Newport Craft Beer Festival Recap

The Newport Craft Beer Festival took place the weekend of April 27^th in beautiful downtown Newport, RI. Sarah had been to Newport previously to take some mansion tours, but I had never been, so we took was a great opportunity to see a great New England seaport town, while taking in one of the premier beer festivals in Southern New England. We had an extra ticket, so we invited our friend Kristina, who is a fellow lover of craft beer (and a Rhode Island native).

We parked near the festival, but opted to have a Bloody Mary and some snacks to shake the cobwebs (and slight hangovers) we were feeling on the way down. Our first stop was at the Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant, which Kristina had raved about their Bloody Mary. They definitely didn't disappoint!

Held over two sessions on Saturday, the festival boasted some of the best local Rhode Island breweries (Ravenous Brewing Co, Newport Storm, Trinity Brewhouse, Foolproof Brewing, Grey Sail), New England brewers (ClownShoes, Mayflower, Cape Ann, Woodstock Inn, Cisco), in addition to several staples in the craft beer world (Stone Brewing, Sixpoint, Green Flash, Lagunitas, and Brooklyn) to name a few.

Grey Sail

Under the tent!

Located at the historic Great Friends Meeting House, you could not have asked for a nicer location. Situated under a giant tent to shade thirsty beer drinkers, ticket holders were able to sample some incredible beers. Although there was the tent, mother nature played a big role in making it such a great day as there was nothing but blue skies over head.

Post festival we opted for a few more beers and snacks in town. Our next stop was at The Black Pearl, which was literally on the water, followed by Pour Judgment (one of the event sponsors).

If we had thought better, we would have booked a hotel room well in advance. By the time we decided we wanted to stay over, all of the area hotels were long gone! Newport is a great little town, with a lot to do in addition to hosting the Newport Craft Beer Festival. We will certainly be back to Newport and to this event. It’s not often (or often enough) that we get to try some great Rhode Island breweries, which this event obviously promotes.

My beautiful partners in crime for the day Kristina & Sarah