A Slew of New Breweries Are on Tap!

In 2016, the Rhode Island brewing community welcomed Long Live Beerworks to its ranks. We’re already psyched for the new beermakers that are ramping up to start pouring alluring new concoctions in 2017.

Cranston will get its first nano-brewery with Morgan Clark Snyder Jr., who honed his craft as an assistant brewer at the Bronx Brewery. and now is the owner and head brewer at Buttonwoods Brewery. In a recent post on Facebook he noted, “For the past few months I’ve been working to get Buttonwoods Brewery [at 530 Wellington Ave] off the ground. We still have a large amount of work to do, but with any luck we’ll be open by March. We’ll be brewing a little bit of everything. I’ll always have an IPA available, a kolsch, a saison and some form of mixed fermentation sour, [and] hoping to have six to eight drafts at all times.”

Efren Hidalgo is launching the Providence Brewing Company, whose name is a tribute to an operation that was established in 1817. Efren told us, “On Tuesday, November 1, the Town of North Providence will vote on Ordinance 16-11Z, thereby allowing our brewery to be North Providence’s first microbrewery. From there, we will commence the buildout of our facility while we await federal and state licensing. We’re projecting to be up and running shortly after the New Year.” Check pvdbc.com for updates.

And on Aquidneck Island, Matt Gray and his crew are prepping Ragged Island Brewing Co. Matt says, “We are currently working on electric and plumbing throughout the brewery and should be completed by November 1. Then we will be moving our brewhouse into place. We are waiting for our Federal TTB [Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau] paperwork and then can move onto the state approvals. We hope that happens in November, but it could be December. We are closing in on the 75-day minimum for TTB approval, so we hope to get word sooner rather than later. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for details!”

The other big beermaker-to-be is the Isle Brewers Guild, the craft beer cooperative in Pawtucket, which is the new home of Narragansett Beer. The mega-complex is a one-stop for beer production (100-barrel brewhouse, packaging lines), education and enjoyment (tasting room, indoor and outdoor event spaces). Another new partner was recently announced: Newburyport Brewing Company, whose solid offerings include Green Head IPA and Das Kolsch. Newburyport co-founder Chris Webb said, “We haven’t been able to keep up with demand since the day we first opened. Our IBG partnership is a key solution to our capacity’s constraints – this sister brewery will allow us to meet growing local demand and expand the reach of our year-round and seasonal offerings in new markets” – including Rhode Island, natch!

Let’s wrap it up with two huge happenings: Foolproof Brewing Company will host some spooky beer-drinking fun at its Haunted Brewery Ball on Saturday, October 29 (aka Halloween Eve Eve) from 6 – 8:30pm. The fright-filled bash, featuring the ghoulish “mobile scare squad” from Darkness Within, features beer (including special cask offerings), food, games, movies and more. Costumes are encouraged, and prizes will be awarded for the standout getups. Reserve your tix ASAP — the event sold out last year.

And looking ahead to the New Year: Last week at the ultra-astoundingly-awesome Beervana, the fest’s masterminds announced that they’ll be presenting an ambitious new event for your beer-absorbing pleasure: “Coming Spring 2017: Bacon & Beer. A Brand New Pairing Event from Beervana Fest and RI Food Fights.” Yet another ultra-tasty reason to be cheers-ful. Huzzah!

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