Projo Beer Blog

Journal photo/ Steve Szydlowski
Sean Larkin, brewmaster at Trinity Brew Pub in Providence, holds a mug of their Belgian White Ale.

Journal Food Editor Gail Ciampa looks at local brewpubs in Wednesday's Providence Journal and in projo.com.

Ciampa writes, "Rhode Island has four brew pubs: Union Station Brewery and Trinity Brewhouse, both in Providence; Coddington Brewing Co. in Middletown; and Mohegan Café and Brewery on Block Island. All offer beer in a variety of classic styles. The taps at their bars flow with brews made on the premises and served at the height of their taste."

Check out video of Sean Larkin and Tommy Tainsh, brewers at Trinity Brewhouse in Providence, making a batch of Strawberry Belgian Ale.

LEON, N.Y. (AP) -- Police cracking down on rowdy Amish youths ticketed a teenager for having beer in his horse-drawn buggy when they pulled him over on a western New York road. They said the 17-year-old was charged with underage possession of alcohol after he was stopped by deputies late Monday night in the town of Leon, 40 miles south of Buffalo.

Detective Nathan Root said the teen admitted drinking beer, but passed a field sobriety test.

Root says another Amish man in the buggy, a 22-year-old, was charged with providing the beer. Both are scheduled to be arraigned June 22.

Patrols were stepped up after an Amish elder's property was vandalized when he confronted youths about their drinking and listening to radios.

By Journal staff

Something's brewing at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

The third annual Great International Spring Beer Festival gets under way Saturday in two separate sessions. The first runs from 1 to 4:30 p.m., and the second from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

There will be beer, of course, and lots of it. You can get 2-ounce samples from more than 250 breweries. Some are international; some are national; and some are regional and local.

Newport Storm and Coastal Extreme Brewing of Newport will be there. And Trinity Brewhouse and Union Station Brewing of Providence, will be represented, too, among others.

There will also be complimentary food provided by Pizza Pie-er and Dave & Busters.

And there will be live music to accompany the ale and snacks: The 'Mericans, a Rhode Island Americana roots rock band fronted by former Purple Ivy Shadows vocalist and guitarist Christ Daltry plays the afternoon session; and Lemon Lime Tennis Shoes, a six-man Rhode Island group which just won a Battle of the Bands competition will play pop, punk and ska during the evening session.

Approximately 6,000 people are expected to attend the festival's twin sessions.

The convention center is located at One Sabin St., in downtown Providence. Admission, which is restricted to those 21 and older, is $36 per session with tickets on sale at the convention center box office at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

For additional information, go online to beerfestamerica.com.

A free beer is welcome at almost any time, but perhaps never more than in these tough times.

In St. Louis, a bar owner recently offered customers a free beer with advice on revising their resumes, according to a story on the Web site digtriad.com.

Steven Fitzpatrick Smith, owner of The Royale, said the idea came to him shortly after InBev bought St. Louis original Anheuser-Busch, according to the Web site.

Earlier this month, Anheuser-Busch announced it was laying off 1,400 workers, 75 percent of them in the St. Louis area.

"There's a lot of potential here," said Smith. "I think we too easily dismiss that. And we need to remember who we are. Our city was built as a brewery city. People came here from all over the world, especially the Germans; they came here to build breweries. And that's what built this town."

He added, "This is important to have people down here, because we're a public meeting place where people talk together. That's why people come here, to talk with their neighbors," Smith said. "It's communication; it's so we can better understand each other. And it's a very important human need that we have, to help."

Read the full story.

GREENVILLE, Maine (AP) -- A thirst for a beer and a store clerk's long memory led to the arrest of a suspect in a Texas bank robbery.

Nathan Dilworth, 30, who was staying at his mother's Greenville apartment, is being held at the Piscataquis County Jail on a fugitive from justice charge while awaiting extradition.

Police Chief Scott MacMaster said Dilworth bought a beer Monday night at a Route 15 convenience store whose clerk recognized him, recalled his long criminal record in the area and contacted police.

A National Crime Information Center check on Dilworth found that he was wanted in a Nov. 28 armed robbery at a Chase Bank branch in San Antonio in which $4,827 was stolen.

Witnesses reported that a man wearing a purple sweat shirt went to a counter and pulled a note out of his jacket that said, "I want all the money you have. No marked bills or dye packs or you die."

MacMaster, who took part in Dilworth's arrest early Tuesday, praised the convenience store clerk for contacting police. The chief would not release the clerk's name or the name of the store because of possible retribution. Route 15 has many convenience stores, MacMaster noted.

"What it comes down to, I would say, is community policing in that somebody from the community identified this individual and told us that he was back," MacMaster said, "and we were able to get a potentially dangerous person off the street."

Dilworth had pleaded guilty to 2003 burglary of a Greenville pharmacy in which about $10,000 worth of drugs were stolen, MacMaster said. He served six months of a two-year sentence and was placed on two years' probation.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) -- The brewer of Newport Storm beer hopes to relocate at its namesake city and ramp up its production of porters and lagers.

Coastal Extreme Brewing Inc. now operates in three bays at the Middletown Tradesman Center where its brewing equipment was first set up. Will Rafferty, a partner in the firm, tells The Newport Daily News that his company needs more room and wants to move to a parcel owned by Newport's city government.

The City Council will consider a lease during a meeting Wednesday.

As part of its expansion plans, the brewery hopes to hire at least three more employees.

The Newport Storm brand of beers includes Hurricane Amber, Blizzard Porter, Thunderhead Irish Red and Maelstrom IPA.

This story moved on the Associated Press's Strange wire. I guess the this guy deserves some credit for deciding not to get behind the wheel but...

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (AP) -- Authorities in southwest Florida say an intoxicated man had his 9-year-old son take him on a beer run. Cape Coral police arrested the 27-year-old man last week, after seeing a pickup truck drive onto a median.

When officers stopped the truck, the man told them he was teaching his son to drive. Officers say the father's speech was slurred, his breath smelled of alcohol and he unable to stand without swaying. Police said an open case of Budweiser beer was in the backseat.

The man was charged with cruelty toward a child and allowing an unlicensed minor to drive. He was released from jail on $2,000 bond. The man did not return a phone call seeking comment.

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Information from: The News-Press, http://www.news-press.com