To the Editor:

Hello Newtown! We here at (soon to open) ‘NewSylum Brewing’ on the Fairfield Hills Campus, would like to take this time to tell you a bit about ourselves. Of course we know that most of you just want to know when we’ll be open! On that question we’ll keep you in suspense a while longer.

Some of you may be curious as to how we came up with our name. Obviously it is a made up word that is an amalgam of the word ‘New’ and the word ‘Asylum’. As longtime residents and business people here in Newtown we are very sensitive to the history of our hometown. We didn’t choose our name on a whim. We chose it partly because there is no denying the history of the place (the first thing any out-of-towner asks is “What was this place?”). But also because the true meaning of the word asylum is: a place of sanctuary, refuge, and safe harbor. These are the concepts we will promote. We feel strongly that we have a mission and a responsibility to make mental health awareness a part of our message. To that end, we have made overtures to local foundations dedicated to mental health awareness, including the Avielle Foundation, that we want to support and promote. Our overtures were enthusiastically received by them.

Fairfield Hills Hospital, from 1933 to 1995, was a place that was greatly needed. Another comment we hear a lot is, “We sure could use places like that now.” Fairfield Hills was a community of patients, doctors, nurses, and support. Clearly there were some failures, but their mission was to help people. In retrospect, some of their methods may now seem primitive, but at the time, many were cutting edge science with the goal of helping people. That’s our take on the word “asylum.”

As to the “New” in our name, it is first of all a nod to our beloved hometown, but it is also a nod to new beginnings at Fairfield Hills. As the first commercial enterprise on the Fairfield Hills campus, we aim to make all Newtowners proud of what we do there. We think when you get to know us and see what we’ve done with the building, you will be.

So here’s the update: we just received our brewing equipment, and we’ll be tuning that up for a couple weeks. After that, we’ll begin brewing some beer and finishing up the building. And after that, we’ll be open for everyone to enjoy what we have to offer, so… before Thanksgiving… we hope. Can’t wait to see you there!

Respectfully,

David Kingsley

Mark Tambascio

Mark Lennon

36 Keating Farms Avenue, Newtown September 18, 2019