Phantom Farms Brewing Returns a Cumberland Mill to its Agricultural Roots

Phantom Farms Brewing General Manager Jay Neveu and brewer Oscar Garrido (Garrido’s wife and fellow brewer, Andrea Riera, not pictured) inside the new Cumberland brewery. (Photos by Lauren Clem)

In 1872, the four-story Berkeley Mill rose on the banks of the Blackstone River, complete with housing for employees and 927 looms for making muslin and fine shirt cloth. The mill was among the first in the country to make use of a Corliss steam engine, powering the factory on steam rather than traditional waterpower.

Today, the Berkeley Mill is bustling with a different kind of buzz. Phantom Farms Brewing, the state’s latest craft brewery, has taken up residence in an outbuilding on the property and officially opens to the public this month. The brewery is owned by mill developer Jason Macari and managed by his son-in-law, Jay Neveu.

Neveu, who previously worked in design and product development for Hasbro, describes the brewery’s buildout as a “reclamation project.” Once the mill’s boiler room, the structure now houses a sleek taproom with red brick walls and wooden accents. A sizeable brewing system is visible from both seating levels, and a wooden board behind the bar lists the day’s offerings.

“I like to describe it as a true celebration of the process and the manufacturing,” says Neveu. “You can’t help but notice the tanks when you’re in here and think about the product being made.”

Heading up that process are Oscar Garrido and Andrea Riera, a husband-and-wife team from Chile. The couple, each of whom served as head brewer at their respective workplaces in Chile, responded to an online job posting and moved to Rhode Island to launch the new brewery’s operations. Among the menu offerings is a chili pepper stout featuring merkén, a traditional Chilean chili pepper seasoning. Also on the list are a saison, a session IPA, a pilsner and a traditional stout.

“We are happy because this place is amazing. We have space to create,” says Riera. “We’re excited for new challenges.”

Also on the menu are two hard ciders that speak to the owner’s other business ventures. In 2022, the Macari family purchased Phantom Farms, the longtime apple orchard and bakery up the street from which the brewery gets its name. Since purchasing the farm, Neveu says, the family has planted 1,300 additional apple trees and a peach orchard and plans to use farm produce in their Phantom Farms beers. To start with, they’re serving two hard ciders made with Phantom Farms apples, one of which — the Cascade Brook hopped cider — also incorporates hops from Huntinghouse Hopyard in Scituate. Neveu says he was inspired by Tilted Barn Brewery, the farm-based brewery in Exeter.

“It’s about coming full circle,” he says. “Prior to the Industrial Revolution, this was all farmland.”

Above the bar area, a second level offers more seating and could be used in the future as a rental space, according to Neveu. The brewery worked with Libby Slader Design of Providence on the buildout and features furniture from Edge and End and wall decor by Moss Pure. The latter, based in Smithfield, creates living wall art from moss that serves as a built-in air filter while also lending a natural aesthetic.

Originally planning a grand opening for the weekend of Saint Patrick’s Day with a soft opening for friends and family beforehand, the brewery team has announced public hours on its social media the past couple weekends in response to demand. Neveu says they anticipate hours on Wednesdays through Sundays following the official opening and will offer patio seating in the summer months. Though the brewery does not currently offer food, it has space for a prep kitchen, and Neveu says they plan to offer a limited menu of pizza, sandwiches and snacks in the future. Nonalcoholic offerings will include cider from Phantom Farms and hop water.

“We’re kind of working through some of our initial test batches and perfecting our recipes right now,” he says.

The brewery, he says, will be family-friendly. Neveu, who lives in Cumberland, has three children, and Garrido and Riera, who live on the Phantom Farms property, have a two-year-old. Excitement has been building among local residents, many of whom have followed the project for years.

“For me, having more of a comfortable and welcoming, homey bar scenario where I look forward to having conversations about the product, and the brewers are here, is a big part of it,” Neveu says.

For information on hours and the official opening, follow @phantomfarmsbrewing on social media or visit phantomfarmsbrewing.com.

The second level of Phantom Farms Brewing includes wall decor by Moss Pure.

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