Brewpubs and microbrews in RI

[Stahlsturm]

and neighbouring CT and MA. Where to go, which ones to avoid. I´ve been doing a fairly thorough internet search in the past days and I´ve come up with a bunch of addresses that I intend to visit next time I´m in the US. But I wonder, which are the ones I absolutely have to see (taste) to make my travel complete ?

[threecb]

"paging newportstorm!"

[newportstorm]

Did someone ring?

Check out the BeerFly tool on BeerAdvocate. Thorough list of all places beer in whichever state you want. And you can get opinions from others than myself.

As far as RI goes:

Trinity Brewpub (Providence) - inconsistent. In one session you can have a very nice IPA or Impy Stout, a passable pale ale or a downright drain pourable porter. I can't put my finger on why these guys are all over the map. They have growlers to go (Impy Stout might be pricey) and I heard they are starting to bottle their IPA for sale in liquor stores. Still worth checking out for yourself though.

Union Station (Providence) - Part of the John Harvard's family. Atmosphere and a couple of decent beers are all this place has to offer you. Last time I was in, they had a decent hoppy golden ale and a nice Porter on cask. They also have a pretty good sized patio for nicer weather. Decent food, too.

Coddington Brewing Co. (Middletown) - probably the best RI has to offer. Won't really blow you away, but they rarely drop a stinkbomb on you either. They also have growlers to go. Most recent trip there produced a growler of a nice English Mild.

Mohegan Cafe and Brewery (Block Island) - location is about it for this place. Right across from the ferry docks in the heart of the action. The brews are all extract brews, which in and of itself isn't horrible, but check the reviews on BA and decide for yourself.

Coastal Extreme Brewing Co. (Middletown) - brewers of Newport Storm, and no I don't work there. Catch the free Friday night tours but get there by 5:15 ish to ensure you make the 6 o'clock tour as they only let in 75 people. Good tour, four free pints and $5 growler fills (bring your own clean one - any 1/2 gal. type - or they charge $10).

In MA:

The Tap Brewpub (Haverhill) - Dann Paquette churns out some kick-ass brews. Decent pub grub, streetside tables, a new deck out back (open yet?) and prefilled growlers to go. Check 'em out:
http://www.tapbrewpub.com/

Boston is loaded with good beer spots (too many to list here) - I again suggest BA's BeerFly for advice.

Also don't ignore the rural western part of the state with great spots like The People's Pint in Greenfield, Northampton Brewery in...Northampton, and The Moan and Dove in Amherst.

In CT:

Not a lot of experience here, but I can recommend:

Willimantic Brewing (Willimantic) - on reputation alone. I hear the head brewer has some killer IPA recipes among others. Worth the drive.

BruRm @ Bar (New Haven) - been there once for the CT Real Ale Fest and one of the best beers I had was BruRm's Mild. And this was among a lineup from Southampton Publick House, Victory, Adnams, Smuttynose, McKenzie's, etc. Great floppy brick oven pizza, too.

Again check out BA's BeerFly or ask around in their forum as they have a good CT contingent. Only negative - no growlers! :mad: For now anyway - they're working on changing that.

Cheers!

[Bruno_78]

I just came through CT a couple weeks ago, and stopped at the Willimantic brewery. It's worth the trip just to see the building. It's an old post office, so it's really big, and tall ceilings. They still have the old postal boxes in the dining room. Very Cool. Good beers, usually two cask conditioned I think. They also have a huge selection of regional micros also. I think they had about 30 on tap when I was there, but the capacity of 40.

Say hello to Margie, the bartender, tell her the guy on the motorcycle said hello.

[Stahlsturm]

Alrighty, that covers a good deal of the ones I had noted down already :-)

I have 2 more questions for now.

1) What the heck is a "growler" ? I don´t think we have that here in Germany.

And 2)
I have a few more on my list, do these still exist and are they worth bothering with ?

Emerald Isle Brew Works Ltd, 11 Bank St, West Warwick, RI 02893, (401) 821-3149, eibrewwrk@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/bruguru/eib.html

Uptown Brewpub, 520 Main St., Warren, RI 02885, (401) 247-7833

Buzzards Bay Brewing, 98 Horseneck Road, Westport MA 02790, (508) 636-2288, tim.coleman@buzzardsbrew.com
www.buzzardsbrew.com

Hyland Orchard and Brewery, 199 Arnold Road, Sturbridge MA 01566, (508)347-7500
www.hylandbrew.com

Cottrell Brewing, 100 Mechanic Street, Pawcatuck CT 06379, (860) 599-8213, charlie@cottrellbrewing.com
www.cottrellbrewing.com

Mystic River Brewing, 76 New London Road, Mystic CT 06355, (860) 536-6566

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by Bruno_78
I just came through CT a couple weeks ago, and stopped at the Willimantic brewery. Yeah, I read quite enthusiastic reviews on that place and it´s quite close to the place my in-laws live (Glocester, RI) so I´ll definetly check that one out with my wifey next time I´m around :-)

[Stahlsturm]

@ newportstorm

Thanks for the detailed rundown :-) I´ll print that out and bring it for reverence.

