New Brew Thursday: 'Bad Dudes 3000' from Long Live Beerworks and Buttonwoods Brewery

Where were you approximately one year ago? A loaded question for sure. For me, I was one of the lucky ones, I was not laid off and my commute was reduced to simply walking across the hallway from my bedroom to my home office. In those tumultuous times two arose, two “bad dudes” and now they have returned. Jokes aside, the amazing team up last year between two of Rhode Island’s best breweries, Buttonwoods and Long Live to create one of the best collaborations that lived up to their hype is nothing short of amazing. When they released the sequel months later it was even better and now that they are returning for round three with ‘Bad Dudes 3000’ the bar is even higher. Do they live up to the hype? Yes, yes they do.

‘Bad Dudes 3000’ pours into the glass a hazy, deep yellow. It has overpowering notes of fresh fruit with melon being the most predominate. The taste? Exceptional. The Strata hop really steals the show with a big melon flavor that gives way to a slight bitterness that lingers just so on the middle of your tongue. The Galaxy, Citra, and Ekuanot hops all play nicely with one another as supporting actors to the Strata. It is super smooth and has a surprisingly soft mouthfeel and coming it 8.5% ABV you’ll be halfway through the glass before you start to feel it. However, in the interest of full disclosure. You can synthesize this entire review down to just one word: Dank. The pour? Dank. The smell? Fruity, but dank. The taste? Very dank. Get yourself to Long Live and buy this beer.

New Brew Thursday: 'Nitro Rover' from Big Alice Brewing

Happy *belated* St. Patrick’s Day everyone! While I have been trying to cut back on the beer so that I can get back into some old clothes, #EarnYourBeer I decided to open one beer to celebrate both New Brew Thursday and St. Patrick’s Day. Luckily, my purchase of the last case from the New York City Brewers Guild arrived over the weekend and had the perfect answer for me. While I had never heard of Big Alice Brewing I was pumped when I saw that they contributed an oatmeal stout and A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y thrilled when I saw it was a nitro stout.

‘Nitro Rover’ is best enjoyed by a hard pour that allows for the activation of the nitrogen and allows for the bubbles to run up the glass. Once the bubbles give way, you are left with a dark and rich black color with a thick, bright white head. It has notes of oats and roasted malt with just a subtle hint of dark chocolate. The taste is fantastic. With big flavors of roasted malt and oats with an almost shockingly light mouthfeel, it is perfectly creamy due to both the oats and nitrogen. With a deceptively clean finish that then gives way to a lingering back-of-tongue bitterness that begs for another sip you’ll be halfway done with the pint before you even know it. Much like its contemporaries, the head clings to the side of the glass with each sip and clocking in at 5% ABV you won’t feel it at the end of the glass. Definitely a great St. Patrick’s Day Stout for next year and a reason to try more offerings from Big Alice Brewing.

Rhode Trip: Moniker Brewery

(The next part in a multi-part series as we complete the Rhode Island Brewer’s Guild Passport. To learn more about the passport and download the app click HERE)

While I have never done it, I think my assumption that opening a brewery in your own dedicated space is no easy task. Obtaining the licenses, equipment, and décor along with fine-tuning your recipes, hiring staff, and the hundreds of other things that I cannot even comprehend. I can also make the assumption that doing it during a global pandemic is even harder. But this is exactly what Moniker Brewery did and I for one am glad they did it.

Moniker has a great location right off West Fountain St. in Providence and is located across the street from Beer On Earth and just down the road from Bayberry Beer Hall making this one of the places to be come summertime. Along with a quaint taproom it has two patios, one in the front and the other on its side. The back bar has about a dozen or so taps which makes me excited for their future.

While we were there I was able to get two flights and try all of their offerings and I was quite impressed. The IPAs were nice and hoppy, their pale ale ‘Modern Chemistry’ has a nice hop but a crisp finish, and their lager was crisp, clean, and very refreshing. However the big standout was their coffee porter ‘Hypercaffium Spazzinate’ which was exceptional. It had strong roasty notes of coffee and a rich, but light, mouthfeel and a big coffee finish that lingers and builds with each sip. It was so good I had to get a four-pack to go. While Moniker is one of our newest breweries I am very excited to get back to there and see how they use their space, location, and try more of their beer.

Moniker Brewery is located at 432 West Fountain St. Providence, RI 02903. For more information about their offerings and to make a reservation click HERE

Part one: Long Live Beerworks

Part two: Buttonwoods Brewery

Part three: LineSider Brewing Company

Part four: Taproot Brewing Company

Part five: Community Bruin (CLOSED)

Part six: Shaidzon Beer Company