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FULL POUR

The Art of Brewing: A Local Brewer Makes Her Mark on This Cumberland Brewery

Andrea Riera stands in front of her five-piece mural at Phantom Farms Brewing holding some of the business’s recent brews. (Photo by Lauren Clem)

For Andrea Riera, brewing has always been a form of art.

A native of Argentina who previously lived in Chile, Riera makes up half of the husband-and-wife brewer team at Phantom Farms Brewing, alongside her husband, Oscar Garrido. The couple headed up brewing operations at competing breweries in Chile before moving to the United States in 2023 to launch the brewing program at Phantom Farms. The two-year-old brewery is located in Cumberland’s former Berkeley Mill, where light streams through high windows and illuminates multiple stories of distressed red brick.

Downstairs, in a seating area off the main taproom, that light falls upon a series of five murals. Riera completed the murals last August and unveiled them to the public alongside a mural-inspired beer, a fruited sour made with mango and pineapple that reflects the swirls of orange and yellow flowing through the paintings.

“For me, it was a challenge, because I’ve never made [art] that size before,” she says.

Long before she discovered brewing, Riera was raised in a family of artists. Her mother is a sculptor, and two of her sisters — both of whom have designed labels for the brewery — are visual artists. As a child, she accompanied her mother to art classes and workshops, and later studied filmmaking in Buenos Aires.

At the same time as she was launching her career in art, her family was discovering brewing. Her brother-in-law, sister-in-law and brother are all involved in the industry, with the latter two launching Cerveza Mauco brewery in Chile in 2015. Riera initially joined the venture as a graphic artist and brand manager. Later, she began to dabble in the production side and eventually rose to the position of master brewer.

“I love flowing between chemistry and art; it’s all so natural for me, but it’s due to many years and the influence of many people passionate about what they do,” she says.

“When I met Oscar, I was captivated by his creativity in combining and imagining flavors and aromas,” she adds.

In a romance befitting two head brewers, the two met at a beer festival, where Riera was pouring and Garrido was attending as a guest. Riera credits Garrido with conceiving of many of the brewery’s more elaborate styles, though the pair works side-by-side to bring their creations to life. Inspired by the namesake farm where they live (the Macari family owns both the brewery and Phantom Farms apple orchard and bakery up the street, where the couple lives on the property with their four-year-old son), the brewers take a farm-to-pint approach, sourcing ingredients from both the surrounding land and Chile. The brewery’s three ciders are made from apples harvested at the farm, while the Aconcagua Mountain stout features merkén, a smoked chili pepper originating from Chilean Patagonia.

“When we have some freedom, we try to make something special. For example, we make a saison with dandelion that we harvest from the farm,” Riera says.

Last year, she had an opportunity to express her creativity in a different way. Working out of a studio space in the mill building, Riera created the five-piece mural that now hangs in the beer garden. Inspired by the ocean floor, she incorporated forms reminiscent of sea creatures while also leaving room for interpretation. In addition to paint, the unnamed work includes gold foil that interacts with the changing daylight from the high windows.

“Cinematography is a constant analysis of light and form, and it’s something I’m passionate about,” Riera says. “I love seeing how the refractions of light at different times of day completely change the canvases. That was the reason I used gold leaf in some parts to integrate the light from outside into the painting itself.”

Now, visitors to the brewery can not only enjoy the couple’s beer and cider creations, but sip beneath the visual expression of Riera’s art in the beer garden. Like her sisters, she has also created several labels for the brewery, including one for the recently canned Cascade Brook cider that uses relief printing from the wood of an apple tree.

While nothing is planned at the moment, Riera says she’d be open to creating additional artwork. The two-story brewery offers plenty of room for décor, including a blank stretch of wall that remains unadorned on the second floor.

“I love challenges, and I’m looking forward to taking on the next one. Hopefully, it’ll be a giant canvas,” she says.

Pizza is on the menu at the newly reopened Trinity Brewhouse. (Photo by Jamie Coelho)

SMALL SIPS

• After less than two years in business, Crafted Hope Brewing Company has announced it’s closing its doors. In a social media post, co-owner Kyle Toste cited financial strain and stress and a changing industry in the decision and said an official closing date will be announced soon. Crafted Hope opened its doors in 2024 in the former Linesider space and is the only brewery in East Greenwich. It’s the latest closing in a tough year for local breweries.

• In happier news, Trinity Brewhouse has reopened under new owners after six months of renovations. The downtown staple changed hands in August after longtime owner Josh Miller decided to retire from the brewery business. New owners Angel and Jason Winpenny debuted the brewpub this week with a fresh menu and spruced-up interior. Check out this sneak peek from Rhode Island Monthly Editor-in-Chief Jamie Coelho.

