Casked or kegged? 'New English' brewery hopes to open in Rolfe Square by July
CRANSTON — Peek inside the storefront at 72 Rolfe Square in Cranston, next to the permanent Saugy food truck, and you can see the bones of what could become, by this summer, a new brewery with a very old twist.
Steel beams demarcate what will become the foyer, the bathrooms, the taproom and brewery, while a 16-foot garage-style glass door sits, unassembled and wrapped in cardboard, set to replace a brick wall. Even wood scaffolding is built and ready for the moment that Iron Stag Brewing has its final permits from the city and contractors can start building out the space.
Brewer Nate Tessier said the hope is the new brewery can open by July. While they have all the permits required to start brewing beer, the space needs to be built out, the walk-in cooler assembled and the first brews kegged.
President A.J. Kilroy said they want to build a brewery for the community and the neighborhood.
"We want to be a permanent fixture," Kilroy said.
A 'New English' brewery brings old world methods to Cranston
The craft beer market in Rhode Island is filled with India pale ales and saisons, sours and lambics, ranch waters and hard seltzers, bringing bitter hops and barnyard funk.
Tessier, who used to work at a brewery in England, said he wants to bring classical English beers to the states, introducing bitters and brown ales, rye porters and Scotch ales, none of which are hoppy like the craft-beer darling, the India pale ale.
"The English embrace the 'less is more' mentality and I try to keep to that as well," Tessier said.
The brewery will offer two types of beer. The first is what is normally on draft, kegged beer, that has been carbonated with an external source of carbon dioxide pumped into the keg, which also forces the beer out of the taps.
The second kind is the cask ale, a beer that is sealed in a cask as it finishes fermenting. As the yeast turns sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide, the gas has nowhere to escape and carbonates the beer. Instead of being poured through a tap, hand pumps will be installed to pour the draught beer.
While they will have an English India pale ale on tap, the group plans to brew more "session" beers, with lower alcohol content.
VOTE!Pick your favorite RI brewer for the Providence Journal's RI beer ranking
"You can grab a pint, then go to dinner," Kilroy said.
Kilroy said he expects much of their business to come from sales of beer on tap but they will also can their own beer, after buying a small canning system.
They also plan to brew hard tea, keeping with the "New English" theme, offering something different that is not hard seltzer.
BYOF −Bring your own food
While the brewery won't serve food, people will be encouraged to bring their own, takeout or lunch or anything else. That should come as a boon for many local businesses, like the Saugy food truck in front of the proposed patio.
Other nearby restaurants include:
Alanis Mediterranean Bistro, 74 Rolfe Square
King's Garden Restaurant (Chinese), 90 Rolfe Square
El Laham Restaurant (Syrian), 91 Rolfe Square
Mesa Cafe and Grill (Mexican), 100 Rolfe Square
Bettola (Italian), 44 Rolfe Square
Cafe Ava (coffee, sandwiches), 48 Rolfe Square
Kilroy said they want the brewery, and the expansive outdoor patio, to become a gathering place for neighbors, a new "third place," outside of the office and home, for people to mix, mingle and throw a few bean bags.
Cranston's Garden City Center turns 75:What's next for the shopping center in 2023?
Outdoor seating and lawn game area planned
The taproom will open onto the patio, which would replace part of the parking lot, with a 16-foot sectional glass door. After the patio, they plan to build a space for lawn games like cornhole.
A method as old as beer:Eco-friendly Vermont brewery turns carbon dioxide waste into carbonation
How a few friends spitballing turned an idea into a brewery
Tessier said the idea for the brewery started as the three men were hanging out in 2018, ruminating on how cool it would be to start a brewery. Operations manager Rob Russell, finding himself with extra time on his hands, wrote up the first business plan in 2019 and sent it to the other two.
Putting pen to paper was the key driver and, shortly thereafter, they incorporated a company. And then, the pandemic hit, putting a pause on all their plans, until they decided it was time to start making their dream a reality. First, they found a spot in Providence, which fell through. All the while, they were buying brewing equipment from across the Northeast.
TROUBLE BREWING:They'd rather talk about beer, but wastewater is a hot topic for local breweries
Then they found 72 Rolfe Square on Craigslist and by November 2021 and signed a lease, with their planned opening July 2023.
While Rhode Island has a bevy of breweries, the closest other breweries are Buttonwoods on Wellington Avenue and Origin Beer Project, which shares space with Buttonwoods.
Can't wait for Iron Stag Brewing to open? We have suggestions for tonight!
More:Try these 20 Rhode Island beers in taprooms across the state
New in 2022:19 new restaurants, cafes and distilleries planning to open in 2022 you'll have to try
More:6 best spots for chicken wings in RI: From saucy to naked, which is your favorite?
Brewery battle: Vote for RI's favorite beer maker
Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Providence Journal subscription. Here's our latest offer.
Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: New brewery plans for July 2023 opening in Cranston's Rolfe Square
