Rhode Trip: Pivotal Brewing Company

(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) 

In the recent years the number of breweries here in Rhode Island has exploded and it seems like every couple of months there is a new brewery opening their doors and offering delicious beer. Our most recent inductee into this beautiful world is Pivotal Brewing Company in Bristol. This place is on the larger side and is much bigger than some of the other Rhode Island Breweries with their space being located in an old industrial space. Their motto is “follow the stack” and as soon as you are within a block of Pivotal you’ll be able to see why it’s so easy to follow.

The brewery itself is a large open room with space for the brewing and a wide-open tap room with funky furniture from all walks of life. Mismatched tables, chairs, and couches dot the room giving an added dose of character and color to the worn brick of the building. There is one long bar in the middle of the taproom with several stools and multiple stations to get a pour.

When I visited this past weekend for an event I only grabbed two pours trying ‘Aero Cow’ a pale ale that was pretty good and ‘Bomb Cyclone’ a DIPA that was absolutely delicious. ‘Bomb Cyclone’ was that perfect balance of juicy and bitter that makes the perfect New England IPA and is a must try when you visit. Additionally, in a prior visit I was able to try ‘Sippican Fruit Salad Witbier with Pomegranate’ which was quite good. However, I must say that their ‘Extra Special Bitter’ was out of this world delicious. While I have started to warm up to the ESB style it is not one of my favorites but this one was sublime and another must try.

While Pivotal Brewing Company is definitely the new kid on the block they are by no means brewing novices and you have got to check them out.

Pivotal Brewing Company is located at 500 Wood St. Bristol, RI 02809. For more information about their offerings and the brewery 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

Part seven: Moniker Brewery

Part eight: Six Pack Brewing

Part nine: Lops Brewing

Part ten: Grey Sail Brewing

New Brew Thursday: 'Jjjuiceee Machine' from Tree House Brewery

Happy New Year everyone! Or Hoppy Brew Year if you please. One of my new years resolutions (aside from the usual one of losing weight) was to write more. Not only because I love to blog but because there are dozens of new breweries to visit, new recipes to experiment with, and new beers to try. So, when I saw that Tree House had brewed a new batch of ‘Jjjuiceee Machine’ a beer that I have been dying to try I knew I had to trek up to Canton for some cans and let me tell you two things. 1. Going to Tree House on random weeknights after work for a pour and cans is one of my new favorite things and 2. This beer is insane.

‘Jjjuiceee Machine’ pours into the glass with a deep and hazy orange with a nice white head. It has complex notes of orange, mango, and tropical citrus that battle each other for nostril supremacy and the nano-second one gets the upper hand the other two pounce to take it back. The taste? Sublime. Now, to be fair, ‘Juice Machine’ is one of my favorite offerings from Tree House and I am a little biased but this beer is insanely delicious. The initial pillowy-soft taste of mango perfectly transitions to a big, juicy, hoppy bitterness with a subtle taste of orange and tropical fruit. It then gives way to a long bitterness that lingers on the middle of the tongue.  With a thick and luxurious mouthfeel the coats the entire palate you’ll be able to taste every part of this beer. Clocking in at a dangerous 8.6% ABV you’ll be at the bottom of the glass before you start to feel it. ‘Jjjuiceee Machine’ is nearly the perfect DIPA in every way and quite possibly not only my new favorite from Tree House but one of my top favorites overall!

TL;DR: ‘Jjjuicee Machine’ from Tree House? Yeah, it’s alright.

New Brew Thursday: 'Bigger Peach' from Tree House Brewery

 Aside from walking their picturesque grounds and picking up my cans, one of my favorite things about visiting Tree House is their draft offerings. Not only because of how good Tree House is on draft but because they are constantly adding offerings that add variations to their classics. Whether it is adding guava or pineapple, adding oreo or marshmallow these are the things that make visiting Tree House all the better. Now, with them adding dried fruit to their IPAs and other additives you can take those rare delicacies home and there is no finer example of this than ‘Bigger Peach.’ A variation of ‘Very Hazy’ with you guessed it… Peach.  

‘Bigger Peach’ pours into the glass with a soft orange color and a nice white head. The sweet notes of peach hit you right away and hit you with wave after wave of their sugary sweetness with the slightest of hints of candied orange on the very back end. The taste? Exceptional. While I am a little biased as ‘Very Hazy’ is one of my absolute favorites ‘Bigger Peach’ takes the peach flavor of the Haze line-up and cranks it to 11. The sweetness of the peaches hits you right away but then gives way to a slight bitterness that lingers ever-so slightly on the middle of the tongue. With a thick mouthfeel it coats the entire palate with sweet peach and a soft bitterness. Clocking in at a dangerous 8.6% ABV you’ll be 90% though the glass before it you start to feel it.

