can I say?

Great place to grab great unique beer. To be honest, when I go out for beers I’m always watching sports, so when I got to Firefly and there was no TV for games I was kind of disappointed. Eventually, it seemed as though it was one of those shows on TV when a bunch of people are put together and told no TV and no cell phone and they end up having an even better time just enjoying the atmosphere and talking to everybody. Jackie, the bartender, was knowledgeable and very friendly. Ordered a flight of beers and got a wide range of flavors. Still acquiring my taste for dark beers so the Cone Flakes was too much for me, but you can still appreciate the idea and flavor, and I ended up loving the beer that looked like a coffee, the Toadstool Oat Stout, which I thought I wouldn’t like. Also liked the Lizard Breath IPA.
For food, they serve fresh soft preztels. for 5 bucks. and they’re huge! I got a jalapeño cheddar soft pretzel, completely worth it, and they say they’re from Harvest Bakery, either the dough or the actual pretzel I’m not sure, but they’re great too so I wasn’t suprised that the pretzels were delicious.
Farmboys Smokin BBQ was the food truck that was there today, got a pulled pork sandwich, with either a peppery vinegar based sauce or a sweet bbq sauce, I chose the vinegar one, with a side of smoked mac&cheese, which i put on the sandwich, and it was all really good. and it went perfectly with the beers.
Just overall good experience, might have to buy a mug of theirs so I can get can get cheaper beer every time I come back!

The smell of beer is in the air! Seriously, you can smell the yeast from outside the building, and it is glorious.
Their beers are absolutely great. The Red Lantern, Toadstool Stout, and their barleywine were all spectacular. Absolutely worth a trip. The inside is very inviting, plenty of room, a great place to spend an evening.
32 oz growlers are filled for $ 6, and 64 oz are $ 12. Plus they will even fill other brewery’s growlers so you don’t have to spring for a new one! They don’t serve food but you can bring your own or have something delivered.