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by Stahlsturm
What the heck is a "growler" ? I don´t think we have that here in Germany. A growler is simply a half gallon jug that you take to the brewery and they fill for you straight from the tap. Most brewpubs will sell you one for a couple of bucks and fill it for $6-8. Not a bad way to go!

[Beaver]

Originally posted by Stahlsturm
Alrighty, that covers a good deal of the ones I had noted down already :-)

I have 2 more questions for now.

1) What the heck is a "growler" ? I don´t think we have that here in Germany.

And 2)
I have a few more on my list, do these still exist and are they worth bothering with ?

Emerald Isle Brew Works Ltd, 11 Bank St, West Warwick, RI 02893, (401) 821-3149, eibrewwrk@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/bruguru/eib.html

Uptown Brewpub, 520 Main St., Warren, RI 02885, (401) 247-7833

Buzzards Bay Brewing, 98 Horseneck Road, Westport MA 02790, (508) 636-2288, tim.coleman@buzzardsbrew.com
www.buzzardsbrew.com

Hyland Orchard and Brewery, 199 Arnold Road, Sturbridge MA 01566, (508)347-7500
www.hylandbrew.com

Cottrell Brewing, 100 Mechanic Street, Pawcatuck CT 06379, (860) 599-8213, charlie@cottrellbrewing.com
www.cottrellbrewing.com

Mystic River Brewing, 76 New London Road, Mystic CT 06355, (860) 536-6566

I wasn't very impressed with the Buzzard's Bay beers I had. IMO, there is much better to be had out there.

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by Stahlsturm
Alrighty, that covers a good deal of the ones I had noted down already

I have 2 more questions for now.

1) What the heck is a "growler" ? I don´t think we have that here in Germany.

And 2)
I have a few more on my list, do these still exist and are they worth bothering with ?

Emerald Isle Brew Works Ltd,

Uptown Brewpub, 520 Main St., Warren, RI 02885, (401) 247-7833

Buzzards Bay Brewing, 98 Horseneck Road, Westport MA 02790, (508) 636-2288, tim.coleman@buzzardsbrew.com
www.buzzardsbrew.com

Hyland Orchard and Brewery, 199 Arnold Road, Sturbridge MA 01566, (508)347-7500
www.hylandbrew.com

Cottrell Brewing, 100 Mechanic Street, Pawcatuck CT 06379, (860) 599-8213, charlie@cottrellbrewing.com
www.cottrellbrewing.com

Mystic River Brewing, 76 New London Road, Mystic CT 06355, (860) 536-6566

I believe there is a company in Germany that makes growlers. But like fret said, they are typically 1/2 gallon or 1 gallon jugs that breweries and brewpubs provide for take home draft beer. Usually to be drank within a few days but can last quite a bit longer if they are of the prefilled variety on the bottling line. Hint: I seal the cap with electrical tape if I don't plan on drinking the beer soon. I also prefer the plastic caps over the metal ones - very few Grolsch-style caps in this part of the country.

Also:

Emerald Isle - closed :( They specialized in cask ales but didn't make it here in Light Beer USA. Too bad.

Uptown Brewpub - closed. I've been in RI 3 1/2 years and never remember them. Never even heard a peep about them other than seeing the name in print.

Buzzards Bay - OK beer. Their West Porter is very nice and their Dortmunder Lager is decent (took a gold medal at the GABF). They also sell growlers and are just down the street from their sister winery which makes some nice vino - including bubbly. Your call whether to make the short drive.

Hyland Orchard & Brewery - haven't been but will be going to their OFest weekend (Oct 9-10). A few peeps on BA.com think highly of the place.

Cottrell - not a bad Pale Ale (their only style for now). Freshness can be an issue, I find. Small operation which gives tours. I heard they are the ones contract brewing/bottling Trinity Brewpub's IPA - not sure if there is any truth to that.

Mystic River - never heard of them. Mystic is a cool little artsy, seaside town though. Mystic Pizza is a good place to hit and I believe they have some craft beer there (Ipswich Ale, etc). I do know that one of the casinos in SE Conn. has/had a brewpub on site (not sure if it's Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods).

Feel free to shoot me a private message if you ever feel like meeting for a pint or two.

Cheers!

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
A growler is simply a half gallon jug that you take to the brewery and they fill for you straight from the tap. Most brewpubs will sell you one for a couple of bucks and fill it for $6-8. Not a bad way to go!

