Here’s a great presentation by our own Dan Clark on making a Steinbeer, along with our April meeting minutes. Steinbeer is a ancient beer style made using heated hot rocks lowered into the wort, creating a unique blend of caramel, mineral, and smoke flavor. Cheers!

After a lot of consideration and debate we have decided to postpone the 10th Annual Ocean State Homebrew Competition until after the immediate threats and impacts of COVID-19 have abated. This is not an action we take lightly nor welcome; but the safety of our staff, judges and entrants is of paramount importance.

With all the uncertainty surrounding the Corona Virus pandemic it is hard to say exactly what the future holds and when we will hold this event. We are currently working with our hiost, The Guild, and the AHA and targeting some time in May-July as a new date. On the bright side, Rhode Island in the summer is a very nice place to be, bring your bathing suits.

The competition website (oshc.brewcomp.com) will remain open to add and edit entries. All entries currently in the system will remain as they are unless entrants choose to edit or delete them. All entry fees paid will remain intact in the paypal account and be honored once the competiton can resume.

PLEASE DO NOT SHIP OR DROP OFF ENTRIES UNTIL YOU ARE NOTIFIED THE WINDOW IS OPEN AGAIN.

In the meantime, we hope that you all stay well and brew your hearts out. With all the changes, your local homebrew shops, breweries and bars will need your help more than ever. On behalf of the whole OSHC staff we would like to wish you good health and happy brewing.
I you have any questions or concerns feel free to email us at oshcinfo@gmail.com

So far RIBS has had an eventful month! 

The 9th Annual Ocean State Homebrew Competition was an amazing success once again! There was a total 563 judged entries in 36 separate judging categories. It took two nights of pre-judging and three judging sessions during the competition weekend to get through it all. OSHC represented all BJCP major Beer, Mead and Cider categories and nearly all subcategories as well. Entries were sent from 18 different states from Maine to Tennessee to Michigan and all the way from Oregon. Through entry fees and an awesome charity raffle OSHC raised $2200 dollars for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and were able to collect 450 pounds of food as well. Also important to note, OSHC recycled nearly every plastic cup used. All empty bottles were taken away to be reused again and all remaining entry beers were distributed to be enjoyed and reused as well. Any remaining cardboard boxes were broken down for recycling as well.

Monthly Meeting: RIBS was able to host Eric Olson of Olson and Son Hopyard for a hops growing presentation. Eric was able to educate our members about the hop growing process on his multi-location hop farms. His business is family run and in addition to creating great hops to Rhode Island brewers, Eric also advocates for families of children with disabilities.  We are very grateful that Eric spent the evening with us once again and we look forward to future home-brews with local hops.  For more information on Olson and Son Hopyard please check out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/olsonandsonhops  

Lastly, RIBS hosted their annual April Sours event. Members spent the day sharing some of their favorite sour beers from vintage blended lambics to the humblest fruited goses.  Members also emptied  the barrel of the RIBS Barrel-Aged Golden Sour and divvied it up into kegs. And of course there was a  group brew day happening at the event as well! 

This month has been a blast and RIBS looks forward to all the upcoming meetings and events that will be had as we are quickly approaching the summer months. Cheers!

The RIBS had their Belgian Strong Beers Competition during the February 2019 meeting featuring the following categories:  Belgian Dubbel (26B) , Belgian Tripel (26C), and Belgian Quad (26D)

The winner of the competition was Dan Clark with his Trappist Monkē Fükr Belgian Tripel Ale (9% ABV)

The event was filled with great Belgian style ales provided by: Ryan Kopp, Joshua Fogg, Michael Gauthier, Chirs Rideout, Dan Clark, Tim Champagne, Todd Orr, Jay Coutu, and Jim Marshall.

Special thanks to all of our judges who participated in the competition. 

Please see below for style guidelines provided by The Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines.

Belgian-Style Dubbel

• Color: Brown to very dark
• Clarity: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures. Slight yeast haze may be evident in bottle conditioned versions.
• Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Cocoa, dark or dried fruit and/or caramel aroma attributes should be present along with malty sweetness.
• Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Low, if present.
• Perceived Bitterness: Medium-low to medium
• Fermentation Characteristics: Fruity-estery aromas and flavors (especially banana) are appropriate at low levels. Diacetyl character should not be perceived.
• Body: Low to medium

Belgian-Style Tripel

• Color: Pale to light amber
• Clarity: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures. Traditional Tripels are bottle conditioned and may exhibit slight yeast haze. However, yeast should not be intentionally roused.
• Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low sweetness from very pale malts should be present. There should be no roasted or dark malt character.
• Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Low, if present
• Perceived Bitterness: Medium to medium-high
• Fermentation Characteristics: A complex, sometimes mildly spicy, aroma and flavor characterize this style. Clove-like phenolic aroma and flavor may be very low. Fruity-estery aromas and flavors, including banana, are also common, but not required. Traditional Tripels are often well attenuated. Alcohol strength and flavor should be perceived.
• Body: Medium
• Additional notes: Head should be dense and mousse-like. Brewing sugar may be used to lighten the body. Hop/malt character should be balanced. The overall beer flavor may finish sweet, though any sweet finish should be light. Oxidized character, if evident in aged Tripels, should be mild and pleasant.

