Two Roads Releases Little Heaven

I swung by Two Roads brewery Thursday night to sample the latest creation of brewmaster Phil Markowski. He’s done it again with a delightful pale ale called Little Heaven. 

Little Heaven (5.7% ABV) is my kind of beer!

This gorgeous clear amber ale is topped with a nice bubbly head that dwindles to a thin glass-grabbing layer of foam.

The subtle hoppy aroma belies the mouthwatering explosion of flavor. Calypso hops add a suggestion of the tropics with a hint of juicy pineapple while creating a burst of full-on bitterness that continuously builds on the palate from start to finish.

The mouthfeel is medium to full with a pleasant tingly effervescence.

As the name would seem to suggest, the beer is a little slice of heaven. Little Heaven is a bright, crisp pale ale that goes down oh-so easy; it is an excellent example of the style.

Like all Two Roads brews there’s always an interesting story behind the name on the label. The account of how this brew got its name, as told to me by Brad Hittle, CEO of Two Roads, is actually quite amusing.

Directly beneath the tasting room, there is a space that isn’t quite big enough to be called a room but larger than a crawlspace. As legend goes, during breaks employees of Baird would steal away to this secluded spot and would ... uhm ... indulge in some ... er ... horizontal refreshment. Thus the room was dubbed “little heaven” for all the blissful goings-on that went on there.

Two Roads Brewing Company is located in the newly renovated Baird factory building at 1700 Stratford Ave., Stratford, Conn. 06615

The tasting room is open every day except Monday and brewery tours are held on Fridays, Saturday and Sunday. Visit TwoRoadsBrewing.com for more information.