RI@Work: Dorian Rave, Ravenous Brewing Company

I met Dorian Rave while I was photographing an event at Cook & Brown Restaurant several months ago and we ended up talking about home brewing all night. He’s a home brewer turned commercial brewer, truly living the dream. He’s genuinely a nice guy, and he makes a fantastic product.

He says, “I have always had a passion for fine beer and local products.  I’ve always felt that brewing at the “craft” level is amazing way for brewers to express their own interpretation of the beers they enjoy most.  Its a continuation of a skill and trade that has been around for centuries and I’m honored to be part of that even at the smallest level.  After being a craft beer drinker for years, I began to brew at home working on recipes and passing the finished product to friends.  Brewing became an obsession and I soon knew that this was something I wanted to be a part of for the long haul.  After lots of work and planning I opened the Woonsocket brewery in October where we started distributing our Coffee Milk Stout.  Almost a year later we are producing it, along with our Blackstone Pale Ale, on a regular basis.  We brew in small 3.5 bbl batches with a constant attention to detail in order to assure consistency.  Ravenous is a manual, hands-on brewery. I say its rather primitive in comparison to many of the more “modern” breweries out there. Although life would be easier with some digital equipment, which I do hope to get some day, I totally appreciate what I have now. I feel it puts me more in touch with the beer and has helped me develop my skills as a brewer.”

Ravenous is currently only available in RI and is distributed by Horizon Beverage.  It is available in different locations throughout, but more heavily concentrated in Northern RI.  Their website carries a list of where it is available.

Dorian says that if he weren’t brewing, he would just solely be working his full-time job as a police officer, but the goal is to eventually move into brewing full-time when his career as a police officer comes to an end. Be sure to check him out at http://www.ravenousbrew.com/

Are you or someone you know doing something unique, interesting, or rewarding for work in Rhode Island? Drop me a line below to let me know if you’d be interested in being featured in this project.