The Rhode Island Brewing Society would like to congratulate Kristie and Ashleigh on the launch of their book Ocean State History on Tap. The book takes you from the pre-prohibition era all the way to the current breweries of Rhode Island. Who would have guessed that such a small state could have such a rich history! The book launch packed What Cheer Tavern in Providence to the gills with beer lovers from all over the state.
If you are interested you can snag your copy of the book from Amazon.
This has been a long time in the making and we are absolutely thrilled we can finally announce the fruition of a crazy plan. Starting today we are opening the doors of our brand new RI-based brewery, Goat Taco Brewing Co.! This brewery will be unlike any other brewery that has come before because it is built by homebrewers and staffed by different hombrewers, each week. A rotating cast of brewers means that the beers we produce will encompass all the diversity, free-thinking and defiance that the Ocean State has to offer. Our starting line up will consist of the following member created beers:
Pasty Nerd Pale Ale
A pale ale that reminds you of all that time you spent playing D&D in your parent’s basement. Only a few shades above clear, this beer is hand crafted by local nerds and the ingredients are decided by a D-20. The perfect beer for a 24 hour LAN party. ABV 3.0%
Pressed Ham Rauchbier
German Smoked Ale that will convince you to loosen your belt and press your money maker right against a bus window. 100% Organic Ham juice is extracted from locally raised pigs and added into the bright tanks for maximum flavor. Brewed with 3X the amount of smoked grains as any other Rauchbeer out there, this porky beer weighs in at a hefty 13.3% ABV.
A-Okay Acorn Nut Brown
Can you say extreme bitterness? Style guidelines be damned! We robbed several squirrel dens right before winter so that we got only the choicest of acorns for this beer. Don’t worry, we gave the squirrels a home and plenty of bird seed so they didn’t starve. We then toasted the acorns to bring out their natural nuttiness and mixed them with some Marris Otter base malt and a healthy dose of Warrior Hops to really hit the flavor profile home. ABV 7.8%
Keep your eye out for these brand new beers at local bars this spring! We would love to hear your feedback as you try our new libations. Cheers!
Break out those brewpots and get brewin! The 5th Annual Ocean State Homebrew Competition is almost upon us. Starting April 1st, you will have till May 1st to submit your entries to the OSHC. Drop off locations are spread all throughout southern New England. Head over to http://oshc.brewcomp.com for registration information and details. All proceeds will go to Save The Bay, a local charity involved dedicated to preserving Narragansett Bay. Doherty’s Ale House and Two Roads Brewing Company are also stepping up to help us make this the best OSHC yet!
If competitions are not your thing, we could always use help with judging and stewarding. There is no better way to learn about beer than to analyze it and hang out with experienced judges. Those of you who are going for your BJCP Certification judging will give you points towards your certification.
We are looking forward to making the competition as successful as prior years and wish the best of luck to everyone who enters.
The long endless winter is finally coming to an end. It is time for us to emerge from our deep hibernation and fire up the brew kettles and get brewing. Not to say we haven’t been active all winter, we have recently taken control of the OSHC and have been working with local organizations and other RI based brew clubs to make that happen.
We kicked off our first Spring meeting at our new meeting location; Motif magazine was nice enough to lend our their headquarters for our meetings. We settled right in to the new meeting space with our quarterly competition. This was a BJCP category 10 SMaSH, for those not familiar with SMaSH brewing it is a SingleMalt and SingleHop. This particular brewing method really puts constraints on the brewer when conforming to the styles.
The winners were Chris M. in first and a tie for second place with Ed W. and Josh F.
Keep an eye out as RIBS will be performing Home Brewing 101 classes throughout the state in the coming months. Additional information will be posted to the website and social media pages, alternatively you can email info@ribrewingsociety.
[UPDATE]
Due to poor weather conditions in the area the Home Brewing 101 class has been postponed, further details on the event will be posted when they are available.
Come join us on March 5th 6:30PM at the Coventry Public Library for a Home Brewing 101 Class. We will talk about getting started with brewing, what equipment you will need, then open the floor to Q&A. Registration information can be found through the library’s website.
We’re back! Our insurance woes have been resolved and we’re ready to pour at this Saturday’s RI BrewFest Winter Edition. Our table will be in the left hand corner as soon as you walk through the door, right next to Crooked Current and Tilted Barn. We’ll have plenty of good homebrews for this session:
Master Exploder Porter – 5% An all Grain Porter that fermented so vigorously it painted half the kitchen with trub.
Bourbon Oak Aged Master Exploder Porter – 5% The same porter as before but aged for a month over Oak that had been soaking in Maker’s Mark.
Hibernian Crude – 6% Stout, Dark and thick to get you through any Nor’Easter
Rocky Road to Pawtucket – 6.1% Irish Red Ale 25 IBU’s
Where has the time gone? You can see from the website that we have been less than diligent at updating with the club shenanigans. Don’t think for a second that we have been sitting around twiddling our thumbs though! We are currently working with the other established RI based home brew clubs on a super secret project (details to come).
We also wanted to give everyone a heads up that this month’s meeting, that would normally be on Thursday 12th, cancelled in favor of the member Christmas party. We will be hosting normal meetings again in January.
