UPDATE – JULY 2016
Since the positive review was published below we went back to Brutopia for lunch in June, 2016. This experience could not have been worse. There were not many people there, but the kitchen, for some reason, was horribly backed up. We had a drink at the bar and a couple of appetizers, and then sat. And sat. People were leaving without their food. Not once did someone offer us a refill on a drink while we waited. Then they started turning people away and actually locked the door! This was in the middle of the afternoon on Father’s day! At best the restaurant was 1/3 full at this point.
We eventually left as well just as our food was coming out. I have no idea who was cooking back there, and did not want to find out. On our way out the manager came up and offered me his hand and asked how everything was. I mean, are you kidding me? I laid into him a bit, just because. This was bad beyond description.
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The Brutopia brew pub opened a while ago in Cranston, RI, and we’ve been meaning to go there for just about as long. At the Trinity Rep – Red, White and Brew event earlier this year we ran into the brewmaster and chatted, but things just seem to get in the way and time flies. This weekend Alex and I made the trip to see what was going on.
Brutopia is in a large building which has been opened up and has a comfortable, airy and 
industrial feel to it. The bar is huge, which you would expect at a brew pub. Food is given equal treatment to beer here, and they have an on-site smokehouse where they prep the meat for their barbecue selections. They dry rub their ribs and brisket. Many dining tables surround the bar, and more reside in a room to the side, where a single pool table also waits. We were there in the middle of the afternoon and took a seat at the bar. Initially we had a very good feeling about the place.
You can get a four beer sampler here, and that is what we opted for. Needing some food as well we ordered a brisket platter to share. The brisket was very well done, smoky and tender. There is a basket of sauces ready for you to add as well, and the Carolina sauce was outstanding. Be warned a couple of these are very hot. I tried the Fire Starter, which has Scotch Bonnet peppers in it, and that was indeed incendiary. Just a little stayed with me a long time, and it would clearly build in intensity if you kept eating it. Definitely for the more adventurous I think.
Accompanying the brisket were beans and cornbread, although you can pick from several sides. Based on our experience we expect them all to be good.
You certainly don’t have to eat barbecue, as there are plenty of menu choices for everyone, and a selection of burgers which are raved about. Next time I think it’s burger time.
Then there was beer, which was really why we were here in the first place. There are two entities that occupy
this space on Atwood Avenue in Cranston. Brutopia is the brew pub. Revival Brewing is the beer company. Revival brews all the on tap beers for Brutopia on site, while they brew their bottled beer at the Cottrell Brewing Company in Pawcatuck, CT. Same beer for the most part, just different delivery methods and locations. We tried five different beers on this particular day, four of which were Revival brews. Alex and I overlapped with one exception: he had the ‘Natural” Blonde and I sampled the Revival India Pale Lager. We both sipped the Revival “Night Swim’Ah”, the Revival Zeppelin and the Revival Conga Imperial IPA. Here’s what we thought:
Revival Night Swim Ah –a Belgian white, this was fruity and smooth, but after a few sips it seemed a little one note, and could have used something else. It was good, don’t get me wrong, just not excellent.
Natural Blonde – Alex liked this, but had much the same comment as above. Good, but not great.
Revival Zeppelin – this is cloudy and lightly hoppy, with a bit of bitterness at the end that cleaned it off nicely. Cloves presented as well toward the tail end of the experience. We really like this, and brought home a growler of it. A German style Hefewisen and well done.
Revival Conga Imperial IPA – this was Alex’s favorite, and almost mine. The ale is dark amber with a note of pine resin and some sweet spice. It’s rich and has a lot of body, checking in at 9.5% alcohol. This is serious IPA, and really well made.
Revival India Pale Lager – I like this very untraditional lager, which was hoppy and had lots of grapefruit/citrus notes. It all works though, and it was another excellent effort. Another serious beer at 7.3% alcohol.
All in all we give the beer two thumbs up. There were other brew options we didn’t get to but maybe next time. Cider and a Brown Ale are on the beer list, along with a watermelon lager (yes!) and some sangrias. We’ve only scratched the surface with the food, so more work needs to be done. There is a lot to choose from here. They do have a full bar as well, of course.
If you’re in the area we recommend Brutopia for lunch or dinner, or just a drink, when you want something a little more relaxed and fun. We liked it.
The particulars:
brutopiabrewery.com
505 Atwood Ave, Cranston, RI 02920 · 2.93 mi
(401) 464-8877
Open 4:00 PM – 1:00 AM
A votre sante!
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