This is an archived copy of what was originally posted on Facebook.
Sunday capped off a weekend in the land of the pilgrims spending a Sunday afternoon at a brewery called Revival, celebrating the sacrament of beer.
Revival Brewing Company is located in Cranston, Rhode Island, on the lower level of a compound called “Brewtopia”. The upper level is a pretty huge BBQ and tap room, which serves Revival's goods... but take the stairs to the lower level and you find yourself in the belly of the brewery itself, which is a giant wide open space wth a cozy taproom set up on one end. Think a massive basement, with only one portion of it finished as pretty much a mancave, with video games, skeeball, a bar, lots of fresh taps, and various tables and seating options.
Revival Brewing Company - Cranston, RI
Brews are available all over Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts
Played: 10/14/18
This was an afternoon gig, designed around just hanging and socializing on a nice Fall day, drinking beer and catching live music. Luckily the Red Sox 2nd playoff game didn't start until 7, and the Pats' game until an hour after that... so what better way to kill time than sample a variety of brews? A really nice and knowledgable guy named Kevin was manning the taps, and helped guide me through their sizable selection.
I was parched when I arrived, so Kevin started me off with a very thirst quenching and refreshing Hail Berry Blueberry Sour (5.5%). A rather mild sour (not obnoxious), and while it had a fruity element to it I wouldn't say it was particularly blueberryish either... but it was very light and crisp, almost like a dry champagne with a touch of juice.
From there I went to the Lavendar Lassie Kettle Sour w/coconut milk & lavendar (5%). This had golden hue with a sort of swirly haziness that reminded me of eggdrop soup. It was an odd drink, frankly... the body was rather light, but then as the coconut hit you it seemed a little creamy. A lot of others raved about this one, I guess it just wasn't to my tastes (it happens).
In what in retrospect might seem like an odd move, I then switched to the Doug & Scarpetti Vanilla Porter. This one also had a slight coconut overtone, but here (for me) it worked much better... smooth and creamy, the coconut mixed with what hinted at a slight whiskey flavor... others said it as like an Almond Joy porter. Either way, it was a tasty one worth picking up.
At this point fully committed, we then moved to the Extra Thirsty Triple IPA (10.5%). Now, for a guy who is a little burned out on overly-hoppe IPAs, a 10.5% Triple IPA sounds like it might be a bit much... but this was actually quite delicious. IT was hop-forward, with a little bitter on the back end, but balanced nicely.
Finally (I think... there were some small tastes mixed in here and there...) came the Mercy Imperial Brown (9%). This was a nice brown pour, an off white head that stuck around for a while, and an nice earthy flavor. Medium body, with roasted malt and caramel, and what kept reminding me of a light mushroom aftertasted (in a pleasant way).
Revival made for a fun afternoon, and are worth finding (and taking the trip downstairs). You can find their beers (much wider selection than I sampled) canned throughout the region.
Next stop, Lake Drum Brewing in the Finger Lakes on Wednesday. This was a late add to the schedule, and starts at 9:30...