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FULL POUR

Catch a Traditional Irish Music Session at This Bristol Brewery

With the arrival of crisp fall temperatures, we’ve officially entered autumn beer-drinking season in Rhode Island. As Märzen lagers and brown ales replace the summer shandies on local taproom menus, Rhode Islanders will flock to Oktoberfest celebrations across the state and raise a stein in honor of the changing leaves and longer nights.

But there’s another European cultural tradition associated with sipping pints, one that comes with fewer lederhosen and more calls of “Sláinte!” An Irish traditional music session — sometimes referred to as a “trad session” or just a “session” for short — is a longstanding practice where musicians gather at the local pub to play traditional Irish folk songs. It’s a common occurrence in Warren resident Chris Kerr’s home country of Ireland. It’s also now a monthly event at Trágmar Ale Works, the Bristol brewery he co-owns with Michael Godot and Jason Buck.

“The fact that it’s open means anyone can show up. We have a local gentleman called Dean Robinson who effectively runs the session for us,” Kerr says. “We have a good group of people that come in and play regularly. Sometimes ten to twelve people, sometimes up to fifteen people that come in.”

Unlike other performances, musicians typically aren’t paid for their efforts. Instead, it’s an opportunity for Irish music fans to jam to commonly known songs over a pint. Musicians typically sit in a circle and are more focused on each other than performing for an audience, though the session still makes for good listening for other brewery patrons. Selections run the gamut of Irish folk tunes, from jigs and reels to slower ballads.

“We had one gentleman come in the last session and get up and sing “The Auld Triangle,” which is an old Dublin song,” Kerr says. “It was almost bone chilling to hear him get up and sing with no instrumental background.”

Anyone is welcome to participate, he adds, though it’s good to have a working knowledge of Irish session music, which you can find on websites like thesession.org. Typical instruments played include the fiddle, guitar, uilleann pipes, flute, mandolin and the bodhrán, a type of drum. Other sessions in Rhode Island take place in Providence and Newport at Patrick’s Pub and the Fastnet Pub. Robins, who runs the session, also performs as part of local groups Fáilte and Trip to Sligo, who will be performing at the brewery in October.

The sessions are part of the brewery’s effort to recreate an Irish pub atmosphere on the East Bay. When Trágmar opened six months ago on St. Patrick’s Day weekend (in the space formerly occupied by Six Pack Brewing), Kerr promised the familiar cozy hospitality patrons have come to expect of Irish bars. In addition to sessions and regular Irish music performances, the brewery has several Irish-inspired beers on draft, including the Morrigan Irish stout, the Goibniu Irish red ale and the Brigid smokey braggot. That last one, Kerr says, is a traditional style that’s a cross between a beer and a mead.

“We do beers across the board, but I think the fact that we have an Irish-themed brewery, people to tend to focus toward that a little bit,” he says.

The sessions take place every second Friday of the month, with other live music and events filling out the brewery’s schedule. This Saturday, Sept. 13, Trágmar will host a “Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day” party to celebrate its six-month anniversary. The event will include smoked corned beef sandwiches from Waypoint BBQ as well as music by Peter Rosa Janeiro and Keohane & Keneally.

Despite a year of heavy turnover in the local brewery industry, Kerr says he’s not worried. Bristol, he says, has become a brewery destination, and most of the former Six Pack customers are now loyal Trágmar patrons. The brewery, he says, has always been about creating a community gathering space beyond beer drinkers.

“We’re trying to build some other events, trying to get that Irish diaspora [and] Irish Americans into our facility to enjoy it,” he says. “That’s what we’ve always focused on, is more than just the brewery aspect, having that other niche to plug into.”

 

SMALL SIPS

• Discipline Brewing Co., a new brewery previously expected to open in Exeter, is taking over the Smug Brewing space on Carver Street in Pawtucket. The owners are working on renovating the space and anticipate opening some time next year. Discipline is the third brewery to occupy the space after Bucket Brewery and Smug, which closed in August.

• Have you been to see the new Thomas Dambo trolls yet? Turns out one of them, Iver Mudslider at Ryan Park in North Kingstown, has close ties to the Rhode Island brewery community: He was constructed in part from used oak barrels courtesy of Tilted Barn Brewery. Check out the troll before or after grabbing a pint at Tilted Barn.

• ICYMI, Arcane Mead & Winery is now open in Olneyville.

