Newport’s newest tasting room houses one of its original micro-breweries. Newport Craft Brewing and Distilling has built one of the top taprooms in the region, with an expansive new indoor space and an inviting outdoor patio with views of the Pell Bridge certain to be a busy spot all summer long and beyond. The facility also includes the seasonal outdoor taproom, a lawn area for outdoor events, and ample free parking on site.
The brewery has certainly raised the bar with the new facility, building on an established brand and serving popular brews that include seasonal and specialty offerings on tap. With well over a dozen beers and seltzers to choose from, and seasonal favorites added regularly, you’ll never get bored with their selection.
On a recent visit, we sampled a few from their extensive list of offerings. As the brewery supplies local bars and restaurants with popular choices, including Rhode Trip and Rhode Rage, both popular IPAs that I’ve enjoyed previously, I focused on some new additions to the lineup.
First up, Schedule 80, a slightly bitter New England IPA, which I found to be drinkable, but not remarkable. Next up, Neighborhood Juice, a blood orange IPA, tasty, bold, and complex, on the dry side, coming in at 6.4 ABV. I’ll definitely order this one on a return visit if it is still available.
I moved on to the popular East Village, a very tasty blonde ale, rich, full-bodied, with slightly smoky tones, a lot more going on than your run of the mill ale. At 4.5 ABV, this one is perfectly appropriate for day drinking year-round and will go well with pretty much anything on the menu.
Finally, I sampled Out of Sight, a robust barrel-aged stout that tastes even stronger than the 8.2 ABV on the label. The beer features hints of chocolate and coconut, with a strong whisky taste. It’s definitely not a Guinness, and it’s not for the faint of heart.
Looking for more variety? Try seasonal favorites Blueberry Ale and Amber Ale, two popular canned beers recently added to Newport Craft’s arsenal. And keep an eye out for a couple of limited releases coming soon, including the Juicy Fruit IPA, due out in May, and It’s Called Soccer, an American Golden Ale, due in July.
Newport Craft also offers a full lineup of spirits, including gin, vodka, rum, and whisky, all distilled on-site. More about those in a future visit.