Beer Hunting in Washington County; Plus, IPA Day!

The last time around in this space, we caught you up on the new beer laws, which allow Rhody breweries to sell 288 ounces of beer-to-go and serve 36 ounces to taproom visitors. One of the best double-your-pleasure destinations is Washington County, where you can fill your trunk with 576 ounces of liquid joy from Proclamation Ale Company (in West Kingston) and Tilted Barn Brewery (in Exeter). Both establishments have made some welcome changes post-legislation passage.

The Proc folks say, “We will now be serving limited 5-oz. flight pours, 8-oz. half pints and very occasionally 12-oz. tulips of our super-low ABV beers (anything 5% and below). Prices for each pour will be designated by beer. The most exciting thing about the changes to the laws is it gives us a reason to have special barrel blends and one-offs on at the brewery much more (for in-house only, no take home), as well as doing small keg runs of our sour/special releases to have on for pours at the brewery. ” And last week, Proclamation unveiled its first big can release, featuring gorgeous 16-ounce containers of Tendril and Derivative: Galaxy. Brewmaster Dave Witham first announced his intention to can his creations in October 2014, so it’s the fulfillment of a long-awaited dream.

Meanwhile, Tilted Barn is now open on Fridays from 5 to 8pm and Saturdays from 1 to 4pm (and they may add another night soon). The TTB crew notes, “We’re going to do our best to make sure we have enough beer every Friday and Saturday. We’ve bought a few more two-barrel tanks to bridge the gap until the bigger system comes and we’ve been cranking out batches in preparation. We’re going to hold enough beer back on Friday nights to get through Saturday. So there’s a chance that we may be out of beer for fills late on Fridays, but we’ll make sure to always have multiple beers on for tastings at least. This way we can make sure to have plenty of beer for the busy Saturday crowds. We’ll also keep our social media pages updated if we run out of beer for fills, so check before you come. Thanks again for all of your support. Having trouble keeping up with demand is a problem, but a good problem to have. See you at the Barn.”

Hop To It: In May we shared a list of “beer holidays,” those who-thunk-’em-up-but-who cares? celebrations that provide a handy rationalization for hoisting a glass (as if you need one). A big beer holiday is happening on Thursday, August 4: IPA Day. It’s the sixth annual celebration of the style that accounts for more than 25% of craft beer sales. And hey, we actually do know who thunk up IPA Day: “beer evangelists and social media personalities” Ashley V. Rouston (aka the Beer Wench) and Ryan Ross, who said that the day puts the “[focus on an] illustrious style [that] represents the pinnacle of brewing innovation with its broad spectrum of diverse brands, subcategories and regional flavor variations.” There are more variations than ever these days – you can easily mix a 36- or 48-pack (or more!) of unique (and sometimes head-scratching/palate-challenging) takes on the venerable and malleable IPA. Some of Rhode Island’s best offerings include Grey Sail’s Captain’s Daughter and Pour Judgement; Revival’s Fanny; Tilted Barn’s the Chosen One; Proclamation’s aforementioned Tendril; and Long Live Beerworks’ Lonely Weekend. Look for ’em! Savor ’em!

But pace yourself on IPA Day; Friday, August 7, is International Beer Day. Go global with a worldful of beer! Cheers! Proost! ¡Salut! Cin cin! Santé! Zdrowia! Chok dee! Gezondheid! Kanpai! Bottoms up!

For more beer news, check Lou’s blog, bottlescansclaphands.wordpress.com, or follow @BottlesCansRI.