We want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday and a fantastic New Year!
It is hard to imagine the anticipation of driving three and a half hours to New Hampshire, unless you are a home brewer on your way to the Home Brewers Jamboree. Those who are not familiar with the Home Brewers Jamboree, it is an event that has been put on every year for the past 18 years. The Home Brewers Jamboree lasts for two days and is a great place for home brewers and home brew clubs to talk shop, sample each others beers and camp. Not to mention the great BBQ, live music, fantastic beers, and all the proceeds go to the NH chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation!
Many of are now thinking “Well RIBS has been around for several years, but we have not heard about it. What gives?”. Truthfully many of us did not know about such a magical event! We did not know about the event until HopBack Nate told us about it, he even showed us video proof!
I showed up a bit late on Friday night, I was told to go to the giant beer bottle. After some confusion I found myself standing in front of an 8 foot tall beer bottle decked out with lights. This is the point where I found Nate and Chris. 
Nate was in his element with a big glass of cold home brew, Chris was in his element too, covered in butter and eating a freshly boiled lobster. I did mention camping, well I do not actually have camping supplies, nor a ticket for entry on Friday night
(Rooky mistake). I only had permission to drop off equipment and supplies for the club. I would have to return Saturday.
Finally the day had come, RIBS was ready to rock and roll for the first time at the Home Brewers Jamboree! Oh wait! Not only was this the first time RIBS had been to the Jamboree, it was the first time Rhode Island had ever been represented at the event in 18 years!
The day was filled with home brewers from all over New England (even some patrons from Little Rhody!) everyone looking to enjoy home brewed beer. The weather had other plans, between bouts of extreme heat and humidity the sky opened up to drench any patron that could not squeeze under a tent. Despite the periods of drumming rain, it did not wash away the spirit of the weekend, everyone was having a great time no matter what the weather. As the night came to a close the clubs packed up their kegs that the 1000+ attendees drained and club members began to pack up and talk about next year.
The event truly embodied what it meant to be a home brewer. RIBS is already starting to plan the logistics on attending next year! Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
There are more pictures in the gallery.
It’s been quite some time since our last update, we’ve apparently been enjoying summer quite a bit more than expected….
The RIBS Craft Brew Races Team Providence 2014
It was a mild and overcast day, very unlike any other July in Rhode Island. We had started our stretching routine and gotten the bibs that would mark us official participants in the Providence Craft Brew Races. I was a bit apprehensive of the task ahead knowing full well that my training schedule had been delayed a few weeks by a sprained ankle. There was a mixture of emotions from the RIBS team who boasted 22 bodies when all was said and done. We weren’t sure what the outcome of the day would be but we did know that after a short run we’d be swigging samples of the finest craft beers around.
The call came and we gathered at the starting line…and waited….and waited. Anticipation led to boredom and eventually a deep thirst for some cool suds. Every so often we caught a glimpse of Matt, the race organizer, glued to his phone and getting gray hairs by the second. We all paused to pay respect to our country and those who fight for it during the National Anthem.
Finally, the time came and we were off. Kate disappeared in a cloud of smoke before anyone knew where she was. The rest of us stayed in a group for most of the first mile but eventually separated. After a while I was all alone, I guess you really do have to train to run a 5K. As I was plodding steadily along, I saw members from all the teams, wearing their requisite jerseys. The two largest teams, The Running Fools and Bucket brewery had a steady stream of runners throughout the whole race. I saw many other smaller teams such as RIGPO, Craft Brew Supplies sometimes passing me, other times in lock step.
Passed the first water station we made our way down to the Point Street Bridge and on passed the Wild Colonial. I would have stopped in for a beer if it hadn’t been 11 in the morning, oh and I was being timed after all. We crossed back over the river and went back through downtown to Empire street. Finally as we rounded the Trinity corner we caught sight of our goal, the finish line. I decided it was better to run across the finish line rather than walk. Just one last short push and the torture would be over.
I crossed the line grabbed my medal and looked for my team. They were nowhere to be found, but I knew where they were, they were already sampling. The festival was already getting crowded but there was still plenty of choices and short lines. It was similar to the winter festival but since we had no table, all could drink and enjoy. We spent the rest of the time sampling great brews and talking amongst ourselves about the race, running, beers and anything else we could think of.
All in all, the Craft Brew Races were a wonderful event and we look forward to next years race. I personally will train up a bit more but just so I can have an earlier crack at the beer.
-c
When soon to be President and Brewmaster of Proclamation Ale Company, Dave Witham, first introduced himself to us and told us about his plans for a nanobrewery in West Kingston, RI we were excited. With several barrels on the way, we were looking forward to some barrel aged beer and before we knew it the brewery was opening.
On our first tour back in January, Proclamation was still unknown to some. Now it seems like everyone is raving about Proclamation and knows the names Tendril and zzzlumber. With bars kicking their kegs in record times and RIBS members having missed the first tour we had to go back. The crowd was as big as the first time with the RI Brew Bus rolling in and with several new and unique beers to sample, it made for another great time.