The latest entrant in the region’s craft-brewing boon is the Dockside Brewery, which broke ground Monday morning on its new Milford digs at 44-50 Bridgeport Ave. on the banks of the Housatonic River.
The planned picturesque 4,200-square-foot waterfront biergarten and brew pub received its building permit from the city of Milford last Friday (Feb. 8) and wasted no time, commencing construction the very next business day.
The Dockside Brewery is the handiwork of Jacksonville, Fla.-based brewery Engine 15 Brewing Co., and is co-owned by Dan Bagley and Bob Chicoine. The latter is CFO of Engine 15, while Bagley is the local guy who discovered the waterfront site.
Plans for the Dockside Brewery include demolishing an existing home at 50 Bridgeport Ave. (which will open up space for 112 parking spots) and renovating the 4,000-square-foot building that will serve as a brew pub featuring a seven-barrel-system where Engine 15 Brewing will locally brew craft beer.
The property will also house an 1,800-square-foot deck for use in warm-weather months. A 70-slip marina on the Housatonic means visitors to Dockside may arrive by land or by sea.
Over the past decade, Connecticut has experienced a more than 500-percent increase in the number of craft breweries, with nearly 70 in operation statewide today.
Nautical but nice
Last June 19, Dockside Brewery received unanimous approval from Milford’s Planning & Zoning Board, which was the last municipal agency that needed to sign off in order for Dockside to start construction. According to Chicoine, the property first came on the market in November 2016, which is when the project’s two-plus-year incubation process began.
Chicoine and Bagley say they are shooting for a late summer/early autumn opening, subject to the vagaries of outdoor construction.
In keeping with the nautical theme of the occasion, Milford Mayor Ben Blake said the Dockside Brewery was part of a “tidal wave” of new businesses in Milford, and he expressed confidence the project would “buoy” commercial activity in the city’s west end.
Contact Michael C. Bingham at mbingham@newhavenbiz.com