Ah, I see. We don´t have such things in Germany anymore. I recall stories my Mom told about having to walk to the pub with a huge tankard to get beer for her Dad when she was a little girl. That must´ve been the equivalent. But even tiny places around here bottle their stuff and people seem to prefer that.
Something to keep in mind should I ever move there, hehehe.

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by Beaver
I wasn't very impressed with the Buzzard's Bay beers I had. IMO, there is much better to be had out there.

What did you not like ?
Right now I´m having the problem that it´s hard for me to judge opinions in reverence to my own taste. I´ve had only few US brews thus far as I only started my journey into the north american beer underground on my last trip. I´ve been to the US several times since 1985 but I somehow always took it for granted there simply was no drinkable beer over there. Running into a few Mooseheads and Yuenglings and visiting the Atlantic Brewing Company in Bar Harbour convinced me otherwise. :-)
Over here in Bavaria I´m mostly drinking dark beer though. If any of you ever comes to my corner of Bayern I can provide detailed instruction, hehehe.

[Beaver]

Originally posted by Stahlsturm
What did you not like ?
Right now I´m having the problem that it´s hard for me to judge opinions in reverence to my own taste. I´ve had only few US brews thus far as I only started my journey into the north american beer underground on my last trip. I´ve been to the US several times since 1985 but I somehow always took it for granted there simply was no drinkable beer over there. Running into a few Mooseheads and Yuenglings and visiting the Atlantic Brewing Company in Bar Harbour convinced me otherwise. :-)
Over here in Bavaria I´m mostly drinking dark beer though. If any of you ever comes to my corner of Bayern I can provide detailed instruction, hehehe.

They seemed kind of bland and unexciting to me. Kind of like a "starter" micro.

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by Beaver
They seemed kind of bland and unexciting to me. Kind of like a "starter" micro.

I see. Well, maybe they´ll get better with time. Unfortunately it´ll be a while until I can go to the USA again.

[Stahlsturm]

Emerald Isle - closed...Uptown Brewpub - closed.... Dammit. You need more beer drinkers in RI.

Westport isn´t that far from Glocester. It took me about 40 minutes to get to Fall River when we visited the battleship and Westport doesn´t look that much further away on my map. And gas is still dirt cheap in the US compared to german prices so I´ll sure be trying Buzzards Bay out.

About Hyland Orchard & Brewery, aye, I read that. Well, post a review once you´ve tasted the place :-)

About Cottrell; Freshness is an issue ? I better make sure I get there when they open the cask then. If there´s one thing I hate it´s stale beer.

I know Mystic River through the aquarium they have there. The address I have is Mystic River Brewing, 76 New London Road, Mystic CT 06355, (860) 536-6566, maybe someone close to there can verify their existance ? It´s a bit costly to call from Germany. The casion place is Race Book Brewpub, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville CT 06382, (860) 204-8000

Feel free to shoot me a private message if you ever feel like meeting for a pint or two.

I´ll do that :-) Unfortunately it looks like I won´t be in the US for a while. I won´t let your government fingerprint and mugshot me like a criminal and my own government is too concerned with wasting our taxes to come up with a biometric passport... Damn governments :(

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by Stahlsturm
Westport isn´t that far from Glocester. It took me about 40 minutes to get to Fall River when we visited the battleship and Westport doesn´t look that much further away on my map. And gas is still dirt cheap in the US compared to german prices so I´ll sure be trying Buzzards Bay out.

About Cottrell; Freshness is an issue ? I better make sure I get there when they open the cask then. If there´s one thing I hate it´s stale beer.

I know Mystic River through the aquarium they have there. The address I have is Mystic River Brewing, 76 New London Road, Mystic CT 06355, (860) 536-6566, maybe someone close to there can verify their existance ? It´s a bit costly to call from Germany. The casion place is Race Book Brewpub, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville CT 06382, (860) 204-8000

Yeah, Westport is an easy drive from RI. Buzzards Bay doesn't brew any big beer styles or anything that would blow you away with flavor, but I stand by their West Porter and their decent Dortmunder Lager. They pasteurize their bottles so I'd suggest getting a growler or two to go. Nice facility, too - a good day trip.

Cottrell's freshness issues have to do with bottles - never actually had it on draft. They do notch the bottles with a month to drink by, but never put a year on them! And by the looks of some of the dusty bottles I've seen, they could be 2 years old.

I called the phone # for Mystic River Brewing and got no answer - not even an answering machine. There is no mention of them on BeerAdvocate and I can't find them in any online yellow pages. There is a listing on Beerme.com but they list the annual production as only 20 barrels - not a lot of beer. My guess - CLOSED. Sorry. I'll ask some CT peeps and try to confirm that.

Good luck wrangling with big government. Hope you make it to the states someday...

Cheers!

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by Stahlsturm
... my own government is too concerned with wasting our taxes to come up with a biometric passport... Damn governments :( What in the world is a biometric passport?

