This month from Province Ale Company: a 'tropical, exotic flavour'

Sunday, June 09, 2013

Reading Beer, the latest installment in the year-long Province Ale Company project, will be tapped this Saturday at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in Rehoboth Beach.

Reading is a hoppy pale ale brewed with coriander and grains of paradise, which brewer Ragged Jordan (aka Ben Potts) says adds a "tropical, exotic flavour." The malt and hops are traditional English.

To pair, Chef Joseph Arsenault (aka Dennis Marcoux), has whipped up some Brunswick stew. The recipe comes from 1828 and includes squirrel. Unfortunately, Chef Joseph is a terrible shot and could not get any squirrels, so he hit his friends up at Red Brook Farm in Montague, Mass., for some beef from the family steer, along with local ground pork and chicken. "It's a hearty, earthy summer stew with a bit of spice," says Chef Joseph, "a perfect foil to a glass of Reading Beer.

And don't worry if you missed last month's beer. We held back a keg so members and newcomers can catch up and join the run of antique ales.

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If you're new to Province Ale Company, here's the story.

We're looking for about 100 adventurous beer lovers to join us on this journey. We're off to a great start, but there are still spaces left. Participants will experience the re-creation of 19th-century beer recipes discovered in the dusty shelves of a local library. Nicolo Mastroianni (aka Sam Calagione) and his plucky head brewer, Ragged Jordan, will release one beer a month in 2013, and Chef Joseph Arsenault will re-create a period-appropriate food pairing to go with each beer.

For $30, investors will receive a handmade journal to record their thoughts, observations and experiences as each beer is released. The journals also will tell the story of Province Ale Co. and include Ragged's notes for homebrewers. At the end of the year, investors will receive their completed journal, as well as a turn-of-the-century Province Ale baseball cap and retro T-shirt. Also, anyone who can guess which two of the 12 recipes were invented by Nicolo and Ragged's modern-day alter-egos will enjoy a private dinner with the whole Province Ale team. Yup, all that for just $30!

Here's the fine print: Journal shares can be purchased only at the Rehoboth pub. This is a full-on analog project, so we want to see the whites of your eyes when you sign up. A new beer will be released at the pub on the third Saturday of each month. From noon to 4 p.m., Province Ale Co. investors have exclusive access. After that, they're fair game for any pub visitors. Our best guess is that each will last about a week, but we can't make any promises. To help investors stay up-to-date, the previous month's beer will also be available as each new batch is released. The antique brews will be $4 per 10-ounce pour, and food pairings will vary based on the recipe.

Sign up in person at the pub, and join the journey of Province Ale Co. – an analog project for the digital age.