Top: Armada Captain and Founder John "Johnny" Kraszewski working the bar during the anniversary celebration. Bottom: the anniversary raffle goodies.
An impending snowstorm and gray fog provided the perfect wet and brooding vibes to encourage beer enthusiasts and connoisseurs to make their way into Armada Brewing Saturday like sailors longing for a respite from the seafaring life.
But those gathered at the craft brewing company’s manufacturing hub and beer hall in Fair Haven, where it dropped anchor three years ago in the former Bigelow Boiler Company building, weren’t specifically there to beat the weather. They were there to celebrate eight years of Armada’s existence.
John “Johnny” Kraszewski, known as the captain and founder of Armada Brewing, was behind the beer hall’s downstairs bar, slinging suds and wearing an auspicious plastic crown while tending to a steady stream of patrons.
“Eight years is crazy,” he said, reflecting on the anniversary between customers. “It’s a blur to think back on it. We had so much focus on when we got this spot I kind of forgot about what we went through when we started up.
“But thankfully we have our social media reminders that say ‘Hey remember this day eight years ago?’ and I’m like ‘Get the heck out of here.’”
Armada Brewing grew out of Kraszewski’s enthusiasm for hops as a homebrewer living in Chicago. He and his wife, Alexandra, are from Connecticut and moved back to the Nutmeg State in 2016. Armada started small, sharing space with another brewery, then contract brewing for a while, but as their reputation grew, so did the need for space, which they ultimately found on River Street in 2022.
Kraszewski said old fashioned word of mouth through social media and the popularity of the Google search “beer near me,” and “craft breweries near me” have played a significant role in growing the business.
It also doesn’t hurt that Armada Brewing offers an ambassador program, which is a club membership that offers exclusive perks including discounts on beer and Armada branded merchandise. Armada also utilizes its swanky upstairs lounge and bar, which can hold more than 100 people, for private events.
“We do events like live wrestling in the parking lot and vendor markets too,” Kraszewski said. “It’s just a lot of fun things.”
Top: Anniversary revelers in fun hats. Bottom: Brewheads Lisa, Big Mike (center), and Brando raise a glass to Armada.
The fun of raising a mug to Armada was going strong Saturday as some patrons donned party hats and bought raffle tickets in celebration of the anniversary.
Brewheads Entertainment podcast hosts Brando, Big Mike and Lisa were among the the revelers in the house to mark Armada’s milestone.
“We first met Johnny when first started doing some of his beers for review not knowing him and then we met him at the Gathering at the Bines which is a brewfest at Two Roads Brewing and just hit it off and have been following him ever since,” Brando said.
The podcast trio has recorded their show in the upstairs space of the brew company, which is known as the Queen’s Lounge. Brando noted that their interview with Johnny was one of their most popular to date.
“Lisa has been a big fan of him for years so soon we’ll hopefully be doing a collab beer with him,” Brando added of Kraszewski. “[From] his humble beginnings to this amazing place in the New Haven area, with all his outreach and everything that he does – it’s just amazing.
“It’s why we always come back,” Brando said. “It’s the camaraderie, the conversations and everything that gets sparked inside this brew house.”
Top: A view from the Queen's Lounge on the brewery's second floor. Bottom: Suzy Q's food truck provided the eats on the anniversary day.
Kraszewski said plans for the immediate future of Armada Brewing is hosting a brewfest in April and getting a permanent food truck on site that can provide a more expansive food menu, and of course, pouring up more good beer and good times.
A captain in his crown.