Ragged Island Brewing Co.
In tiny Rhode Island, we found big beer, a gorgeous waterfront setting, and one seriously memorable New England IPA.
FIELD TRIP
Ben and Rebecca Marmaduke
8/12/20264 min read
Now, New England is home to more than 600 craft and commercial breweries spread across its six states. Vermont and Maine consistently rank near the very top of the entire United States for the number of craft breweries per capita. But since our destination was specifically (tiny) Rhode Island, I had to consider carefully which brewery to visit — we had limited time to spare, what with all the other sight-seeing on our agenda.
After some careful research, we landed on Ragged Island Brewing Company in Portsmouth, RI, and we were thrilled with the experience we had on a Wednesday evening in August. We savored their beer, their expansive space, the music, vibrant vibe and wide range of food vendors. Despite the weekday hours, Ragged Island was in full weekend party mode. The buzz about this brewery is valid!
The Basics
Location: 54 Bristol Ferry Rd., Portsmouth, RI
Parking: gravel lots
Website: raggedislandbrewing.com
Social media: instagram/raggedisland, facebook.com/raggedisland
Vibe/Atmosphere: Rural, spacious, vibrant, inviting, family and dog-friendly
Beers We Tried: Island Park DIPA, Ripples Raspberry Sour, Tiny Truck NEIPA
Important NC Beer Explorer Tip: When consuming alcohol, always have a designated driver. Be safe out there, friends! Follow these simple tips for safer consumption.
Ragged Island is a very unique Brewery with 37 acres of farmland, a farmhouse converted into a three-level tap room, and plenty of open space for an energetic reggae band to entertain the crowd of roughly 400 people. People were scattered everywhere: on fold out chairs on the huge lawn, on the large balconies of the main building, and on the patio of the brewhouse. Beautiful Narragansett Bay lay beyond the whole scene, offering a gorgeous sunset backdrop. If this was not brewpub heaven, it was certainly in the neighborhood!
There was a little bit of a wait for beer but the lines moved quickly. We started out with the Island Park, double IPA and the ripples raspberry sour ale. I'm in a phase of really enjoying New England IPAs, and since this was my first visit to an actual New England Brewery in two years, I decided to focus on this style at Ragged Island. The Island Park was one of five IPAs on tap and was a great example of a highly hopped "combo" IPA. It was hazy and full of a whole range of hop flavors: citrus, tropical, stone fruit, hitting all the right notes for me.
Rhode Island Ramble
We here at NC Beer Explorer might be known for our specific love of North Carolina craft beer, but that doesn't stop us from exploring other American and foreign beers. Given our love of New England IPAs, it makes sense that, when in Rhode Island, we would have to try this particular style of beer.
(By the way, we will save you some Googling and clarify that the New England states are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Originally from California and Texas, we had to look it up. 🙂)
What were we doing in Rhode Island, you may ask? Rebecca read a book by Anderson Cooper about the Vanderbilts, and she also started watching The Gilded Age on Netflix, so she got the urge to see some of the spectacular robber baron mansions in Newport. I heard they also have beer in Rhode Island, so I went along for the ride (and, of course, the beer).
A completely real, not-retouched image of Rebecca and Ben calling on the Vanderbilts at The Breakers in Newport, RI.
It seemed as if the entire population of RI decided to visit Ragged Island Brewing the night we were there!
NEIPAs and More
Rebecca tried the Ripples Raspberry Sour Ale first and was fully impressed. Before we went for Round 2, we slaked our appetite with a couple of poke bowls from one of the many food vendors on site. By this time, I had discerned that Tiny Truck IPA was Ragged Island’s flagship beer. From the first sip, I was in love.
Tiny Truck is a relatively modest 6.3 ABV, hazy with full flavor and distinctively New England IPA creamy mouth feel. I was surprised to learn that this beer was only hopped with Citra, given its fruity aroma and tropical fruit-forward flavor notes. The balance was spot on. This was one of the best New England IPAs I've ever tasted. Rebecca and I both enjoyed Tiny Truck enough to order another glass and enjoy it with a tray of tiny gourmet donuts bought from another of the food truck vendors.
Earlier that day, we had walked through some jaw-dropping spaces at “The Breakers” and “Marble House,” two spectacular Vanderbilt mansions overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, replete with marble staircases, mosaic ceilings, and golden statues. But for all that luxury, I preferred the scene at Ragged Island!
The sunset over Narangasett Bay was spectacular.
We were gobsmacked by the Gilded Age mansions, but Ragged Island Brewing was more to our tastes!
NCBE's Beer Notes - Ragged Island Brewing
Island Park Double IPA*
Style: DIPA
ABV: 9.0%
Color: Hazy yellow/gold, light foam head
Aroma: Tropical fruit, melon
Taste: fresh papaya and juicy, ripe tropical melon, secondary earthy hop notes
Mouthfeel: medium
Aftertaste: lightly bitter, balanced
Tiny Truck New England IPA*
Style: NEIPA
ABV: 6.3%
Color: yellow-amber, hazy, foamy head
Aroma: pineapple, orange, a touch of grapefruit
Taste: follows the nose,
Mouthfeel: medium body and pillowy; low carbonation
Aftertaste: same as taste; fades to lightly bitter
Ripples Raspberry Sour*
Style: Sour Ale
ABV: 5%
Color: pink-gold, light head, cloudy
Aroma: tangy fruit, jammy raspberry
Taste: punchy tart raspberry upfront, pleasant funky undertones
Mouthfeel: crisp, dry, very crushable.
Aftertaste: lingering tartness
