USA, RI: Three new breweries coming to Rhode Island soon

East Providence will get its first brewery and tap room this summer while two other new breweries will open in Cumberland and South Kingstown, The Providence Journal reported on May 2.

It's a great time for hops and malt as the Rhode Island craft beer universe continues to expand and will soon number 40 breweries.

Building out has begun at Crook Point Brewing Co. in East Providence which stands near Providence's "Stuck-Up Bridge." Drive by on Massasoit Avenue and you'll see the outdoor deck being readied for guests.

Shiny new brewing tanks are already in place at Phantom Farms Brewing in Cumberland. The brewery will bring new life to the town's historic district, not the nearby farm, though both brewery and farm have the same owners, the Macari family.

The artist's renderings are done for Tower Hill Brewing which will be located in South County Commons just off Route 1. Beer tasting and a movie at the nearby theater may well become a new habit for date night if a group of friends and business partners have their way.

It's not just those three new destinations for craft beer that have people buzzing about openings as early as this summer. There's also the previously announced Iron Stag Brewing in Rolfe Square in Cranston working through their build-out.

The dreams behind Crook Point Brewing Co., Phantom Farms Brewing and Tower Hill Brewing are all about passion. How each of the new breweries were conceived, and how they'll be built and run, tells three very different stories.

Rhode Island has two farm breweries and despite the name, Phantom Farms Brewing will not be the third. It will be some three and a half miles away from the farm, housed in the former steam room at the historic Berkeley Mill at 30 Martin St. The 1872 building was bought by developer Jason Macari nine years ago. Macari bought Phantom Farm on Diamond Hill Road last August.

The family has big plans for both, said Jay Neveu, general manager of the brewing company and Macari's son-in-law. The brewery will have a 10-barrel system.

The brewery space should be stunning with all the brick, dramatic beams and shiny new brewing tanks in one soaring space. Look for a unique tap room and a second floor mezzanine. "It will celebrate the brewing process," said Neveu.

It's been a long journey to create the brewing space with the care needed for a historic building, he added. A small kitchen will be built into the space but plans for food are yet to be ironed out, he added.

They've hired Oscar Garrido and Andrea Riera, a husband and wife team from Chile as brewers. The South Americans have worked in New Zealand and California and started as winemakers.

The styles of beer to be brewed include IPAs, pilsners, stouts. Some of the beers will be aged in whiskey and wine barrels. Soon after opening, guests can expect these beers that Neveu described as “big stouts, saison and of course sours - regular and spontaneous.”

Neveu sees big potential for the brewing company being part of the farm family. "We want to have freshly grown ingredients," he said.

They will be utilizing fruits grown on Phantom Farms. He called it a terroir wine concept, but in the beer.



Crook Point Brewing Co.

Ernie Watson will open the state's first brewery to be located in East Providence. He will brew with a 10-barrel system.

He'd been looking for the right location and building to purchase for years, he said. He found his site and began his planning for Crook Point Brewing in 2019. Then the COVID-19 pandemic began and slowed all construction.

He said that building out a brewery and buying and installing the equipment is so costly he felt leasing out space was too risky for his investment. He bought the building at 65 Massasoit Ave. that was a hammer factory in the 1930s and then converted to storage and a print shop. The space has been expanded over the years and has an event space aside from the tap room, he said. There's an outside deck as well.

The brewery name was inspired by the nearby Crook Point Bascule Bridge which is locked in the upright position. The image is central to his logo.

Watson has been a home brewer for a decade. He works in social service. As he nears retirement age, he sees the brewery as his second career.

"I don't golf or gamble," he said. "This seemed like something I could have fun with but it has turned into something bigger," Watson said.

He has adult kids and he hopes this will be something they can be involved with, too.

When he discusses Crook Bridge styles of beer, he talks in one-thirds. A third of the beers will be what he calls modern styles such as IPAs. One-third will be traditional largers, porters and stouts. The other one-third will be experimental and hybrids.

He will also offer beer cocktails for those who don't love beer.

Watson said he will partner with a bakery that will provide food to the taproom that ranges from traditional bakery items to protein choices. He said they will also have food trucks and pop-ups. Guests will also be able to order from nearby restaurants including Jeff's Wood-Fired Pizza, Red Bridge Tavern and Minas Cafe Steakhouse.

Watson hopes for a summer opening.



Tower Hill Brewing

Four friends who share an enjoyment of visiting breweries and trying new beers have joined together to create Tower Hill Brewing. They will brew with a seven-barrel system.

Bob Meyer, who is in the food service business, spoke for the group and said each one of the owners brings special skills to the project. They include Bob Golden, owner of a CPA firm who is their CFO; Brian Hubert, co-owner of an IT company; and Ivan Nazario, a project manager for a Naval contractor.

Nazario will be their head brewer. "He’s been home brewing for over 20 years," said Meyer. "It’s his initial dream we all grabbed and brought to fruition."

"We look to him for the techniques," Meyer added.

All are keeping their day jobs, including Nazario, "until things go our way," he added. They will hire a brewery consultant to work with assistant brewers and a taproom staff.

The name reflects the local opinion that residents don't need anything north of the tower between U.S. Route 1 (Tower Hill Road) and Route 138 (Bridgetown Road) in South Kingstown.

The location at South County Commons is perfect, Meyer said. They are going into an existing building that has never been used. A spa had been at the location but was hit by a car and burned to the ground. Meyer said they've signed a lease and will build out the inside. Architectural plans call for a tap room with a good size bar.

The building itself is 5,000 square feet with 2,200 square feet for brewing and the rest for the tap room and bar. There is a garage door out to an outdoor beer garden.

As for the beers, the partners are all on the same page with style preferences. They expect to launch with hazy IPAs, maybe three of them - medium, high and low test versions of the style.

"We want to hit a style that everyone will like," Meyer said.

"Ivan does a really great stout," he said. So expect one of those. Guests will also find a Pale Ale and seasonal beers such as winter ales, summer blondes and Oktoberfests.

Being in South County Commons, there's plenty of food there so there will be no kitchen or food trucks. "We can cross-pollinate to send customers to one of the restaurants or figure out how customers can order a pizza from Pasquale’s," Meyer said.

They think their location next door to the movie theater is perfect either for a beer before or after a movie.

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