The Isle Brewers Guild has hit the ground running in 2018, with the announcement of two new partners at their Pawtucket beer co-op. Night Shift Brewing, which has garnered a very loyal following for its award-winning beers since it launched in 2012, maximized production at their Everett, Mass, HQ last year (they contract-brewed at Smuttynose in New Hampshire for a stint) and hopes to brew 10,000 barrels at their new second home. Night Shift is currently available in Massachusetts, Maine and New York; cans and draft will debut at the Guild any day now, with a fresh batch of the heralded Santilli IPA; fellow IPAs One Hop This Time and Morph are on deck. Night Shift will get a warm reception in RI – the beer forums were all atitter when the news hit!
The Guild also welcomed Wash Ashore Beer Company, of Edgartown, Mass (on Martha’s Vineyard), which has been distributing its Maya Mae IPA and Buddha Pale Ale in the state for a while. Company co-founder Michelle Verdi told us, “We’ve been brewing our organic beer in Portland, Maine [at Peak Organic], for the last 18 months and are exceeding our demand. Our 2017 goal was 7,000 cases and we exceeded that by 13,000! Partnering with the Guild allows us to fulfill that demand as well as have more control of our products. It goes without saying that bringing it to RI and now being considered LOCAL!, which is very important to us, makes us proud … of course, adding jobs is just another bonus.”
Guild co-founder Jeremy Duffy adds that “the [6,000-square-foot] beer hall and beer garden are expected to be online in June. And we will also be announcing an educational component for 2018, but don’t know the timeline yet.”
OK, let’s take a quick spin ’round the state for some more beery intel … Emily Sorlien at Whalers Brewing Company reports, “We recently re-released Nebula, our blueberry cinnamon sour ale with exquisite, festive flavor. Look for it on tap in the Whalers taproom and at select bars and restaurants around the state! We also have bottles of Prometheus, our Imperial Russian Stout, for sale in the taproom. Aged in oak barrels for four months and then cellared for seven, this 12% ABV stout is bold and smooth. Its warm, hefty body is complemented by notes of bourbon and dark cherry.” And Whalers will host a beer dinner at the Coast Guard House in Narragansett on Friday, February 23 at 6:30pm. Call 401-789-0700 for reservations.
The folks at Crooked Current tell us that “our Irish red ale will be returning to usher in its fourth St. Paddy’s Day. It will be pouring most of March. We’ll also be returning the chocolate mint milk stout one final time before retiring it until next year, because mint is green and green reminds us of St. Paddy’s (yup, it’s a stretch). The Devil You Know IPA will also be pouring on a frequent basis, along with the Neapolitan brown ale, Hefeweizen and Hawaiian robust porter. Check social media for current taplists.”
And the Malted Barley in PVD will celebrate its second anniversary in March, but now they’re making beer as well as serving it. The Malted Barley Brewing Company, helmed by brewmaster Richard Spoehr, is collaborating with the crew at the Guild (them again!) on the ALL IN Series (paging Chris Hayes). The first entry is a Belgian wit ale, made with pineapple. If you’re a wicked early reader of this issue of Motif, you can attend the launch party today (February 15) from 7-10pm. But the beer should still be available for you non-wicked-early readers after the 15th.
For more beer news, check Lou’s blog, bottlescansclaphands.wordpress.com, or follow @BottlesCansRI.
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