‘Bigger Peach’ is a dangerously delicious beer, and you NEED to try it.

Rhode Trip: Grey Sail Brewing

(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) 

In my last post, I discussed venturing out of our immediate location to visit new/different breweries and that in visiting those breweries we can be greeted with something truly amazing. This past weekend I made the trip to Grey Sail Brewing down in Westerly and while I have been there before, it is a brewery that I love visiting and if you have not been there, you should.

         
                                    

Grey Sail Brewing is a two-building operation, one building hosts the brewery with can, bottle, growler, and merchandise sales and the other hosts the taproom. While the brewery is in a standard warehouse, the taproom is an old Westerly mansion with the beer garden in the side yard. I have always stated that the best breweries remind you of drinking at a friend’s house and I have to say that drinking at Grey Sail is like drinking at your rich friend’s house. The space inside the house is really quaint, it is where the service bar is along with a few rooms with tables for indoor drinking. However, it is the outdoor beer garden that is truly a thing of beauty. It has several tables under a tree providing ample shade, along with more picnic tables underneath a long overhang. Both areas over look a vibrant lawn and beautiful water fountain that convey a sense of peace and calm. Near the picnic tables is a wood-fired pizza oven that pumps out some of the best wood-fired pizza you have ever had.

The Beer? Fantastic! I first grabbed a flight of a few of their offerings along with one of my favorite Grey Sail beers and they were all great. ‘Hazy Ho’ was light with a nice juicy hop, ‘Hazy Day’ the unfiltered Belgian had a nice malty taste with a lingering finish, and ‘Adrift’ was hoppy with a lingering bitter finish but ‘Captain’s Daughter’ stole the show. ‘Captain’s Daughter’ has been a staple in the Rhode Island beer community for years and has been prominently featured on draft lists across the state and it has served as my ‘Go-To’ Double IPA for years. I know this beer, I love this beer, and it is awesome both on tap and from a can. However, having fresh ‘Captain’s Daughter’ from the brewery is a life changing experience. The juiciness from the mosaic hop plays beautifully with the citra hop and leads perfectly into the piney flavor from the chinook hop and has a nice long finish. If you like ‘Captain’s Daughter’ you owe it to yourself to visit the brewery and try it fresh. Additionally, for those who may not like craft beer, they have mixed cocktails and hard seltzers from the distillery next door that are also phenomenal.

While Westerly is well off the beaten path for many of us, it is an absolute must visit to thoroughly enjoy the Rhode Island craft beer scene.

Grey Sail Brewing is located at 63 Canal St. Westerly, RI 02891. For more information about their offerings and the brewery 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

Part seven: Moniker Brewery

Part eight: Six Pack Brewing

Part nine: Lops Brewing

New Brew Thursday: 'Black Cat Sees All' from Long Live Beerworks

Personally, I am a big fan whenever breweries amp up or combine two of their featured beers. Obvious examples are 25% of Tree House (King Julius, Gggreennn, Super Sap, Very Hazy, etc.) and my favorite beer, ‘HeavyMettle’. However, when I was finally able to get my hands on Long Live’s ‘Black Cat Sees All’, a combination of the amazing ‘The All Seeing Eye’ and ‘Black Cat’, my expectations were high. Not only did this live up to those expectations, it is my new favorite beer from Long Live.

‘Black Cat Sees All’ pours into the glass a hazy, almost fluorescent yellow with a thick and bright white head. It has soft notes of melon, pineapple, and tropical fruit that all build off one another to delight the nose. The taste is exceptional. With a rich and luxurious mouthfeel that coats the entire palate it has a big juicy flavor profile with a soft, but building, bitterness that lingers on the front of the tongue after each sip. That bitterness then compounds with each subsequent sip. Despite clocking in at 8.5% ABV it is not overly boozy and you’ll be nearly done with the glass before you’ll start to feel it. ‘Black Cat Sees All’ is the perfect Long Live beer in every sense of the word.

New Brew Thursday: 'I See You' from Finback

Way back when, in mid-March, when I received my New York City Brewer’s Guild beer week case I was filled with happiness. Due to my hectic schedule I knew there would have been NO way for me to attend in person and when I first heard about the case (shout out to IPA.fan on Instagram) I new I had to have it. Now that I am down to my last beer I only have one thought. I cannot believe this case lasted so long and that I left this absolute beauty from Finback for the end.

‘I See You’ pours into the glass a hazy yellow with a thick white head. It has soft notes of melon that do not overpower the nose, just subtly whispering into the nostrils (that might be one of the most pretentious sentences I have ever written). The taste is phenomenal. The label promises cantaloupe and boy does it deliver on that promise. While I have never had an IPA with Belma or Blanc hops they definitely play a supporting role to both introduce and round out the Mosaic, as the beer has the juicy and thick mouthfeel of a classic hazy Double IPA. A slight bitterness lingers on the back of the tongue to punctuate each sip. Despite having an ABV of 8% it is not overly boozy and you will be three-quarters through the glass before you start to feel it.

