Long Live Beerworks

Taking Time for Hops and Hazy Beers in Providence’s West End

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union but, as many of us already know, the region has outsized impacts when it comes to things like creativity, innovation and, yes, flavors. When Armando DeDona and Jessica deBry met in New Haven, Connecticut, in time the young couple made plans to go live in a few places to see what might suit them. Armando was born in New Haven and Jessica moved there from Los Angeles, California. Their plan was to live in Providence for a short time and then move on.

“Everyone here was friendly, there was a vibrant food scene and it seemed like a good place for small businesses,” says Armando. “We were originally going to stay for just one year,” Jessica adds. The Ocean State charm, overall vibe and sense of opportunity in Providence led them to stay.

“I was a bricklayer by trade,” says Armando. “I built pizza ovens with my dad, back in New Haven.”

As an avid home brewer, Armando always nurtured the notion of being a brewer by profession, but at the time (in the 2000s), opportunities were limited. “It was either work for free or go to school,” says Armando. “I chose school.”

In 2011, after 10 years of increasingly sophisticated home brewing and research, Armando decided to attend Brewlab, a leading brewery training and laboratory program in Sunderland, England. It was there that he learned the techniques that define his brewing style today.

The first iteration of Long Live Beerworks opened in January 2016 at 425 W. Fountain St. in Providence. It was no small feat to get past numerous regulatory hurdles, navigate financing and, finally, to commence brewing. The couple’s hard work and determination paid off when Long Live opened and almost immediately developed a following among local beer enthusiasts.

“Brewing beer, and in particular the use of hops, is something of a curious art,” says Armando. “Give the same ingredients to two different brewers and each can make a totally different flavor experience from those same components—it’s all about the technique.”

These days, specialized recipes and new approaches to the brewing process push the envelope to redefine what we talk about when we discuss beer. There is an ever-increasing array of brewing styles and variations. The number of genres just keeps growing.

Long Live has plenty of offerings, and they never stop exploring. It is, however, safe to say that they are hop focused. The range of India Pale Ales (IPAs) is broad, ever-changing and contemporary. A self-professed hop enthusiast, Armando is always thinking and concocting new ways to bring out the flavor potential from his arsenal of hop choices.

“I like to go long and slow with my beers,” he says. “We want to give the beer as much time as it needs,” he adds, when referring to the aging process that is so critical to refining the flavor and texture of the beer. Beer that is conditioned at the proper temperature and allowed to develop to fullness over time will have what some describe as a “champagne-like feel” on the tongue.

“We aim to carbonate the beer slower to get tinier bubbles, which gives the beer a creamier mouthfeel,” says Armando.

It is worth noting that not every craft brewer has the luxury of his approach; giving beer the time it needs to reach its optimum flavor profile requires lots of tank and brewing area space. Not all craft brewers are able to manage this, and it is one factor that makes Long Live’s brews exceptional.

While business at the Fountain Street location was good, it became clear that a larger space better attuned to the direction of the business was needed. “When we first saw it in 2017, the place had boarded-up windows, painted bricks and pigeons everywhere,” Jessica says about the location on Sprague Street.

The new 3,500-square-foot space is located in the renovated Mechanical Fabric Company complex, which occupies a city block in the West End neighborhood of Providence. Built between 1891 and 1925, the six-building complex was the heart of the rubber industry in Providence. It was notable for innovations in the development and manufacture of pneumatic bicycle tires. In 2014, the complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It’s now a mixed-use campus, home to Rooms & Works, the Providence Kitchen Collaborative and Long Live.

“We wanted to create an experience that would allow people to feel comfortable and to linger longer,” says Jessica, who is general manager of the taproom, among other duties she carries on for the business. Indeed, the interior is inviting, with exposed brick, detailed metalwork and an upstairs loft area with several tables that feature views of the production area. Everything about the space, from the floors to the lighting and even the washrooms, is purposeful and appealing.

“We are first and foremost a taproom brewery,” states Jessica. While it is possible to buy cans at the facility to take away, widespread distribution has not yet been a focus for the Long Live team.

On any given day, there will be fresh beer on tap served with an upbeat vibe from a knowledgeable bartending team. Add to that an ever-changing rotation of interesting food truck options, and you have a top-notch brewery destination within easy reach for Rhode Islanders, and those beyond the borders.

Long Live beer might one day be more widely available in cans throughout the state, but for now, the taproom is a “best kept secret” that all of us can enjoy.

Long Live Beerworks
40R Sprague St., Providence
LongLiveBeerworks.com