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by Stahlsturm
I know Mystic River through the aquarium they have there. The address I have is Mystic River Brewing, 76 New London Road, Mystic CT 06355, (860) 536-6566, maybe someone close to there can verify their existance

These might be the beers you're looking for. They carry the Mystic name but are actually contract brewed by Shipyard in Portland, Maine:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/index/date/all/mystic+seaport/

My only experience was a bad one with the Brown Ale. An old, awful batch. I don't see them in RI anymore, so I haven't had the occasion to try them again.

Cheers!

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
What in the world is a biometric passport?

A passport that contains biometric signs like a thumb print or ones iris structure. They´ve been talking about that for a while but in Germany we have a coalition of social democrats and the green party in power and these guys don´t get anything done. *sighs* Let´s not get into politics, shall we ?

Anyways, the USA demand a passport with biometric signs to enter or they´ll take them when you enter the country. Since I have no desire to get fingerprinted like a criminal by a foreign government I´ll have to wait until either the USA relaxes this law again (which is unlikely, regardless of who wins in November) or until my own government catches up with reality and starts printing passports that contain more than just a mugshot. It´s like having to chose between Satan and Beelzebub... *sighs*

At least we have good beer over here to sit out the wait :-)

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by newportstorm
Yeah, Westport is an easy drive from RI. Buzzards Bay doesn't brew any big beer styles or anything that would blow you away with flavor, but I stand by their West Porter and their decent Dortmunder Lager. They pasteurize their bottles so I'd suggest getting a growler or two to go. Nice facility, too - a good day trip.

Yup, sounds like a plan. I´m big on Porter anyways methinks. My two favourite US beers (not that I´ve had that many yet) are Yuengling Black & Tan and the Coal Porter of the Atlantic Brewing Company in Bar Harbour. Both are very close to the stuff I drink over here all the time but have their own spin. So the West Porter is definetly on my menue, hehe.

Originally posted by newportstorm
Cottrell's freshness issues have to do with bottles - never actually had it on draft. They do notch the bottles with a month to drink by, but never put a year on them! And by the looks of some of the dusty bottles I've seen, they could be 2 years old. That´s confusing indeed, hehehe. But getting bottles directly from them should fix that, shouldn´t it ?

Originally posted by newportstorm
I called the phone # for Mystic River Brewing and got no answer - not even an answering machine. There is no mention of them on BeerAdvocate and I can't find them in any online yellow pages. There is a listing on Beerme.com but they list the annual production as only 20 barrels - not a lot of beer. My guess - CLOSED. Sorry. I'll ask some CT peeps and try to confirm that.
Aye, it´s probably gone then. Too little support from the localsd I wager. It´s amazing how little even local people know about those small places. When we were in RI last May we were over at a neighbours place (my in-laws don´t drink at all) and he goes to Canada once a year to pick up his beer. He never even mentioned breweries in RI, I don´t think he knew there were any.

Originally posted by newportstorm
Good luck wrangling with big government. Hope you make it to the states someday...

Cheers!

Well, sooner or later the big boys will come to an agreement. Or maybe I´ll break down and give in. It´d still bother me a great deal but I really do like the USA and New England in particular a lot. We´ll see, hehehe.

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by newportstorm
These might be the beers you're looking for. They carry the Mystic name but are actually contract brewed by Shipyard in Portland, Maine:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/index/date/all/mystic+seaport/

My only experience was a bad one with the Brown Ale. An old, awful batch. I don't see them in RI anymore, so I haven't had the occasion to try them again.

Cheers!

Yeah, that´s the one. Getting old beer is not an issue over here in Bavaria. Beer just doesn´t get old around here unless you forget a case in the basement, hehe.

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by Stahlsturm
Yeah, that´s the one. Getting old beer is not an issue over here in Bavaria. Beer just doesn´t get old around here unless you forget a case in the basement, hehe.

Yeah, unfortunately American beer culture (in general) doesn't place much value in freshness - aside from the macros who date their product. Many (most?) micros don't date their beer - or if they do, don't use a universal code or use codes that need decoding!!! I'd say most liquor/beer stores do a very poor job of keeping their beer stock rotated and fresh. With bottle-conditioned and heftier beers, that's not an issue. But with non-BC, lower abv% session beers it certainly is.

Most retailers here are interested in moving massive quantities of macros out the door. There are rare gems that take a serious interest in knowing their inventory and not allowing old beer to be sold. Unfortunately, that's not the norm, though. It's a case of "buyer beware" when you walk into a new beer store.

As much as it kills me to say it, sometimes I think stores should limit their selection as there is no way to move the quantities of beer they have in their cellars. It gets old, gets sold and an inexperienced beer buyer might blame the brewery for a poor product instead of the retailer and distributor for selling years-old brew.

Cheers!