 

EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS

• Support the local design community this Friday, Sept. 12, at the Design Week RI kickoff party at Moniker Brewery from 5 to 8 p.m. The free event features a mini PechaKucha, raffle prizes and the reveal of the Moniker x Design Week RI 2025 collab beer.

• Get the chance to win a Raspberry Reef-branded surfboard made by Space Rock Glassing and Rozbern Surfboards during Surf Night at the Grey Sail taproom on Friday, Sept. 12, from 3 to 8 p.m. Check out live music by Sea of Giants, a surf swap, local vendors and more.

• If you’re headed to the Big E between Sept. 12 and 28, don’t forget to stop by the Rhode Island Brewers Guild taphouse inside the Rhode Island state building. Featured pours this year include Narragansett’s Gourd Reaper, Foolproof’s Watermelon Sour and Grey Sail’s Captain’s Daughter. Plus you can get a 20 oz. pour for $12 (not bad for the Big E).

• Mac and cheese fans rejoice — the mac and cheese festival, a favorite event of now-closed Linesider, has returned in new form at Crafted Hope Brewing Company on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person and include a variety of mac and cheeses created by local chefs paired with Crafted Hope brews. Sip, slurp and taste your way to cheesy heaven.

• Headed to PorchFest in Bristol this weekend? Hit up the after party at Pivotal Brewing Company on Sunday, Sept. 14, from 5 to 9 p.m. Grab food from No Joke Smoke, Rhode Rage, and Bun Buds from 4 to 9 p.m.

• The Black Sheep Babes will host Drag Bingo to benefit the Providence Children’s Museum at Proclamation Ale Company on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. $20 buy-in with prizes awarded every round and food from Belly Busters.

• With fall around the corner, get cozy with your own handmade candle at Long Live Beerworks. This workshop takes place on Thursday, Sept. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets start at $44.

• The Guild in Pawtucket will host Oktoberfest on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20–21. On Saturday, enjoy Oktoberfest beer and a German food menu all day and catch the Future Dads from 6 to 9 p.m. On Sunday, join in for the pretzel eating contest, the potato sack race and the stein hoist and enjoy music from TubaFrau. See the full schedule of events here.

• Sample oysters and spirits on Thursday, Sept. 25, with an oyster bar popup by the Shuckologist at Working Man Distillers from 6 to 9 p.m. Enjoy oysters shucked to perfection and served with mignonette, cocktail sauce and lemons.

• Narragansett Beer in collaboration with Field of Artisans will host Neighbor Day on Saturday, Sept. 27, from noon to 5 p.m. Stop by the India Point Park soccer field for artisans, live music, food trucks, a beer garden and activations and info from Brown University Athletics, the Community Boating Center, the Steel Yard, Providence Animal Rescue League, Good Night Lights, Gansett Run Club, iHeartMedia/PVD and more.

• The German American Cultural Society of Rhode Island will host its annual Oktoberfest on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 27–28, at 78 Carter Ave., Pawtucket. Tickets are $10 per person and include access to German food, live music and fest beer.

• The Rogue Island Comedy Festival Fall Fest comes to Aquidneck Island Oct. 9–12, including two shows at Ragged Island Brewing on Friday, Oct. 10. See the full schedule and purchase tickets online.

• Tilted Barn Brewery will host Oktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 1 to 5 p.m. Enjoy ax throwing, stein holding and other festive games, along with live music and food trucks from South County BBQ, the Perky Turkey and Burgundian, plus autumn beer releases.

• Save the date: The Rhode Island Brewers Conference will return for its second year on Monday, Oct. 20. This year’s event will take place at Farm Fresh RI and include a full lineup of speakers and panels, including keynote Sean Lawson of Lawson’s Finest Liquids. Registration is open online.

 

LABEL OF THE MONTH

Moonstone made by Tilted Barn Brewery

Label Art by Kara Richardson

From @tiltedbarnbrewery: “This one’s near and dear to our hearts, a tribute to one of our favorite RI beaches. Brewed with Maui Nelson Hop Kief from our friends at Freestyle Hops in New Zealand, this concentrated lupulin is infused with pineapple and brings massive waves of tropical flavor. Expect bursts of pineapple and passionfruit, all wrapped up in a soft, juicy profile that pairs perfectly with a barefoot stroll along Moonstone Beach.” tiltedbarnbrewery.com

 

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