Proclamation Ale Company…A Brewery of Great Importance!

Have you ever heard someone bemoan the fact that things aren’t like they used to be? We have, too. One part of life, though, where we can very happy that things aren’t like the old days is the current state of beer. It would be maybe understating things a bit to state that we are, in this moment, living in a golden era of beer consumption in the United States. Wherever one may travel, microbreweries are alchemically creating new varieties of liquid gold, and sharing them in fun, down-home spaces where smiles and laughter are the primary expressions. Rhode Island is no exception to this trend, and one of the clearest indicators of that is the success and prominence of the Proclamation Ale Company, which is located at 141 Fairgrounds Road, West Kingston, 02892. (Gate 5 in the lumber yard, directly across from Schneider Electric). Write those directions down, as it takes a bit of squirreling to get yourself into the tasting room/bar that Proclamation has beautifully appointed, adjacent to their beer laboratory. The effort to get into their space, which will likely include standing in line with other enthusiasts for a spell, will be handsomely rewarded. Fine woodwork, enchanting smells, and warm light let you know that you are in a room with a very dedicated purpose: to create, as their motto expresses, “Big beer from a small state.” Brewer Dave Witham got into brewing 6 years ago, via a brewing kit he received as a wedding gift. A longtime musician and teacher, Dave felt the thrill of new creative possibilities in brewing, and his customers, since January of 2014, have been the beneficiaries. Proclamation Ale is poetic in their naming and tasting note verbiage; one of their upcoming beers is a blonde sour, oak barreled, with tastes of raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, and cherry. It’s called “the Infinite Ascension of the Alpaca Magi.” If past results are any indicator, tasting the beer will allow the title to make perfect sense. Beer Advocate magazine, the meeting place of true connoisseurs, has given Proclamation’s many offerings an average rating of 4.15/5, making them one of the highest rated in all the land. Their Derivative series, Citra, Galaxy, and Mosaic, are much beloved, and traded between beer lovers like rare Magic or Pokemon cards. Proclamation can be found on Twitter, and we learned there of their upcoming mashup with another killer Rhody brewery, and close neighbor, Exeter’s Tilted Barn. The results should be amazing, but will likely take some dedication to procure. They recently finished the 14 month process of brewing a beer called Plasmatic. It was released on April 8, and all supply was gone later that day! Proclamation’s current hours are Thursday, 3:30-7, Friday, 5-9, Saturday, Noon to 7, and Sunday, Noon to 5. Current offerings include Derivative: Citra, ABV 6%, which is described as “juicy, dank, and super crushable”, the Stalk, ABV 8.6%, “juicetacular”, melony and tropical, kind of like a psychedelic Sunny D, Process/Progress#3, ABV 6.5%, made with highly guarded top secret hops and yeast, Burgess, a mild ABV 5%, and named after a beery British charmer. It’s wise to check Proclamation’s website homepage, http://www.proclamationaleco.com, before visiting, to get the latest on hours and offerings. Proclamation has been vocal in advocating for fair business rules for small breweries in our state, and they have helped spearhead a petition https://www.change.org/p/rhode-island-state-house-rhode-island-state-senate-rhode-island-governor-support-the-passage-of-better-beer-laws-in-rhode-island …  As of this writing, they had received 1293 of 1500 needed signatures. If you love the fact that places like Proclamation exist here for our pleasure, maybe you’ll sign the petition to help ensure that the good times can continue, and that Rhode Island can claim one the nation’s finest breweries for its own.  Photos from Thomas Alan Productions.