Yankee Brew News Archive

Trinity Brewhouse Opens as Providence's Second Brewpub

Originally Published: 03/95

By: Kerry J. Byrne

Give credit to Kurt Musselman, head brewer at Trinity Brewhouse, the latest entry into the Providence brewpub scene.

One of Musselman's goals is to help uninitiated micro-beer drinkers work their way into the genre by brewing classic lighter styles of beer rather than the obligatory 'light' beer.

"I'd really rather not make a blonde ale, which I think is a new phenomenon, I'd prefer to go with classic styles of beer. I want to provide traditional beer styles to people, including lighter styles."

Upon my visit there he had succeeded in doing that with an extremely well-crafted Kolsch that is mild, yet complex enough to please more developed palates. "We already have a winner," said my partner, YBN General Manager and malt acolyte Ken Spolsino, after letting just one sip roll past his taste buds. I soon agreed after drinking the nicely-balanced brew.

The Kolsch was just the first of several pleasing beers we sampled at the pub, located behind the Trinity Repertory Theater and across from the Providence Civic Center. The early Friday-evening crowd had just left to attend a basketball game when we arrived, giving us ample table room and a chance to soak up the darkened, etched-glass character of the brewpub.

The dry-hopped India Pale Ale hits you first with a pleasing sweetness that spreads throughout the mouth, indicating ample body. Strong hop bitterness is found in the finish, as you would expect from the style. Like the Kolsch, it is a strong selection.

The Brown Ale had a hop aroma so fresh it was if they had come right off the vine. The roasted maltiness was also noteworthy.

Add to the list a Pilsner and a Stout and we had a superb beer-drinking experience. Perhaps the selection's most distinctive quality was that each brew was distinctive. Some brewpubs seem to have a 'crossover' taste in all their beers. This was not the case at Trinity.

Don't expect to find the same beers on the list when you visit Trinity, for Musselman has a pretty impressive turnover of styles. Some of his latest offerings were a Black Lager, an Ordinary Bitter, a Pale Ale and a Vienna Marzen.

The food we tasted was also superb. The waiter told me to be careful when I ordered the barbecue brisket sandwich. "It's quite messy," he said. Maybe so, I found out, but with a little care and a well-placed napkin I was able to walk out without any of the heaping sandwich becoming part of my outfit.

With a quality new brewpub located just blocks from the established and wildly successful Union Station Brewery, one has to wonder if we are looking at a pub war in Providence. Union Station seems to have the advantage of location - right off the highway and with a large parking lot outside the front door. But harder-to-find Trinity, across from the Providence Police Station on Fountain Street., is certainly worth seeking out in order to sample Musselman's brews.

Both parties feel that the head-to-head competition could benefit each pub. "I actually think there's more of a symbiotic relationship than a competitiveness," said Musselman. "When it comes down to money, yeah, we compete, but in terms of tapping into the market we really help each other."

Union Station owner Frank Hennessy agreed. "Since Trinity has opened it has not affected our sales whatsoever. In fact, our food sales have been up slightly. They've been running all kinds of radio ads and stuff like that - I think what they're doing," he observed, "is raising the awareness of brewpubs in general. If we have a two hour wait here, I'd prefer that the people go over to Trinity rather than somewhere else. It can only help the industry," he concluded.