MILFORD — Pull off Bridgeport Avenue in Devon on almost any night and you’ll hear it before you see it: music drifting over the Housatonic, glasses clinking under string lights, boats easing up to the docks. Dockside Brewery at 40 Bridgeport Ave. has only been pouring since the spring of 2020, but it already feels like it has always been part of the riverbank.
Most locals know it as the place with the view. Fewer know the story: a petition with hundreds of neighbors’ names, a grand opening wiped out by the pandemic, and a crew of brewers, cooks and managers who turned a waterfront lot into one of Devon’s busiest corners. Here’s who runs it, what’s new for the cold months, and what to order when you go.
The owners, and a neighborhood that signed on
Dockside is owned by Dan Bagley and Bob Chicoine. The brewery’s own team page lists Dan as owner and Bob as CFO and owner.
Getting the project built took the neighborhood. When Milford’s Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously in June 2018 to grant permits it needed, a petition backing the brewery had drawn about 850 signatures, according to news coverage at the time. Crews broke ground in February 2019.
City Hall saw it coming. “I think this one is going to be a flagship one because it’s both a destination by car and a destination by boat,” then-Mayor Ben Blake said around the groundbreaking.
Opening day that wasn’t
Dockside planned to open on March 23, 2020. Then Gov. Ned Lamont closed restaurants statewide as COVID-19 hit, and the opening was off. The brewery started with curbside pickup only and sold out of all three of its first beers that first weekend. It officially opened its doors on April 19, 2020.
Even in that first rough stretch, the owners gave back: Dockside made donations to the Connecticut Hospitality Employee Relief Fund and sent food to Bridgeport Hospital.
Two years later, Milford’s economic development director, Julie Nash, credited the brewery with drawing new crowds to Devon. “It brought what Devon needed,” she said, while noting the neighborhood already had longtime favorites like the Bridge House Restaurant.
The crew behind the taps and the kitchen
The beer is made on site by brewers Chris Papallo and Ben Mulgrew. With more than 40 draft lines, the tap list runs from hazy IPAs and crisp pilsners to foeder-aged sours, next to guest beers from around the region.
The kitchen is led by head chef Cesar Rivera, and it’s a bigger operation than most brewpubs: New Haven-style brick oven pizza, flatbreads, tacos, egg rolls, burgers and a lobster roll. Desserts lean local, with sweets the menu credits to Scratch Bakery and Bell Bakery.
Out front, general manager Tom Hanley runs the floor with manager Aimee and assistant managers Tommy Faller and Olivia Bolliger. McKenzie Frank handles marketing, which, judging by the events calendar, is a full-time job.
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A dozen places to sit
Part of the fun is picking your spot. There’s a Biergarten with picnic tables and umbrellas on the gravel, an outdoor bar, a sandy Juicy Beach level, private cabanas, a beachfront Tiki Hut, a Zen Garden and the Grassy Knoll for parties. In summer you can even pull up by boat.
When the weather turns, the action moves up and in. The Upper Deck gets enclosed for fall and winter, with heaters and TVs for game days. The Lodge, a winter-only room, holds groups of up to 25. And the brewery’s heated igloos seat up to six; its posted rules set a 2½-hour limit and minimum spends after 3 p.m. of $150 Monday through Thursday and $200 Friday through Sunday, with a 20% gratuity included.
What locals say
Google reviewers keep circling back to three things: the view, the food and the people working the floor.
Lyudmila has eaten her way through the menu on the upper deck. The burrata peach crostini was “absolutely to die for and my favorite so far,” she wrote, and as a Buffalo native, she signed off on the buffalo dip: “I approve.”
Matthew stopped in for lunch at the bar, took a staffer’s tip to add jalapeños to the peach flatbread and wound up talking shop with brewer Chris about a double IPA called Shipwreck, which he called “a complete masterpiece.” His verdict: “Run, don’t walk.”
Stephen praised his server, Ava, and said the trip “was worth the drive.” Sandy gave a shout-out to her server, Marquis, for fast, kind service over fried fish tacos and an El Capitán Mexican lager. And Charles said the buffalo chicken dip in a bread bowl “was on point.”
The beer I ordered was a complete masterpiece.
Matthew, in a Google review
What to order
Bob’s Big ‘Ole Balls ($14)
Two housemade meatballs in marinara with ricotta and Italian bread. With a name like that, it’s a conversation starter before it hits the table.
Famous Philly Egg Rolls ($16)
The menu calls them “world famous,” finished with a chipotle aioli drizzle. If you can’t decide, Sandy points out there’s an egg roll flight too.
Burrata Peach Crostini ($15)
Liuzzi burrata, fresh basil, peach, honey and balsamic glaze. Lyudmila’s move: add prosciutto.
The Peach Pit flatbread ($18)
Fresh peach, goat cheese, mozzarella, hot honey and basil. Ask for jalapeños on top, the way the bar staff steered Matthew.
Dockside Of The Moon pizza ($23)
From the brick oven: prosciutto, goat cheese, fig jam, arugula and balsamic glaze, New Haven-style.
Housey Fish Tacos ($19)
Fried cod, cabbage slaw, pico de gallo and sour cream. Pair them the way Sandy did, with a Mexican lager.
The Dockside Burger ($18)
Two 4-ounce smash patties, bacon, American cheese, pickle and special sauce. Mug Club members get a burger and a Dockside beer for $15 on Mondays.
Dockside Lobster Roll ($39)
Five ounces of fresh-picked lobster on a toasted bun with warm drawn butter, coleslaw and fries. It’s made in limited quantity each day, so don’t wait until 9 p.m.
Coming up at Dockside
The brewery’s calendar for the next few weeks, according to its website:
- Sunday, Nov. 8: Flannel Festival, noon to 6 p.m. Wear your plaid.
- Sunday, Nov. 8: Smoke on the Water, a whiskey and cigar pairing, 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets through Eventbrite; 21+.
- Thursday, Nov. 12: Christmas Kickoff Party, with new holiday décor, two new holiday rooms (The Gingerbread House and Dockside Express), and Santa and the Grinch from 5 to 8 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 15: Dan Watson Live, 2 to 5 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 23: the annual Milford Food2Kids charity event, 5 to 7 p.m., with a special charity beer from Ben and Chris. Proceeds from every one sold go to Food2Kids.
- Weekly: Jukebox Bingo on Mondays, Girl Dinner on Tuesdays and Best Trivia Ever on Wednesdays.
Before you go
- Dockside is 21 and over unless you’re with a parent or guardian.
- Reservations are taken online, and the beach level books through OpenTable.
- Coming by boat? The brewery sits right on the Housatonic, and it advertises boat access in season.
- Mug Club members get perks like 15% off on Thursday Mug Club nights, early access to can releases and a free Das Boot on their birthday.
DOCKSIDE BREWERY AT A GLANCE
Address: 40 Bridgeport Ave., Milford (Devon), on the Housatonic River
Phone: 203-693-3900
Owners: Dan Bagley and Bob Chicoine
Opened: April 2020 (curbside first, official opening April 19, 2020)
Brewers: Chris Papallo and Ben Mulgrew
Head chef: Cesar Rivera
Known for: 40+ draft lines, brick oven pizza, waterfront decks, winter igloos
Online: docksidebrewery.com
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