Unique, Self-Pour Taproom Preparing To Open In Stamford

STAMFORD, CT — Hop & Vine, a self-pour taproom that will offer a wide variety of beer, wine and other beverages along with scratch-made food in a relaxed, brewery/beer garden-type atmosphere, is readying to open its doors in Stamford.

An opening date has not been finalized yet since final inspections and certifications need to be made, but co-owner and general manager Connor Rasmussen hopes the business can be up and running before the end of the year.

Located at 30 Spring St., Hop & Vine Taproom will eventually feature 69 taps across two floors and 5,500 square feet — 23 taps on the ground floor, and 46 on the second floor.

The front windows can be opened in warmer weather to create an open-air flow. There will also be outdoor seating in warmer months.

The business has been several years in the making. Fellow co-owners Sakarin Seedasome and Matthew Ventura went on a trip to California a few years ago and stopped by a self-pour establishment. They loved it so much they decided to bring the idea to Connecticut, but there were state laws on the books that wouldn't allow customers to pour their own alcohol.

After a couple of years of lobbying for change, the state passed a bill in 2021 allowing self-pour businesses. Two establishments in Connecticut feature the self-pour concept: Tri-It Taproom in Avon and Emma's Restaurant in Trumbull.

Rasmussen, Seedasome and Ventura signed a lease in Stamford and have been preparing the space for quite some time.

"It's going to be awesome," Rasmussen said of finally opening soon. "It's really going to be amazing to see the space alive and see the years of hard work kind of come to fruition."

The process is simple. Customers will be greeted inside and asked to show ID and give a credit card, similar to starting a tab at a bar. The customer will be given a special card from Hop & Vine that's linked to their credit card.

Customers can then seat themselves — there are couches, coffee tables, high tops, bar seating/rails — and go up to any active tap and scan their card; a touch screen will show tasting notes and useful facts about the beer and where it's from. Customers will pour their own beverage and pay by the ounce based on each offering.

Each customer is limited to 32 ounces of beer, 10 ounces of wine, or an equivalent combination of the two, per state law. Guests can create their own beer and wine flights, pour full glasses or pour small samplings to find something they like. Staff will be available to offer recommendations or tips on how to pour the perfect pint.

After the allotment is used, the Hop & Vine card shuts down automatically, but a customer can flag down a staff member to request their card to be reactivated. The reactivation process is quick and seamless.

At their discretion, the staff member can reactivate the card. Employees will be trained to recognize when customers have had enough to drink.

"It's sort of a built-in sobriety check for people, which keeps this system a little more accountable," Rasmussen said, noting it's a similar check you'd encounter from a bartender or server at a regular bar.

To start with, 43 of the 44 taps in use will feature beers brewed in Connecticut. There will be 16 different wine offerings, and a bar for traditional mixed drinks. There will also be kombucha, iced coffee and mocktails/non-alcoholic drinks.

The ability to highlight craft beer from around the Nutmeg State and educate people about the craft beer scene here is important to Rasmussen and his fellow co-owners.

"Our vision when we started this was to create this sort of hub for Connecticut breweries," Rasmussen said. He hopes people will then go visit these breweries on their own, or discover new beer in liquor stores and delve more into what Connecticut has to offer.

"It's an ever-rotating tap list here. It gives us the opportunity to sample tons of beers throughout each week and each month," Rasmussen added.

Hop & Vine can be a destination for any occasion, whether it's a quick stop for a beer after work, a night out with friends, or a lazy day on Sunday watching football.

There will be plenty of board games, shuffleboard, dice, cards and darts, too, for customers to take advantage of while they sip and eat.

Customers can even come in during the day and "work from home," and grab a bite to eat and a iced coffee or kombucha drink. There are convenient outlets placed on the floor for keeping electronics plugged in.

Executive Chef Ashley Lurie is leading the kitchen for Hop & Vine.

"People can expect a fast-casual, everything from scratch, funky food truck, brew-pub, street food kind of vibe," Lurie said. "We're looking at mostly small plates that are meant to be shared, a couple of larger options, and specials throughout the week."

The all-day menu for the soft opening features items like "Texas Twinkies" (brisket and cheese stuffed jalapeño peppers wrapped in bacon, fried, and served with ranch), chicken wings, a wedge salad, burrata, chicken or meatball sliders, to name a few. A brunch menu is also an option for the future.

For more on the food menu, click here.

Finding and showcasing local, fresh ingredients is also a goal for Hop & Vine. For example, they're using potatoes grown in Eastern Connecticut for their hand-cut fries.

"We're trying to pick up on those little nuances that can highlight what the state has to offer. It's super important to us," Lurie said.

For more information or to keep tabs on an opening date and hours for Hop & Vine Taproom, be sure to follow them on Instagram or check out their website.