Elicit Brewing Co. debuted in 2019 in Manchester, CT in a vast historic building. The concept marked an expansion into brewing for Eli’s Restaurant Group, which runs Eli’s on Whitney and Eli’s Brick Oven Pizza both in Hamden, and Eli’s Branford located in Branford. Despite opening just months before the Covid pandemic hit, Eli was soon successful enough that the team behind it felt they had a recipe for brewing and dining success that could be duplicated.
“Originally, the idea was to take what Manchester is, which is an old mill building, and try to find other old buildings and revamp them,” says Emily Sands, Director of Branding & Marketing for Elicit Brewing Co. “That didn’t end up being feasible. There are only so many usable mill buildings.”
So instead of a historic factory space, the team focused on finding locations that were big enough to revamp and call their own. In early 2024, the second Elicit Brewing Company opened in Fairfield in a former Planet Fitness, and at press time, the third was scheduled to open in June at the old Barnes & Noble location in Danbury.
“As long as we have a large enough footprint, we can make it work,” Sands says. “We outfit the inside and the outside to fit the vibe we’re looking for.”
That vibe combines the best of what a more traditional brewery and restaurant offer into one giant and laid-back space with lots of different ways to keep guests entertained. “There’s food, arcade games, private parties, and live music,” Sands says. “There’s just something going on all the time. It’s not your standard brewery that has the kind of limited hours, and it’s not quite your restaurant or bar. It’s a fusion of the two ideas.”
The Danbury location features a large outdoor patio built in what used to be a section of the parking lot in the plaza. Inside is a 14,000-foot dining and brewing area with a main beer hall, with brewery equipment behind glass, and a separate speakeasy-type space featuring elevated cocktails. Existing locations are big spots for watching sports, Sands says, and that will also be true of the Danbury location, which has 20-plus TVs and one jumbotron.
“It’s not just a brewery where we’re serving our in-house brewed beer, we have guest taps of other local breweries, we have domestic options for people who just want a Bud Light — we’re not going to shame them,” Sands laughs. “It’s also a full bar, with cocktails, wines, non-alcoholic beer options, and mocktails.”
The food ranges from smashburgers to pizza and a wide variety of appetizers, including wings, sliders, pretzels, and more. The Danbury location will feature the same beer the other two locations are known for, including the brewery’s most popular beer, Total Juice Bag, a New England IPA.
There’s no waiter service for drinks or food, and that, along with the huge size of each location, creates an experience different from a traditional restaurant. “One of my favorite things about our structure is that you can build your own experience, essentially,” Sands says. “You can be there for five hours, or you can pop in for 15 minutes.” That sounds like something to “cheers” to. •
