We are so excited to see Tilted Barn Brewery in Exeter starting to gain the recognition it deserves. Earlier this week they were named as one of "8 Breweries to Watch in 2018" by Cool Material. The hops farm and brewery are located just off route 2. Follow Rte. 2 and take a right onto the twisty, windy dirt road at One Hemsley Place and the hops farm and barn are at the end. Oftentimes there are food vendors in case you work up an appetite waiting in line. The lines are often long, as the batches are small and sell out quickly.
Exeter is a rural town home to Arcadia Management Area - 14,000 acres of forests, ponds and rivers perfect for camping, hiking, paddling and more. But it's most famous for being the home of New England's first reported vampire, Mercy Brown. Buried at the Exeter Chapel Cemetery, her grave is popular with visitors and is adorned with their offerings. Mercy is said to have been the inspiration for Dracula author, Bram Stoker, as well as Rhode Island's own horror master, H.P. Lovecraft.
Our guest blogger this week is Michael Nadeau. Mike is a marketing professional and writer living and working in Boston. His blog, Land of Hops and Dreams is a must-read for beer aficionados.
Beer #15: Cactus from Tilted Barn Brewery
BREWERY: Tilted Barn BEER: Double IPA ABV: 7.5 PURCHASED AT: Well, not really purchased at all. Got this hoppy orange deliciousness in a trade from a very nice man in the parking lot of Bissell Brothers when I went up for the Swish release a few weeks ago. He looked at my open trunk - full of treasures from Vermont and Maine - like that English archaeologist when he stepped into King Tut’s tomb.
ABOUT THE BREWERY: Rhode Island has long been the forgotten child locked away in the attic and pelted with fish heads when it comes to the New England beer scene, but they’re starting to make some noise, and Titled Barn’s got the loudest hum. I first heard about them a few months ago, when a friend raved about their IPAs during a mini-beer tasting they had, so I was determined to explore them.
Tilted Barn touts themselves as Rhode Island’s first “farm brewery,” and offer a smell-sight-sound experience when visiting - kind of like Dwight Schrute’s side hustle, sans beets. That, plus low can limits for visitors (only four per style per trek!) makes for that kind of whispered-about, passed-around, throw-me-the-idol buzz that breweries crave.
ABOUT THE BEER: “American Double IPA with extremely soft mouthfeel. Notes of pineapple, mango, and guava. Very subtle 7.5% ABV.”
MINDSET WHILE CONSUMING: Celebratory. My contract at work got extended for another six months today, which means I can afford to drink these expensive beers well into 2018. Hooray!
TASTING: The guava is right up front with this beer - you can whiff it right off the top - and it sticks to the palate quite pleasantly. Pineapple and mango hit you at the end. Nicely balanced. Hides the alcohol very well; it’s only a 7.5% ABV, and it doesn’t even drink like that. Has a real Treehouse vibe; you could do a blindfold taste test with this and that big gorilla coming out of Charlton and I doubt anyone could tell the difference. A super beer.
AND NOW, FOR A FINAL THOUGHT: Easily, the best beer I’ve had to come out of Rhode Island, by a brewery that I’m extremely excited to patronize again and again. Immediately jumps to the top of my must-visit list.
FINAL RATING: 9.1/10
For hours and directions visit: TiltedBarnBrewery.com