Belgian-Style Quadrupel

• Color: Amber to dark brown
• Clarity: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures
• Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Caramel, dark sugar and malty sweet flavors and aromas can be intense, but not cloying, and should complement fruitiness.
• Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Not perceived to very low
• Perceived Bitterness: Low to medium-low
• Fermentation Characteristics: Perception of alcohol can be strong. Complex fruity flavors, such as raisins, dates, figs, grapes and/or plums are often present and may be accompanied by wine-like attributes at low levels. Clove-like phenolic flavor and aroma should not be evident. Diacetyl and DMS should not be perceived.
• Body: Full with creamy mouthfeel
• Additional notes: Head should be dense and mousse-like. Quadrupels are well attenuated and are characterized by an intense alcohol presence balanced by other flavors, aromas and bitterness. They are well balanced with savoring/sipping-type drinkability. Oxidized character, if present in aged Quads, should be mild and pleasant.

Brews for the Bay
Saturday October 20, 2018
12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
100 Save the Bay Dr
Providence, RI 02905

The Rhode Island Brewing Society is hosting its second annual charity event. This year we will be supporting Save the Bay!

Admission is a $10 suggested donation at the door, which will give you a commemorative tasting glass and raffle ticket. A variety of creative and tasty home brewed beer will be available for pours.

Come out! Have fun! Support a cause! Drink beer!

All proceeds will go to Save the Bay.
Kid friendly event.
No pets allowed on event property.
***21+ TO DRINK ALCOHOL***

A HUGE thank you to all of the RIBS members who are helping make this event a reality and all of our raffle sponsors:

Blackstone Valley Brewing Supplies
Bottles Fine Wine, Cocktails, Craft Beer
Canned Heat
Foolproof Brewing
Providence Brewing
Ravenous Brewing Company
Shaidzon Beer Co.
Tessier’s General Store

My story of how I got into homebrewing coincides with my development as a craft beer drinker.  When I was in college, I never cared for light domestic lagers (I only drank them out of necessity)- I was the guy in the room drinking Sam Adams or Long Trail (fancy beer).  I didn’t really understand beer styles in those days, but as I got older, my palate developed and I started appreciating a wider range of styles. I definitely got into the hop craze and over-indulged in my share of IPAs.  But it wasn’t an IPA that got me into homebrewing- it was Saranac Caramel Porter (I tried it at a beer festival). At the time, the beer tasted like candy, and I couldn’t find it anywhere else outside the festival! Then one fateful night about 5 years ago, I met a homebrewer (and currently RIBS President) named Alex MacIntosh who brought his homebrew to a party of a mutual friend.  It never occurred to me that you could brew beer at home! We quickly hit it off that night, and he later invited me over to his apartment where he showed me how to brew an extract beer. I was so amazed that I asked him if I could brew a beer using his equipment, and he graciously allowed it. My first target: a caramel porter. I ordered a recipe from Northern Brewer for a smoked porter along with some caramel extract.  I remember the base beer tasting pretty good. We used an eye dropper to measure the caramel extract in a sample size then Alex, using fancy math on a chalk board in his apartment, scaled that up to a 5 gallon batch. The beer exceeded my expectations. I was hooked.

I soon acquired my own equipment and later that same year, Alex and I both went all-grain and we shared a 10 gallon converted Igloo cooler as a mash tun (which is still my setup today!).  We traded the cooler back and forth for years (you hear about the gypsy brewer, but not so much about the gypsy brewery). My homebrewing hobby quickly began to consume much of my life. For a few years, I was catching shoplifters in retail.  I would be in the camera room listening to podcasts from The Brewing Network. I also read a book on homebrewing during my lunch breaks. It didn’t take long until I began reading those books outside of my lunch breaks…instead of actually catching shoplifters.  Needless to say, I wasn’t happy with my job at the time, and I wanted to see if I could jump into the craft beer industry. Long story made short- I made the jump, and I now owe my current career in craft beer to homebrewing (I’m currently a bartender and Level 2 Certified Cicerone at The Malted Barley Providence).  I couldn’t be happier.

