Milford Point Brewing opens next week, ready to be the first brewer in its city

Congrats, Milford, Conn., you have joined the craft beer revolution. Or at least you will on April 7, which Milford Point Brewing has targeted to officially open for business as the first brewery in the city. Located at 230 Woodmont Road, Co-Owners Jerry Candido and Chris Willett will be producing small batches — three barrels or smaller — focusing on quality over quantity.

“We’re giving folks in Milford and the surrounding communities a great-tasting, homegrown craft beer option,” said Candido, who is a West Haven native and currently resides in Milford.

Willett, who also resides in Milford, met Candido around seven years ago while their daughters were playing on the same softball team. Soon thereafter, the two became friends, and Candido, an electrician by trade, who previously only consumed mass-produced beers like Bud Light, was converted after trying Willett’s homebrews. Like many pro craft brewers, Willett started as a homebrewer who started to enter contests and then started winning contests. That’s when he and Candido — who by then was asking for Willett’s advice every time he visited a restaurant or bar with craft beer on tap — decided to join forces and start up a brewery in Milford.

Milford Point Brewing is aiming solely to be that hyper local neighborhood brewery, with the names of its beers staying true to the brand identity, featuring Silver Sands IPA, Devon Wheat, Pond Point Lager and West Shore Double IPA.

“We want to ensure the names of all of our beers have the homegrown feel that our neighbors deserve from Milford’s first-to-open craft brewery,” said Willett.

The brewery will feature a small sample tasting and growler-filling room in the front where customers can sample and buy beer for off-site consumption. It will also self distribute some product to bars. Milford Point Brewing will soon have company as two other craft breweries — Tribus Beer Co. and Dockside Brewery — are being developed and awaiting approvals. Candido and Willett believe that all of these locations add to what will soon be a booming craft beer scene in Milford.

“Across our state, the craft beer industry is growing,” said Candido. “It’s creating jobs, revitalizing rundown properties and generating over $700 million in economic impact annually. That’s why we strongly believe that bringing craft breweries into the city and giving residents a variety of options for great-tasting craft beer while creating jobs is a win-win for Milford.”