Thinking about your next brewery vacation? THEbreweryauthority has done the work for you and explored the reaches of the U.S. to bring you the best brewery recommendations! Rhode Island should be on your list. The country's smallest state packs a big brewery punch and you can see most of it in one weekend. Well, maybe one long weekend. But what makes this a prime brewery destination? Let's dive in and see why Rhode Island should be on your radar.
Location
Providence is not only centrally located in New England, it's also centrally located in Rhode Island. If you live anywhere in the Northeast or Mid Atlantic then it's a simple drive, five hours or less depending on where you live, up or down one of the many highways connecting New England. Sure, Boston and New York have more breweries, but why would you want to deal with all that traffic and congestion? Even though Providence is the state's largest city it has a small city vibe. Plus, this is where all the brewery activities happen.
A very VERY short drive away is Pawtucket RI which has its fair share of breweries as well. This corridor of breweries houses most of the Rhode Island breweries making it the premiere place to set up your brewery trip base of operations. Honestly, if you are a brewery veteran and can manage your time well then I see no reason why you can't visit every single one of the breweries in this area!
If you have another night available for your brewery tour then head south to Newport. On the way visit Tilted Barn Brewing and a few others we will mention at the end of this article. Newport may not have the volume of breweries but it's a good place to take it easy for a night especially after all the brewery hopping in Providence and Pawtucket. Visit the breweries in Newport, have some amazing seafood, and hit up one of the many craft beer bars in town.
The Beer
Obviously, when planning a brewery trip you need to pick a city or region with delicious beer. So what's the deal with Rhode Island beer? What makes it so special? If you're going to New England for beer then you MUST be a New England IPA fan or at least be traveling with someone who is. Of course the New England IPAs are great in Rhode Island. After all they named the beer after the region! However, if you're looking for a more diversified beer portfolio, Rhode Island is just for you. We found so many great styles of beer like German pilsners, California Commons, Schwarzbiers, and even the long forgotten Amber Ale. There's really no style of beer that left a bad taste in our mouths. So if you get hop fatigue don't fret! Rhode Island has some great palate cleansing brews!
The Taprooms
THEbreweryauthority doesn't stop at JUST the beer. You need somewhere to enjoy that beer so we need to talk about the breweries themselves...the taprooms, biergartens, bar area...all of it! Many brewery experiences can be ruined by a lame or boring taproom. Ever visit a brewery who's taproom was a basic square room with white drop ceilings and white walls with no decor or anything? Not even any music playing? I don't want to hang out in that atmosphere and neither do you. So what about Rhode Island's breweries?
This whole area dates back to the industrial age of America and is evident in many of the breweries here. Many of the breweries took over old, red brick buildings that may have manufactured floor tiles or produced metal brackets. More than likely they were called into service during World War 2 and helped produced munitions or other necessities for the war effort. All show their age and are unique, giving each brewery its very own personality.
In addition to the old manufacturing plants and warehouses from over a century ago, Rhode Island has its share of modern warehouse breweries, brewpubs, farm breweries and more. We never really ran into one of those lame and awkward breweries mentioned earlier, making this just another reason to visit Rhode Island!
The Drive Home
Usually the drive home after a brewery trip like this can be depressing. Not this time! Chances are you came from the west, which means you are traveling through Connecticut. Lucky you. Connecticut is one of our favorite states to drive through because of all the great breweries spread throughout the state and just off the highway. We will have a future discussion about Connecticut and all its' wonders so be on the lookout.
If you're going past CT then you are in luck as well. New York and Pennsylvania have some great road trip brewery stops too. Coming from Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts? Then I don't need to tell you about all those great New England breweries dotting that part of the map.
Must Visit Breweries
On our Rhode Island brewery adventure there was not one brewery we would not recommend. All had something to offer, but a few stood out. So let's list them...
Tilted Barn - Amazing farm brewery with tons of green space and ipas to die for.
Proclamation - Huge warehouse with a huge menu and arcade games.
Buttonwoods - In a very old manufacturing plant with some great ipas.
Long Live Beerworks - Another old building with a diverse menu of new and old age beers
Beer On Earth - Tiny taproom with great people and great beers.
The Guild - HUGE old red brick warehouse with some underrated beers.
There you have it. You shouldn't need any more reason for you to make the great state of Rhode Island your next brewery destination. They have it all and with a fraction of the hassle the bigger cities have. If you enjoyed this article stay tuned for more. Thank you so much for reading and feel free to check out our daily brewery reviews @ THEbreweryauthory on Instagram!
Cheers!
Comments