Today, Belgian-style beers, Brett beers, and sours are my niche (both as a drinker and homebrewer) and I also love creating experimental beers.  I still like IPAs, but I’m honestly a bit bored of them, so they get brewed less often. But what I’m most excited about is that I’m in the process of starting a full blown sour and blending program in my homebrewery.  My wife and I just bought a new house, so my homebrewery got some major upgrades- including a chest freezer for fermentation-temperature control.

For the last few years around September/October, I brew the following Belgian Quad for my birthday in January.  It has won a couple of medals in local competitions and scored a 41 in the NHC in the Wood Aged Beer Category!

Birthday Quad

6 gallons

1.085 OG

1.016 FG

9.2% ABV

11# Weyerman Pilsner Malt

2# Munich Malt

1#Aromatic Malt

1#Flaked Wheat

.5#Special B

Mash @154F

.4oz Warrior (60 min)

2oz Hallertau (15 min)

4.2g crushed coriander seed (5 min)

1.4g cinnamon stick (2 min) (like half a cinnamon stick)

Ferment around 72F with WLP500 Monastery Ale Yeast

On day 4 of fermentation, boil for 15 min/cool to room temperature 1# of D90 Belgian Candi Sugar and add to the fermenter.  Shake fermenter to mix the syrup in.

On day 6 of fermentation, mix 1# of Turbinado Sugar with water until the sugar has desolved.  Boil for 15 min then cool to room temperature.  Add mixture to fermenter. Shake to mix.

Once fermentation has completed, transfer to secondary on top of 3oz of Medium Toast American oak cubes for two months.  As much as bottling sucks- I prefer how this beer tastes when bottle conditioned compared to on tap.  Cheers!

I am originally from New Jersey, but my mom is a Cranston native, so I have been coming to RI. Before settling in RI I spent 4 years in Philadelphia and 4 years in Boston where I studied French Horn. I moved to Providence in 2007 and began brewing a few months later.  I had been a craft beer lover for a while and decided to try it myself, so I bought myself a Mr. Beer kit. Two brews in, I decided to move up to 5 gallon extract batches and then to mini mash. I was enjoying the extract beers I was making, but finally got the push I needed while listening to an episode of The Sunday Session on The Brewing Network.  The guest was Michael “Mufasa” Ferguson, the brewmaster for the BJ’s Brewery chain, who said “if you weren’t mashing your own grains, you aren’t making beer.”. While I don’t agree with this statement, it did push me to build a mash tun and start doing all grain brewing in my apartment’s small kitchen with electric stove. My first 2 all-grain batches were actually served at my wedding! Looking back this was insane, but the Irish Red and blonde ale turned out great and were all received by the guests.`

Since going all grain I have slowly simplified my setup.  I did many years of batch sparge with my cooler mash tun and a  few years of Brew in a Bag, but now I brew using a Brewer’s Edge Mash and Boil all in one electric system.  It is a great little system that fits my brewing and lifestyle well.

I am really into brewing session beers with a majority of recent brews being under 5%.  A recipe I have been playing around with and tweaking recently is a nice easy drinking pale ale.  I tweak this a bit every time I brew and usually single hop with a different variety each time. Current version below:

• 7# base malt (I am currently using Malting Company of Ireland Irish Ale Malt)
• 1# Weyermann Munich 1
• 1# Simpsons Golden Naked Oats
• .5 oz Amarillo 30 minutes
• .5 oz Amarillo 10 minutes
• 1 oz Amarillo flameout 15 minute Whirlpool
• 2 oz Amarillo dry hop

I adjust my water using the Bru’n water spreadsheet Pale Ale profile and adjust pH with either acid malt or a dose of 88% lactic acid.

Join RIBS as we celebrate National Homebrew Day!

AHA Big Brew with RIBS
Saturday May 5, 2018
11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Green Acres Farm
51 Farm Street
North Smithfield, RI 02896

We will be hosting our second Big Brew at Green Acres Farm in North Smithfield on Saturday, May 5, 2018. The kegs will be tapped at 11:00 AM and the closing ceremony will begin at 6:00 PM. Throughout the day there will be various brewing demonstrations and other fun events. Check back often as our event schedule is subject to change.

Please RSVP on Facebook

RIBS absolutely LOVES dogs, but unfortunately, NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED AT THIS VENUE. We look forward to seeing your furry friends in June at the Providence Animal Rescue League’s annual Pints for Paws event though!
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