MANCHESTER, Conn — At any given time, the team at Urban Lodge Brewing Company is busy crafting about a dozen beers sold both on tap and in the decorative cans they’ve become known for.
Ryan Fagan is the co-owner of the family run brewery that has become a favorite hangout for craft beer fans on Main Street.
"We’re just all about community and really trying to hone in on making something good in downtown Manchester,” said Fagan
The brewers at Urban Lodge have recently added more purpose to their pour – In July, they introduced “Open Trail”, an ale that is designed to benefit local environmental and conservation causes.
“We launched the Open Trail project last year, the goal is to just raise money for the people putting the boots on the ground and doing work on behalf of conservation and getting people outdoors,” said Max Dougan, an assistant brewer at Urban Lodge and a Manchester native.
"It’s all about land conservation and we’ve done it for the Manchester Land Trust, and hiking trails,” added Fagan.
Dougan finds a different conservancy project just about every month to donate the Open Trail beer proceeds to.
With COVID-19 numbers now in decline, Urban Lodge has seen more people inside their tap room and out on their patio -- hopefully good news as Spring temperatures set in.
“Beyond the beer you really want that ‘experience factor’ and I think we have done a good job with both,” said Dugan. "We’ve tried to say from the beginning that community is our passion and craft beer is the medium.”
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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