BRIDGEPORT -Bryan Pietrzak marches to the beat of a different drummer.
That becomes very apparent as he talked about his latest incarnation ad brewmaster and co-owner of the city’s newest brewery, Twelvenote Brew Co.
“I want this to be a sensory experience, music and good beer, a place people can escape from reality for a little while,” he said.
While other breweries have embraced the sports bar theme to attract a wider clientele, Pietrzak has made it very clear his is no sports bar.
The brewery name comes from the 12 notes that comprise the chromatic music scale and in the Fairfield Avenue brewery it’s all about the music and the beer.
“All our beers are musically themed and I’ve created a YouTube playlist to go with each brew,” he said.
And music will be a constant in the brewery either from a DJ or live performances.
While Connecticut Magazine recently declared the golden age of breweries in the state over, there was no evidence to support that last Saturday as people crowded the Twelvenote Brewery for its opening. Beer was flowing constantly from the taps.
The brewery is the third to open in recent years in the state’s largest city after Foolproof Brewing on Union Avenue and Berlinetta Brewing downtown on Golden Hill Street. Twelvenote took over the former location of Aspetuck Brew Lab — which closed last year after nine years of operation — as well as its state of the art beer making equipment at a location just over the Bridgeport-Fairfield line in Black Rock.
Pietrzak changed the interior from a very white laboratory look to a more warm and inviting spot with overstuffed chairs.
Like his choice of music, Pietrzak makes a varied type of beer.
He has an American wheat style beer he calls Wheastie Boyz; a pale ale, Reverberation; Bongo Havoc, a hazy Indian pale ale; Ye Ken’t Touch This, a Scottish session-type ale; I saw Red, an Irish red ale and You Sexy Thang!, a brown ale.
“I want to have something for everyone,” Pietrzak said.
He said he plans to introduce new beers as he goes along and will begin canning his beers by the end of the year.
Not bad for a guy who started out as a machine mechanic toiling for General Electric in northern Pennsylvania.
At that time his main pastime was playing the bongos with the band Small Town Rollers.
“They called me Bongo Bryan,” he said with a laugh. Pietrzak said he still plays the bongos but beer making now takes up much of his time.
His interest in the craft came by chance in 2014 when his brother-in-law, Paul Dyer, gave him a beer making kit for Christmas.
“I began making beer in my kitchen and then it expanded to my basement,” he said.
When he got layed off from General Electric he decided to use the assistance money made available to enroll in the Siebel Brewing Institute, the country’s oldest brewing school.
By then, he had fully caught the beer brewing bug but realized that northern Pennsylvania was not the place to do it.
With family and friends in the Bridgeport area he was encouraged to move here.
Dyer, who takes credit for starting it all, became his partner.
“He’s the brewmaster and I’m the brandmaster,” said Dyer, pointing to the shelves of hats, T-shirts and koozies on the brewery wall.
Pietrzak said he has already embraced the Black Rock neighborhood, using local workers and developing a relationship with his neighbors.
The food for Saturday’s opening was provided by Blind Rhino, a sports bar next door.
“I couldn’t be happier with the friends I have made here,” he said. “Everyone has been welcoming, I know this is going to be a great location for the brewery.”