Customers experience the self-pour technology at the soft opening of Tri-It Taproom in Avon. 

Michelle Norris loves to see guests' reactions as they enter the Tri-It Taproom for the first time. She says first-time visitors to the new Avon self-service tap room are always wowed as they first lay eyes on the wall of taps: 44 in all, offering craft beer, hard seltzer, cider and wine.

"I say it's like a playland for adults," she said. 

After Connecticut legalized self-pouring technology in 2021, Norris opened the state's first self-service tap room in late June, offering nearly four dozen beverage options for guests to physically pour themselves. Tri-It uses technology from Illinois-based PourMyBeer, a product of the PourMyBeverage company, and Norris focuses on Connecticut-made beverages, choosing to fill the draft menu with products from Nutmeg State breweries, wineries and cider makers. 

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But the new concept is far from a free-for-all, Norris said, and Tri-It has checks and balances to avoid guests overserving themselves. When customers arrive, everyone in the party must provide two forms of ID to receive a self-serve beer card, which they insert into a card reader to activate the tap. They then pour a desired amount of beverage into their choice of glass.

Guests are charged by the ounce, and the cards are initially limited to 32 ounces of beer and 10 ounces of wine. Once customers reach that limit, Norris and her staff evaluate them to make sure they haven't over-imbibed.

"We ensure that you haven't overserved yourself, and we can re-activate your card for another 32 ounces," she said. 

State law limits the alcohol content of the beverages chosen for the self-serve machines, so Norris can't offer any beers, seltzers or ciders that are higher than 6 percent ABV. Because some wines can have an alcohol content twice that number, Tri-It only allows 10 ounces of wine per customer.

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A few extra restrictions haven't dampened people's excitement for the new concept, Norris said. Visitors have enjoyed the wide selection of Connecticut beers, with recent picks from Aspetuck Brew Lab, Thomas Hooker, Beer'd, Back East, Half Full, Kent Falls, Counter Weight and OEC. Norris chooses beers based on styles, to make sure Tri-It covers its bases with IPAs, pale ales, sours, pilsners and stouts (all within the 6 percent ABV limit.)

"We did an email blast to all the Connecticut breweries, and so many of them wanted to play," she said. "They really love being on our wall...if you try it here, you're more inclined to make the trip to their brewery and see what else they've got that you might like. It's kind of a win-win."

Tri-It also offers hard seltzer from Two Roads, cider from Crazy Cock and Spoke + Spy, and wine from Brignole Vineyards and Jonathan Edwards Winery. Wine has proven tougher to get, Norris said, as many Connecticut wineries don't keg their product, but other wineries have expressed getting into keg packaging to be part of the Tri-It wall. 

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In addition to the variety of beverages, Tri-It offers a small food menu, with snacks like Bavarian pretzels, kettle corn, hummus with pita and veggies, a cheese and charcuterie board and palline, or savory Italian dumplings. The pretzels are served with housemade honey mustard sauce and beer cheese, and both kids and "big kids" love the "surf and turf" snack mix of animal crackers and cheddar Goldfish, she said.

Guests are also welcome to bring their own food, and food trucks stop by frequently, with recent visits from Cravin Catering and upcoming dates on the calendar for Curbside Comfort Cuisine. The space has a lounge area with couches, where a fireplace will be lit during the cooler months.

Norris, a South Carolina native, is a longtime beer lover and frequented a similar self-serve taproom in her home state. She retired early and moved to Connecticut two years ago to be with her wife. When the Nutmeg State legalized the self-pour service, she saw her opportunity.

"I went from a stuffy government job to selling beer," she said.

Tri-It Taproom, at 300 W. Main St. in Avon, is open Wednesday through Friday from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.

Leeanne is the food and consumer reporter for Hearst Connecticut, handling coverage of restaurant openings and closings, trends, events and general news about CT food and beverage businesses.

She's been working in Connecticut news for more than 15 years, most recently as the food and dining reporter for the Hartford Courant. A native of Worcester, Mass., she holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University.