Tis’ the Season for Farm Brews

As a person who loves to travel, I craft grandiose plans for visiting the world, but sometimes glaze over the sights in my own back yard. I spent 30+ years in my home state of NY and didn’t discover the local, lake-front park until I was 32. It is embarrassing to me that I didn’t know about or inquire about this beautiful park sooner.  It is equally embarrassing to me that I put so much stock in world travel only to ignore the soil in which I am rooted.

When we moved to RI, I vowed not to let that happen again. I would appreciate and explore day trips.  We’d find cool, off-the-beaten-path places across the state.  That’s easily done here, I find – if you’re looking.  The state is about an hour long and 45 minutes wide (I still speak in time instead of miles – a CNY habit that’s hard to break).  Here in RI, you can go from the ocean to the woods in less than a half hour. But to find what’s off the beaten path here, you have to be willing to throw away a TripAdvisor plan and just go for a “Sunday drive.”

Adam and I did that earlier in the fall.  Our goal was to find some family farms in Exeter, RI, as we’d heard there were many to choose from in that town. We wanted find a place to buy mums, pumpkins, and cider donuts –  because every self-respecting adult who doesn’t have kids needs these things in the fall, right?! A Google search led us to the popular Schartner Farms off Route 2 in Exeter so off we went.  Though the Google search was leading us toward Schartner Farms, two signs  perched on the side of the road just before our final destination, led us elsewhere.

The signs were simple:

“Pick Your Own Christmas Trees!”

and

“Tilted Barn Brewery Open 1-4!”

For Adam and me, who love beer and Christmas, this was a gold mine. A calling, even.  We deviated from our original plan and turned onto the winding, half-mile, one-car width dirt road leading toward The Tilted Barn. It was 4:00 at this point and the place was settled down.  A few people milled around, cleaning up after the day’s work.  When Adam and I got out of the car, we were greeted by a personable man who was kind enough to answer our questions:

What is this place?

How do we pick out our own Christmas tree?

What’s the story on this Tilted Barn Brewery?

Here’s what we learned from that very kind man, Gary, on our first day:

• The farm has been in Kara’s (one of the owners) family for generations
• Tilted Barn Brewery is Rhode Island’s first farm brewery
• Kara and Matt grow hops on the property and we were welcome to walk the property to see where the products that made the beer came from
• The brewery itself has been running for the public for just under a year
• Tastings are open to the public every Saturday from 1-4pm
• The Tilted Barn posts beers they’ll be pouring on Facebook every week
• Rhode Island is one of the few remaining states in the northeast that does not recognize farm breweries (Sign the petition to help change that)

Our interests piqued, we asked if it was too late to try a beer, understanding that everyone from the farm was cleaning up shop for the day.  Every person there, smiling, obliged us with a small tasting of what they had left that day:  The Raffi, a creamy, robust oatmeal stout with a smooth finish. It was out of this world.

Local traveling success! We were hooked.  Adam and I vowed to come back the following weekend to taste the new beers on tap.  And then we vowed to come back again.  And again.  Not only was the beer delicious every time, but the atmosphere was warm and inviting.  Everyone helping out with The Tilted Barn was personable and forthcoming with the latest news of the farm.  The beer lovers who traveled in for a taste of something new and exciting joked with fellow beer loving strangers while waiting for the next taste.  This place was easy.  Like the good kind of easy you find on weekend afternoons soaking up the sun on your back patio. To fall in love with the vibe and flavor of this place was natural.

The weekend of November 21 marked the Tilted Barn’s one year anniversary.  Surely, we didn’t miss it.  We couldn’t.  Neither could the rest of Rhode Island, it would appear.  Geared with music by The Mosaics, oysters from Walrus & Carpenter, wood fired pizza from Farm and Forest and beer from their tap, they planned the perfect farm anniversary party.  The place was brimming with Tilted Barn fans and while the lines were long, the spirits were high.  As we stood in line for our next tasting or to get our growlers filled we naturally fell into conversation with the people around us.  What brought you here?  How’d you hear about it?  What’s your favorite brew.  Everyone had a different answer and everyone had a smile.  It was quite a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon in November.

Due to Christmas season, The Tilted Barn shifts their Saturday beer tasting schedule to Wednesday nights from 5-8 pm between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  If you’re looking to travel off the beaten path and potentially in your own back yard, I highly recommend checking out The Tilted Barn, located at 1 Helmsley Place in Exeter, RI.