Oysters and Stout: A hearty month for Province Ale Company

Sunday, July 14, 2013

We're past the midway point in the year-long Province Ale Company project, and we're celebrating with a hearty combination.

First up, the beer. Brewer Ragged Jordan (aka Ben Potts) has made a Brown Stout. Brewed with a large percentage of Brown Malt, Ragged's Brown Stout clocks in at a modest 4.5% ABV and a hoppy 70 IBUs. It's deep brown, with big toasty notes of espresso and hazelnut.

In the kitchen, Chef Joseph Arsenault (aka Dennis Marcoux) has whipped up a traditional Oysters Rockefeller, first served at Antoine's in New Orleans around the turn of the century. They'll be stuffed with parsley, celery, green onion, Parmesan cheese and – in place of absinthe – Noble Rot. Wood-grilled, of course.

The beer and food will debut at noon Saturday at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats and be available until they're gone. 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.