In Search of Sours and the Rich Flavors of Rhode Island’s Craft Beer Scene

There was a time in the annals of American beer when flavor and beer barely knew one another. Beer was clear, fizzy, mass-produced and generally bland. A handful of large producers serviced the market, and the term “craft beer” had not yet been born.

Since those dismal days, the North American beer scene has seen elevating changes. The craft beer movement has exploded and spread to other parts of the world. Here in Rhode Island, the craft beer movement is roaring like a lion, with flavors abounding.

India Pale Ale, commonly called IPA, is a style of beer within the Pale Ale category that originated in England during the mid 1800s in conjunction with the East India Trading Company. The demand for beer in the East India colony was strong, so ships headed that way carried barrels of beer with them.

To protect against the rigors of the journey, brewers added extra malt, to increase alcohol content, and extra hops to better preserve the beer for the long sea journey.

The style became popular over time, and today it is so ubiquitous that it has nearly become overwhelming. The refrigerator shelves at beer stores are groaning under the weight of newly minted IPA choices, with new ones coming out each month.

Whalers Brewing Company in the Peace Dale section of Wakefield usually has a couple of IPAs on tap, but it was early to spot and adopt a hot new trend in craft brewing: sour beers.

“The sours are always in our top three,” says Wesley Staschke, co-founder of Whalers, founded in 2011 and situated on the banks of the Saugatucket River.

While the term sour might be off-putting, do not be fooled. Sour beer is beer made with grains—same as regular beer. The difference comes when a souring agent is added to the sugary liquid—called wort—that arises from the slow heating of brewing grains. The production of wort by steeping grains in hot water is an ancient process. It is called mashing. In the case of regular beer, brewer’s yeast is “pitched” into the wort, and closed fermentation begins.

With sour beers, a souring agent such as wild yeast or bacteria is added, which results in a beer with a tart flavor. To balance that tartness, brewers add a variety of ingredients—either during mashing or in secondary fermentation—that impart flavor. These can range from fruits to hops to spices, or to a blend using some of each.

“That’s where the art comes in,” says Staschke. The sour series at Whalers rotates in accordance with the seasons, and each bears a name drawn from astronomy. Nebula is flavored with blueberries and cinnamon. It has a crisp, refreshing tang that pairs well with salads and desserts. In general, sour beers are the perfect beer to pair with food because their acidity can cut through rich cheeses or sauces and balances the saltiness of meats, seafood and charcuterie, for example.

Next out will be Nova, which features raspberries with orange and lemon peel. After that, a vanilla-apple-cinnamon sour is in the works. “At first, no one wanted to try it,” says Staschke, regarding sour beer. That was in 2016. Now it’s the sour varieties drawing the craft beer enthusiasts to Whalers.

Moving northward, another brewery developing complex flavor profiles of different beer types is Crooked Current Brewing Company, located at the Lorraine Mill in Pawtucket. Operated by head brewer Nichole Pelletier, Crooked Current is unique among local breweries. While Pawtucket is quickly becoming the brewing capital of the state and even the region (with Foolproof as well as Isle Brewers Guild, which specializes in craft beers and is one of the country’s top 100 breweries), the boutique nature and small-batch capacity of Crooked Current sets it apart.

With limited space, and a one-barrel (or 31-gallon) system, Pelletier’s beer is very much a handcrafted product. Both Pelletier and Staschke compare brewing to cooking. Both brewers like to play with flavor in small batches. Both see the art and creativity of it.

Pelletier comes from a family steeped in the culinary world in Rhode Island. She likes to build recipes around ingredients inspired by everything from seasonal fruit to childhood memories. One such example is the top-selling Neapolitan Brown Ale. It uses ground chocolate and cocoa nibs in the primary fermentation, to gain the chocolate base flavor. After that, strawberry and vanilla are infused during the secondary fermentation. The result is a smooth, creamy, complex beer with layers of flavor but at the same time is not overly sweet or fruity.

At both Whalers and Crooked Current, there is no predetermined order for the eager beer-tasting customer. Many breweries offer their tastings in a rack of small glasses featuring beer samples, often called a “flight.” They might organize beers by color, or flavor, or some preferred criteria.

Pelletier’s approach at Crooked Current is to dispense each flavor as a separate adventure. She personally describes to visitors what goes into each handcrafted concoction. If a beer runs out during tasting hours, a new one is put in its place and a whole new tasting experience ensues.

“I am inspired by flavor; I brew out of passion, and I want everyone to find their own approach to our beers,” says Pelletier. “I really enjoy informing people about what they are going to taste—to then see their reactions, and to hear their comments.”

Pelletier’s interpretation of IPA is named for a friend’s successful career in the military. Butterbar Barry IPA is brewed with lupulin powder and lactose. Lupulin powder is the dust that falls out of hops when they are pelletized, or handled after drying. By using this ingredient, Pelletier is able to achieve an intense hop flavor and aroma without introducing the undesired astringent or vegetal flavors that can often come with whole hops. The lactose adds body and gives the beer a velvety feel on the tongue. Altogether, it makes for a beer with an outstanding flavor profile.

“I like my beers to have character and complex flavor profiles,” says Pelletier.

A visit to Crooked Current confirms that. There’s always a friendly face behind the tap ready to answer myriad questions about the flavors in the beers, the rotating offerings are always fresh and the product is unique among other local craft beers. A true Rhode Island experience!

Crooked Current Brewery

560 Mineral Spring Ave., Pawtucket

401.473.8312; CrookedCurrentBrewery.com

Whalers Brewing Company

1174 Kingstown Rd., Wakefield

401.552.0002; Whalers.com