Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Company (often referred to as Newport Craft) is a brewery and distillery located in Newport, Rhode Island. Established in 1999 as the Coastal Extreme Brewing Company, it was the first microbrewery in Newport and began distilling operations in 2006. The company produces a range of beers and spirits that are distributed in the Northeastern United States. In 2018, it adopted its current name to reflect its combined brewing and distilling operations. Newport Craft is owned by Audrain Hospitality Group (also known as Heritage Restaurant Group), which owns and operates a portfolio of hospitality venues throughout Rhode Island. A major expansion project completed in 2024 increased production capacity and added new visitor facilities, including a taproom, outdoor spaces, and event areas.

History

Coastal Extreme Brewing Company was established by four graduates of Colby College: Brent Ryan, Derek Luke, Mark Sinclair, and Will Rafferty. Rhode Island was chosen as the location because, at the time of opening, there were no other microbreweries in the state.

In 2006, Coastal Extreme Brewing Company expanded to create Newport Distilling Company, the first licensed in Rhode Island in over a century. In 2007, they began producing Thomas Tew Rum, named after Rhode Island's first pirate. Brent Ryan, President and CEO of Coastal Extreme, said that the production of rum is part of an effort to "resurrect the rum history of Newport."

In 2011, the brewery was featured in an episode of the show Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe in which the brewery showed in detail how they produce and package their Thomas Tew rum.

In 2018, Coastal Extreme Brewing rebranded under the Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Company name. At the same time, Brendan O'Donnell joined the company's management team as Chief Executive Officer.

List of Cyclone Series beers

The Cyclone Series of beers are beers of varying types released by Coastal Extreme Brewing Company approximately every four months. Below is a list of all the Series to date. The names are in the style of the National Weather Service's naming of Tropical Storms where each letter of the alphabet is used as the first letter in each name and male and female names are alternated. Q and X are included in this series unlike the naming of the Tropical Storms. The one exception to the male and female alternation is the letter 'M' because Mark (named for a founder, Mark Sinclair) would have fallen on a female name. All names are someone either involved with the brewery or someone close to the brewers. The notable exceptions are Alyssa, Elle, Gloria, Isabel, Neo, Ophelia and Quinn.

Name Type of Beer IBU ABV SRM Namesake Alyssa Brown Ale 33 8.1 83 Brent Ryan's beloved Porsche Brent Bock Lager 26 8.5 26 Founder and President, Brent Ryan Chloe Imperial Pale Ale 75 8.6 13 Niece of a brewer Derek Stout 61 8.7 235 Founder and Head Brewer, Derek Luke Elle Belgian Ale 16 8.1 20 "Sexy French Name" Frank Belgian White (Witbier) 7 6.8 13 Brewer at Coastal Extreme Brewing Gloria Pumpkin Ale 16 7.3 11.5 Hurricane Gloria of 1985 Henry Dark Ale 20 7.6 39 Great Grandfather of a brewer at Coastal Extreme Brewing Isabel India Amber Ale 53 9 19 Hurricane Isabel of 2003 James Strong Scotch Ale 20 8 22 Brewer at Coastal Extreme Brewing Kim Marzen Lager 19 7.8 20 Twin sister of founder, Brent Ryan Luke Indian Red Ale 65 8.6 28 Founder and Head Brewer, Derek Luke Mark Coffee Milk Stout 33 7 33 Founder, Mark Sinclair Neo Cascade Pale Ale 35 7 13 Neo from the Matrix Ophelia Peach Ale 20 5.9 25 Hurricane Ophelia of 2011 Peter Spiced Ale 30 7.5 33 Distiller/Assistant Brewer at Coastal Extreme Brewing Quinn Barrel-Aged Porter 38 7 Unk Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Series Ryan Rye Pale Ale 48 8 21 Founder and President, Brent Ryan Sabrina Belgian Pale Ale 38 7.1 13 Daughter of founder Brent Ryan Tim Dunkelweiss 14 6.3 35 Friend of the Brewery Ursula North American Pale Lager 19 6.1 9 Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid Vlad Russian Imperial Stout 77 9 225 Employee chosen name Will West Coast IPA 89.5 8 21 Founder - Will Rafferty Xavier Sour Ale with Black Cherries (Berliner Weisse) 5 7 6 Employee chosen name Yoko Dark Ale with Toasted Coconut 45 7 105 Employee chosen name Zach Oatmeal Stout 47 10.1 251 Massachusetts sales representative

Awards 2007 Annual Great International Beer Competition 3rd Place - Strong Beer: Other (Imperial Irish Stout)

2005 Annual Great International Beer Competition 1st Place - Amber & Dark Lager (Cyclone Series Brent) 3rd Place - Brown Ale (Cyclone Series Alyssa) 3rd Place - Porter (Bizzard Porter)

Advertising Taglines: "Newport Storm beers. Brewed in small batches—so every drop counts."

See also Beer in the United States Barrel-aged beer

References

External links Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Company Official Website Thomas Tew Rum Official Website Craft brewers adopt a can-do attitude - Boston Globe article about craft brewer's use of cans