ABOUT US
Shaidzon Beer Company is a small brewery in the village of West Kingston, Rhode Island nestled within beautiful coastal South County that opened in 2017 with owners, Josh Letourneau and Chip Samson. Josh and Chip are friends reaching back to their childhoods who both developed serious passions for great tasting beer. Shaidzon prides itself on global influence in our beers plus the impact of the growing American craft beer market to produce finely brewed local craft beers. Shaidzon strives to maintain variety and bring you the best beer you can find. Shaidzon beers can now be found in restaurants and liquor stores throughout the state of Rhode Island.
From our humble beginnings with a few tanks and one small tasting room, we have grown more than double in production output. Our public invited space now includes the tasting room and brewhouse indoors, and our expansive Shaidzon Beer Garden (SBG) outdoors.
Shaidzon is more than a microbrewery and craft beer store; it is a family friendly and pet friendly space, and entertainment destination. Shaidzon regularly hosts food vendors on weekends and live music including numerous music festivals and special events (see below for music festivals and events), which are free entry (no cover). We are a popular spot before and after URI athletic events, especially football and basketball in the Winter. You can watch live sports at the brewery and we welcome you to ask our team members if there is something in particular you wish to watch.
We are open Wednesday through Sunday for beer enthusiasts, newcomers, live music fans, food fans, dart players, cornhole players, pet companions, and whomever else to enjoy our space and our offerings. We are family friendly and welcome all ages, but, of course, must be 21+ to drink beer. We have draft beer to enjoy onsite, plus bottles and cans to go. We are not a brewpub, but host food vendors on nearly all the days of all weekends (be sure to check our events tab and social media to confirm). We host private events for up to 100 people outside (seasonally dependent) and up to 50 people inside. When inside, these events include our warehouse space, but allow your party guests to be in our beer garden, brewhouse, tasting room / taproom. Visit our Parties tab to inquire.
Our beers cover a wide range of styles and influences. Our first ever beer brewed was our Buffalo Czech Pilsner and it remains a staple brand today. It is one of our top beers onsite and in the market along with our Sea & Sand Pale Ale. We pride ourselves on brewing beer with English, Belgian, German, Czech, Italian, Irish, and numerous international influences. We brew light beers, hoppy beers, hazy beers, dark beers, malty beers, and more. We brew lagers and ales. We have never defined ourselves as an alehouse or a lager house. We brew several styles (see below for those we brewed to date).
We have seasonal beers that we keep special to their time of year such as our Wicklow - Dry Irish Nitro Stout and our Oktoberfest, available in March, and September and October respectively. We have a sour program that uses wild yeasts to make wonderfully tasty, flavor layered, complex, mouth-puckering tart sour beers. We have limited releases, often during our anniversary in November, but can be found year round.
Cheers to you and we hope to see you soon with your Shaidzon!
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*Music Festivals and Events: Lil’ Folk Fest, Lil’ Jazz Fest, Haze for Daze Fest, in the Summertime; Shakedown Street events in May and October featuring numerous local artisan vendors and a live Grateful Dead tribute show. Some of our other popular events include our annual 4/20 party, Pilsner Fest, Summer Solstice Party, 90s Party, The First Day of Oktoberfest, the month-long Lagerfest, Shaidzon Beer Garden Anniversary, Shaidzon Anniversary, Last Ditch Effort Holiday Bash and many more
*Beer styles we have brewed include Pilsner, Dry-Hopped Pilsner, Pale Ale, IPA, Double IPA, Triple IPA, Session IPA, Wet-Hopped Pale Ale, Rye Ale, Stout, Nitro Stout, Imperial Stout, Coffee Stout, Porter, Smoked Porter, Brown Ale, Barleywine, Extra Special Bitter (ESB), Mild Ale, Märzen, Kölsch, Altbier, Schwarzbier, Hefeweizen, Dunkel, Helles, Bock, Maibock, Rauchbier, Kellerbier, Berliner Weisse, Gose, Weizen Doppelbock, Vienna Lager, Grodziskie, Saison, Tripel, Quad, Holiday-Spiced Quad, Farmhouse Ale, Witbier, Belgian Blonde Ale, Belgian Pale Ale, Blonde Ale, Golden Ale, Sours, Fruited Sours, Light Ale, Cream Ale, Bière de Garde, Table Beer, India Pale Lager, Light Lager, Light Ale, California Common, American Wheat Ale, Pumpkin Lager, Red IPA, Rice Lager, Hard Seltzer
THE TEAM
Josh Letourneau
Co-Owner/Head of Production
Josh grew up in Rehoboth, MA where he wandered the woods looking for adventures. For his 21st birthday, his wife, Lindsay, got him his first home brewing kit; this began his lifelong passion of brewing. He graduated from the American Brewers Guild in 2009 and immediately began brewing at Mayflower Brewing Co. in Plymouth, MA. Josh left Mayflower in 2011 to take the Head Brewer position at the then newly launching Grey Sail Brewing in Westerly, where he spent 6 years honing his craft. With Shaidzon, Josh is inspired to use his creativity to brew traditional and interesting beers alike, all inspired by brews he has enjoyed from across the globe.
Chip Samson
Co-Owner/Head of Sales & Marketing
Chip grew up in West Kingston on Fairgrounds Rd. just down the street from the Shaidzon Beer Co. site. In 2004, he moved out west to Colorado where he lived in Boulder and then Denver before returning to Rhode Island in 2016. Chip furthered his passion for well crafted beers in Boulder spending many Friday afternoons in the old Avery Brewing Co. tasting room and doing multiple brewery trips to Fort Collins and regular brewery visits throughout Colorado. After moving to Denver, Chip knew he wanted to be involved in the beer world after thriving in a haven city for craft breweries. Chip and his wife, Molly, moved to Rhode Island and worked together with Josh and his wife, Lindsay, to bring Shaidzon Beer Company to life.
Aidan Keilty
Front of House Director
Aidan joined the Shaidzon team in the late Spring of 2022. Aidan grew up in Connecticut and attended the University of Vermont where he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After starting out in the tasting room, Aidan’s dedication and talents quickly helped him rise to his current director position. Aidan’s knowledge and skillset come in handy in the handling of the tasting room and beer garden and he is known to pour a great beer with a smile. Aidan can often be found enjoying his favorite TV show to play in the tasting room, Ice Road Truckers.
Skylar Demson
Head Brewer
Meet Skylar, our passionate and seasoned Brewer, whose journey from the towering mountains of Utah to the vibrant East Coast has brought a wealth of experience and an insatiable love for crafting exceptional beers. Hailing from the picturesque landscapes of Utah, Skylar discovered his love for brewing amidst the camaraderie of friends during his early twenties. A dedicated hiker and camper, Skylar's connection to nature reflects in every aspect of his life. After spending 30 years in the desert, Skylar is excited to explore the East with his Wife and their dog.Skylar's formal brewing education took root at the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, setting the stage for a career that spans both the West and East Coasts. His unwavering dedication to the craft led him to prominent roles at Uinta Brewing Co., Strap Tank Brewery, and Squatters and Wasatch, where he honed his skills and developed a profound understanding of the brewing process. Cheers to the craft, the passion, and the journey that brought Skylar and Shaidzon together.
“Beer makes you feel the way you ought to without beer.”