Water Street welcomes brewery in old firehouse

TORRINGTON — If you like to mix taste bud-tingling, homemade craft beer with the history of firefighting, then Bad Dog Brewing Co. on Water Street is right up your alley.

The brewery and pub opened in January in the old Torrington firehouse, next door to the Torrington Fire Department and a short walk from downtown. The brewery and pub is owned and operated by Mike Tkac, his wife, Michelle, and the couple’s son, Chris, the latter handling

much of the brewing process in the rear of the building. The family hails from Bristol and is leasing the building.

The firehouse, former Torrington Fire Department Headquarters, is a historic building completed in 1901. It is an example of Romanesque Revival architecture, and served as the city’s main firehouse until 1980, according to the Tkacs. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic places in 1987, fell into some disrepair, and has been meticulously renovated. It was intended to become a firefighters museum at one point, but that project didn’t happen.

Mike Tkac signed a lease with the property owner, JR Laliberte, in May 2019. Laliberte invested in the upgrades, was successful in his request to the Torrington City Council to release $40,000 in blight liens on the property, and said he has invested more than $800,000 in the firehouse. Laliberte worked with the city to make the building

part of the ongoing river trail, or riverwalk area, which runs along the Naugatuck River downtown. The back of the old firehouse is along the river corridor.

Steel reinforcements, new flooring and new windows were installed, along with a new driveway and new

sprinkler system. The Tkacs worked on the interior, which has 6,700 square feet on the first floor and about 5,000 square feet on the second floor. Mike Tkac said he and his family and contractors worked with the Fire Department and the Torrington Historical Society on what to do with the

equipment that was left in the building. They found artifacts from the 1800s to the 1960s inside, some of which is now on display as part of the brewing company’s public spaces.

The brick facade of the firehouse has been restored, and other notable features

include new doors and windows. The doors, Mike Tkac said, are a historical representation of the original style used when the firehouse opened, but are made of modern materials to provide energy efficiencies and durability. Windows were replaced with custom, modern energy-efficient ones with original trim colors.

Many of the internal features of the building were heavily damaged and needed to be replaced. Interior walls are new and most of the damaged bead-board has been removed. Additionally, columns and steel structures have been added to support the building. Original plaster walls, ceilings, and doors were damaged beyond repair, but original wainscoting, trim and transom windows were saved and restored. Some items, such as a massive sliding door between two second floor rooms, are still in place and functional. One second floor space, originally a “card room” for firefighters to relax, was rebuilt adding modern features such as televisions, LED lighting, sound systems, USB charging stations and an Xbox.

“We repurposed much of what we tore up during renovations,” said Mike Tkac. “The tables and the bars are made from wood from the firehouse and even the handles on the beer taps are made from the same wood.”

The brew vats (there are 17 containers in which the Tkacs work their brewing magic), along with various other trappings of a brewery were also a considerable investment. Chris Tkac said he can produce 20 barrels of beer a week, or 40 kegs. Each keg holds 331⁄2 gallons of brew, which is served up

from taps at the two bars. The brew house is serving 10 different kinds of beer. The Tkacs source as many of the ingredients for the beer as they can from local or state suppliers.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the pub now seats about 150 customers, but that number can go as high as 360 at full occupancy, Mike Tkac said. In addition to a large seating area on the first floor, where customers can sit among vintage firefighting equipment, photos, and a restored 1939 fire truck, the upper rooms can also be used for overflow and special events.

Bad Dog Brewing Co. is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays,

with Thursday to be added to the schedule soon.

“We hope to open seven, or at least six days a week, in the nottoo-distant future,” said Mike Tkac. In addition to the craft beer, the establishment also offers wine from Sunset Vineyard in Goshen and soda from Avery’s in Plainville.

The pub has received a most favorable response from the community, as well as from areas outside of Torrington.

“A lot of the people we have been getting have been firemen or people who are interested in firefighting and the old firehouse,” said Mike Tkac. “We have had people come in from as far away as

Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York, and they say they love what we had done with the place.”

Tkac is big on Torrington and its future. It’s why the family decided to make a stand in the city, especially after seeing developments like the Franklin Street Plaza and renovations of onceclosed businesses into new uses in the downtown area.

“Mayor (Elinor Carbone) and really all of the Torrington leadership welcomed us and helped us with whatever we needed to make this happen,” Mike Tkac said. “It was a two-year process from start to opening. We see what is going on here in the city and we think it has a great future. The extension of the greenway trail will go right past our location and should bring in additional customers once it is complete.”

Despite COVID-19, the pub has been quite busy since it opened, with Mike Tkac reporting capacity crowds on several evenings. “We are getting people in here from ages 22 to 80. It’s a wide demographic. We have our tables spaced so that people feel comfortable being here,” he said.

The pub does not serve food, but a food truck is on premises each day the establishment is open and customers can order and then have their food brought to them by servers.

“We’re hoping to have a small kitchen eventually, serving appetizers and maybe sandwiches,” said Chris Tkac

“Right now, we are concentrating on doing what we do best and let the food truck people do what they do best. It has worked out great,” Mike Tkac said.

The Tkacs plan to conduct several events at the pub, and organizations and private individuals can book the facility for events. All regulations in regards to COVID-19 guidelines, such as mask wearing by staff and hand sanitizing stations, are in place.

And how did they choose the name? “We have three dogs and we allow patrons to bring their dogs in with them,” said Mike Tkac. The Tkacs support many animal organizations providing food, shelter, medical care, and adoption services to pets in need.

That is how the name “Bad Dog” came about. “We don’t believe that there are bad dogs out there, but dogs needing care, attention and love,” the Tkacs said.

Visit www.bdbrewco.com/home for information.

John Torsiello / For Hearst Connecticut Media Bad Dog Brewing Co. opened in January on Water Street.

John Torsiello / For Hearst Connecticut Media Bad Dog Brewing Co. opened in January on Water Street, Torrington. Here, father and son owners Mike Tkac, left, and his son Chris Tkac.

John Torsiello / For Hearst Connecticut Media Bad Dog Brewing Co. opened in January on Water Street, Torrington. Here, a vintage fire truck stands in the pub, a remaining artifact that was intended to be used when the firehouse was to become a museum.