Concentric Brewing Company — Restaurant in Portland

I discovered this hidden gem only because one of my favorite local chefs, the wizard known as Chef Chris (formerly making magic at Conspiracy on Main Street in Middletown, CT), popped up there. He's now running the kitchen. One of the shortcomings for me of too many breweries and wine bars is that they do not commit to food, or if they do it's an afterthought (or worse, garbage). Not so the owners of Concentric: they are determined to make their already excellent craft brewery something of a gastropub destination. The menu now has something for everyone, including on my recent visit a few days ago (December, 2022) a superb caramelized brussels sprouts dish with a romesco-inspired sauce called romanesco on the menu (Spanish romesco, well-done--especially favoring almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts, peppers, and garlic more than tomato--is a good excuse for anything!) and an inventive fig and duck bacon pizza. The even better news is that Chris is being given free rein and will soon be featuring international street-food-themed offerings on the menu. Chris has the gastronomic Midas touch so anything he does will instantly elevate it. Let me say, too, the space itself was a pleasant surprise: ample, high-ceilinged, well-lit, with a round-bar in the center, lots of space between tables, cheerful, friendly, and inviting, with the beer-brewing machinery on view for atmosphere. The owners have plans to open a roof-top deck, which will probably offer views of the nearby Connecticut river. There's already an inviting outdoor patio. Oh, and the beer! I tried a flight of the Core (IPA), Mouthful of Nuts (Stout), Moving Target (DIPA), and Forever Red Ale. Superb! The citrusy Core, full-bodied Mouthful, and refreshing Moving Target were especially satisfying and inventive. The staff is friendly, eager, and knowledgeable with a welcome commitment to quality and inclusiveness and prices that are hard to believe given the quality. I wish them a long life and a steady stream...

This review is a part of my quest of visiting all CT breweries. I visited Concentric Brewery stands at several beer festivals before, but this was my first visit to the brewery.

The brewery occupies a big building. Outdoors, you can see a nice patio near the entrance and a separate tent on the grass, a bit further from the entrance. Inside, is a big room with no separation, but multiple seating options including booths. The brewery has a kitchen, but the food selection was very limited during my visit - the menu had around 5 items with one of them being unavailable. We ordered their chicken wings and a kid's cheeseburger, and the food was fine, albeit a bit salty. There was a concert going on that evening, so you can expect events when heading to this place.

The brewery has a good variety of styles on tap. There is an option to order a beer flight of 4. 11 of the beers on tap were new for me, so I tried them all for my review. All the beers were fine by me (with the exception of the seltzer), but some of them really shined. I loved Darth Malt (Imperial Stout), but the catch is that it's the collab with Rule of 3 Brewing. And spoiler alert: it was my favorite beer there as well. Outside of stouts, Quarry Brown (Brown Ale) was really good, with it's malty and nutty hints. In general, I enjoyed the beers here.

Overall, this is a nice brewery in the area and I would recommend it to craft beer...

This is a no flight zone!

Watch out...this is a No flight zone !!! Watch out for the ‘up charges.’ I only intended on sampling drink or two of their 5oz and moving on and share the experience. I always support innovation in the brewing world, then I seen the bartender was selling flights i.e 4x5oz brews so I thought let me try more brews so I can spread the word on more brews they have to my fellow brew fans friends. I was charged extra!! The math didn’t work out! Concentrick (yes with K) charge $2 more for each of the lesser brews I had! I asked the bartender and got a it’s because of the fruit blah blah! etc type answer. So the customers pay MORE for the same drink if it comes as a flight. Drinks were ok but my suggestion, instead of the flights just order single 5oz and you’ll just may escape the extra charges for the same drink....insane.

Thanks not...