STAMFORD — Over the last several months, contractors have finished building out the immense media headquarters taking shape on the waterfront.
Over Memorial Day weekend, patrons at Stamford’s newly announced Cisco Brewers outpost will get a first look at the “village” growing in the South End.
Nantucket-based beverage company Cisco Brewers will, over the holiday weekend, debut its newest location at The Village, the media, marketing and business complex coming together right next to the city’s marina. The project has been in the works since 2017, when business executive Brent Montgomery, who lives in neighboring Greenwich, purchased the property. The Memorial Day unveiling is the public’s first real look at what has been brewing inside.
The Village will house the Wheelhouse Group (Montgomery’s conglomerate that works on everything from investing to media production) and reality television giant ITV America, along with some of Wheelhouse’s other ventures.
“We like to joke that The Village is our version of Disneyland. It’s where you get to meet all the characters,” Montgomery said. Everything at The Village is imbued with a fantasy-land feel. Light floods into the building from every angle. The sunshine is practically a design element. Upstairs, in a hidden tequila bar Montgomery envisions as an intimate event space, everything is leather, marble, and velvet.
Every amusement park needs a food court. That’s where Cisco Brewers comes in.
“We wanted to get a name brand that was big in the area as our first big bet,” Montgomery said of the company. The location at The Village marks the brewery’s first step into Connecticut, but the new home ties right into its beachy approach to business. Even with a multimillion-dollar development to explore, the Stamford Marina manages to be the star of the show.
Just behind the main concourse at The Village, dozens of wooden tables line the marina. Montgomery envisions people drinking, chatting, and enjoying live music. Customers are invited to come with their dogs or families; the space is both pet- and family-friendly.
The tables and benches wrap around the building and lead right into The Village’s gastronomical crown jewel: a first-floor bar and restaurant.
Though Montgomery wants the restaurant to be a fine-dining experience in its own right, it is not wholly separate from Cisco Brewers. Beverages from outside will be served indoors. Food from the restaurant will be served outside, but there are also plans to host smaller vendors like South Norwalk’s Nit Noi Provisions and seafood from Maine-based Community Shellfish.
The brewery outpost will feed into the restaurant inside when all is said and done. Though there’s still more work to be completed, according to Montgomery, some of its offerings will be available to attendees during the holiday weekend event.
The Memorial Day “soft launch” is already booked for the whole weekend, thanks to the power of word of mouth. However, Montgomery plans to ease into opening the space officially by holding previews every weekend in June. These events will all serve as a testing ground for the brewery’s final outdoor layout.
“We just want to get out as many kinks as possible,” Montgomery said. “You only get one chance to get a good first impression.”
Patrons are required to reserve a spot ahead of time for both the Memorial Day event and the June previews. Cisco Brewers will be open on preview weekends from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The entire outfit, including the forthcoming restaurant, is set to open fully ahead of the July 4 holiday.