In all, when it comes to this beer, this case, and the New York City Brewer’s Guild Beer Week I go with an old standby quote: Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.

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: 'Mega Treat' from Tree House Brewery

Early last week Tree House had both ‘King Julius’ and ‘King Jjjuliuss’ in cans so I knew that I had to try and get up to Charlton. I have not been able to get to Tree House in a few months so I was eager to get up there but due to work and the weather I was not sure I would be able to. However, when they announced ‘Mega Treat’ I knew I had to get up there as it had been on my must try list since it was first brewed last year. I got a few other cans as well, but I was most excited to try ‘Mega Treat’ and it did not disappoint.

‘Mega Treat’ pours into the glass a hazy dark yellow with a thick white head. It has strong sweet notes of candied tropical fruit with a heavy emphasis on the sweetness that gives way to the softer fruit. The taste is amazing. While ‘Treat’ and ‘Super Treat’ have an initial bitterness ‘Mega Treat’ is an absolute juice bomb from start to finish. It has a thick and luxurious mouthfeel that coats the palate and tongue and is an impossible combination of soft and juicy with a slight lingering front-of-the-mouth bitterness. Coming in at 8.7% ABV it is just boozy enough to stop you from crushing it. ‘Mega Treat’ is a definite must try for all those who love their hazy boys.

New Bew Thursday: 'The Daze Between' from Shaidzon Beer Company

 A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get a table at Shaidzon Beer Company down in West Greenwich and while I will touch more upon that visit in an upcoming #RhodeTrip entry soon enough (thanks Freddy Foreshadower), tonight I stumbled onto my last beer from that trip… ‘The Daze Between.’ Now I routinely grab this guy out of my refrigerator but each time I say to myself “no not yet,” in an attempt to save it for a time when I can sip it slowly, enjoy it, and write about it because quite frankly… it deserves it.

This double IPA pours into the glass with a dark yellow, almost orange, color with a nice white head. While having a nice haze, it is not overly cloudy but do not get me wrong, you cannot see through it. Additionally, it has exceptionally soft notes of pineapple and pear.  The taste is fantastic. The initial bitterness gives way to a lingering soft sweetness that slightly lingers on the back of the tongue for only a few seconds. With quick sips, the bitterness and sweetness build but with casual slow sips, it resets each time. Clocking in at a VERY dangerous 8% ABV it packs a punch about three quarters through as it can be quite crushable.

While I would strongly recommend getting to Shaidzon and trying this beauty, it is not currently being offered. You should still go because their other offerings are fantastic, my personal favorite is ‘Sea & Sand.’ This perfect combination of Simcoe and Mosaic hops is phenomenal and to quote Tom Haveford from Parks and Recreation, “it tastes as delicious as Beyonce smells… I’m guessing.”

My Favorite Beer

I routinely talk about most beers/breweries in the terms of them being "one of my favorites." However,  I have always said that my absolute favorite beer is 'Heavy Mettle' from Trillium. I have said before that IPAs are my favorite style and this double IPA is everything that I love in an good IPA. I love everything there is to love about this beer. I love the artwork on the can, I love the way it pours in a glass, I love the way it looks in that glass, I love the way it smells, and I love its mouthfeel. I love this beer and every time Trillium brews it and posts it to their Instagram it makes my day. 

The artwork on the can is clean and simple, the same logo that also appears on the 'Mettle' cans on the far left with the name prominently displayed in the dead center of the can. It pours into the glass almost like a nitro beer as it cascades down the glass with the head that is white as fresh snow. Its bright-yellow, hazy appearance in the glass that really showcases the dry-hopped Galaxy hop look that is a thing of pure beauty. Then when the can is rolled and the sediment at the bottom of the can is poured into the glass and gives the beer a darker, yellow hue while keeping the bright-white head. The incredibly sweet, citrus notes it gives off to entices you to take a sip like a cartoon pie on a windowsill and then that first sip. Even though it has an ABV of 9.3%  the mouthfeel is amazingly light and does not suffer from an overly heavy and boozy that most IPAs with that percentage do. The initial taste that really showcases those Galaxy hops so full of citrus with an incredibly bitter finish that can only come from the Amarillo hops that lingers on your tongue long after the beer is gone. However on that next sip you still get that full hit of Galaxy with the same light mouthfeel but the bitterness from the Amarillo, the bitterness from that previous sip, just amplifies each time. It it THE definitive pallet wrecker. 

If you like devastatingly hoppy  IPAs with a bitter finish then this is your beer. What is your favorite beer? Let me know below.