• Rhode Island Brewers Guild members are teaming up to launch “401 Beer,” the first statewide collab beer with proceeds benefitting the RIBG. The hoppy lager will be brewed at Buttonwoods Brewery and available at participating brewpubs, restaurants and liquor stores starting April 1.

• Congratulations to Moniker Brewery who was named second runner-up for best brewery in the country by The Beer Connoisseur for 2025. They also had six beers named to the magazine’s Top 100 beers for the year. Pivotal Brewing Company also had a Top 100 beer, with the Pivo-tal Czech-style pilsner coming in at number thirty-nine.

EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS

• Catch USA Men’s Hockey at the Narragansett taproom February 12, 14 and 15 at 3:10 p.m. The RI Reds Heritage Society will be on hand for the Feb. 12 game to showcase some vintage RI Reds hockey merchandise and memorabilia.

• PVD Horror presents Friday the 13^th at Buttonwoods Brewery on Friday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. Catch the classic flick while enjoying Buttonwoods brews and food from Screaming Unicorn. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 each.

• Single this Valentine’s Day? Newport Singles is hosting speed dating at Newport Craft on Saturday, Feb. 14, from 4 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $29.58 and divided by age category — forty plus here, and younger than forty here.

• Head to Pivotal Brewing Company for a Mardi Gras party this Saturday, Feb. 14, from noon to 10 p.m. Enjoy Cajun and Creole food and live brass from Kickin Brass Band from 4 to 7 p.m. Then come back on Sunday for the fifth annual Pawdi Gras, featuring the parade of pups (dogs in costume encouraged) and adoptable friends from Rhode Home Rescue.

• O’Brien & Brough will be serving up a special menu of Valentine’s Day cocktails on Saturday, Feb. 14, starting at 2 p.m. Stop into the Bristol tasting room for a Caramel Apple with bourbon, a Clueless with Earl Grey rye, or a Star-Crossed Lovers with hazelnut orgeat.

• Here’s a Valentine’s Day special you can say cheers to: Working Man Distillers is offering buy-one-get-one with your first drink on Saturday, Feb. 14, from 6 to 9 p.m. If music’s more your thing, come back a week later for the Brian James Quintet on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 6 to 9 p.m.

• It’s that time of year — Girl Scout cookie flight pairings are available at Lops Brewing on Sunday, Feb. 15, from noon to 6 p.m. Woonsocket Troop 520 and Troop 416 will be on hand all day selling everyone’s favorite cookies.

• Reservations are still available for the Tilted Barn Beer Dinner at the Mooring Restaurant in Newport on Tuesday, Feb. 17, featuring beers from Tilted Barn Brewery. Tickets cost $105 per person and include a multi-course meal with beer pairings and a keepsake glass. The event starts at 6 p.m.

• Plunge for a Purpose will be at Tower Hill Brewing on Friday, Feb. 20, raising funds for Special Olympics RI and the dedicated Super Plungers. The comedy event starts at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) and features a cash bar, raffles, auctions and an eighteen-plus comedy show. Tickets are $30 and available online.

• Trágmar Ale Works will host a beer dinner with Seb’s Wood Fire Oven on Sunday, Feb. 22. Tickets are $85 and include five courses of Irish favorites with beer pairings, including soda bread, seafood stew, bangers and cabbage, shepherd’s “pie” pizza and tiramisu made with stout. There are two sessions at noon and 4 p.m.

• Grey Sail Brewing will host a Cabin Fever Festival on Saturday, Feb. 28, from noon to 6 p.m. in the taproom. Check out drink specials, enjoy the soup sampling bar and try your hand at ax throwing with Kingdom Axe Throwing from 1 to 4 p.m.

• The Guild and An Unlikely Story will host a grown-up book fair at the Pawtucket beer hall on Sunday, March 8, from noon to 4 p.m. The event is in preparation for the Guild Garden opening outside the Plainville, Mass., bookstore this spring.

• It’s not too early to make St. Patrick’s Day plans. Phantom Farms Brewing will host an outdoor celebration on Sunday, March 15, from noon to 6 p.m. featuring music by U2 tribute band Joshua Tree. Early bird tickets are $28.52. Table reservations are available for a fee, or BYO lawn chair.

• Tickets are now on sale for the 2026 Ragged Island Music Festival at Ragged Island Brewing Co. June 13 through 14 from noon to 8:30 p.m. Check out artists including Shwayze, IRIEspect, the Slackers, Over the Bridge, Nena Belen, ACB, Black Uhuru and Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root. Tickets are $71.24 each and available online.

LABEL OF THE MONTH

(Photo courtesy of O’Brien & Brough)

Flight Risk Vodka by O’Brien & Brough

Label art by Ry Smith

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