Phantom Farms Brewing is a craft brewery that opened in Cumberland, Rhode Island in March 2024. It…read morewas founded by entrepreneur Jason Macari and his son-in-law Jay Neveu. Macari first worked for toy manufacturer Hasbro before launching a custom cabinetry business with another former Hasbro colleague. Today he is involved in multiple businesses. For a new venture, Macari decided to open his own brewery with Neveu, another former Hasbro employee. The partners acquired and completely renovated the circa 1872 Berkeley Mill boiler room building to house the brewery. They named it "Phantom Farms" after the Macari family's local apple orchard and bakery just down the road. Oscar Garrido and Andrea Riera, a husband-and-wife team from Chile, were hired as the head brewers. Since opening, Phantom Farms has become known for its farm-to-pint operation, its close connection to its namesake orchard, a historic taproom, and award-winning lagers.
I recently visited Phantom Farms Brewing while I was in town for the day. I was scheduled to meet up with some other beer bloggers. The first thing I noticed was how beautiful the restored historic building was. There was plenty of space upstairs and downstairs, indoors and outdoors, and the brewery is also family-friendly. After exploring all of the various rooms, I looked over the draught menu. There was an eclectic mix of beer styles as well as hard cider crafted with apples from the Phantom Farms Orchard. Between mingling with the other bloggers and playing some games of Biñho, I enjoyed pours of "Half Dark" (Czech Amber Lager), "Elegant Viking" (New England IPA), "Alternate Continuum" (Barrel-Aged Saison), and "Hypernova" (Barleywine). I was very impressed with everything that I tried, especially the last two. Between an excellent roster of beers, a beautiful historic space, and some excellent company, I had a really enjoyable experience at Phantom Farms and I highly recommend them to any craft beer aficionados who are visiting the area!