Homebrewer clubs, or brewery-specific mug clubs, can be found in every state. But a grassroots meetup club that also does brewery collaborations, runs charitable drives, and receives local media coverage? That’s a rarity, and that’s why I sought out a conversation with Shannon Salisbury, one of the co-founders and current leader of the Rhode Island Beer Club (RIBC), to find out how this small group of people has been able to accomplish so much.
Founding & history: Shannon Salisbury and Joyce Leisge, friends from the University of Rhode Island, came up with the idea for a craft beer lovers’ club in 2013. The club didn’t gain traction and eventually fizzled out. In 2021, Emily L’Esperance reached out about reviving the club, and it relaunched, framed publicly as a mission to celebrate Rhode Island’s craft beer scene through networking, tastings, and brewery collaborations. RIBC just celebrated its five-year anniversary.
Q: What does a typical Rhode Island Beer Club meetup look like?
Shannon: I try to set things up for as much standing/walking-around/networking as I can get. Depending on the brewery, sometimes the space is seated instead, and honestly, seated setups are more intimidating to approach; you also get pigeonholed into one conversation, and if those aren’t your people, you’re less likely to just get up and find somewhere else.
I think about approachability a lot. I actually went to another club’s meetup once just to see what the vibe was like, and it was clear the existing relationships there were already established. Even as an extroverted person, I hesitated before sitting down among strangers; that stuck with me.
Q: How many new people would you say come through versus longtime regulars?
Shannon: We probably get one to ten new people per meetup. Lately, more of the newer people who’ve stopped by have actually come back, which is. I’m always the one scanning the room to see if anyone isn’t being engaged with. My friend Morgan jokes about how I bounce between conversations; even if I’m enjoying one, I try not to get stuck in it, because I want everyone, especially first-timers, to feel welcomed.
Q: How do you help a new person find their footing once they’ve arrived?
Shannon: I check in with the bartenders to see if we have a space reserved, and I set out name tags. As social as I am, I’m genuinely bad with names; I could tell you everything else about someone, their pets, their kids, but I’ll blank on their name. The tags help new people identify who else is part of the club, so they’re not just walking up to a random table and hoping for the best.
In summer 2026, RIBC celebrated their five-year anniversary in a unique way; they partnered with Foolproof Brewing Company on a beer called Honey Hound, a honey Kölsch, to benefit the Providence Animal Rescue League (PARL). $2,700 was raised through beer, shirt, and raffle ticket sales, an impressive number for a first-time event.
Q: Tell me about the collaboration beer and fundraiser for your five-year anniversary; how did that come together?
Shannon: When we were planning our five-year anniversary, I reached out to breweries to ask if anyone would be willing to make a monetary donation so we could make Rhode Island Beer Club T-shirts and resell them, with the proceeds going to an animal rescue. In that same outreach, I asked whether anyone might be interested in a collaboration beer. Foolproof jumped on it right away; they had an opening in the brewing schedule and wanted to slot us in. We pulled the whole thing together in six weeks.
Q: What would you tell another organization interested in pursuing a brewery collaboration?
Shannon: I’d say go in person if you can; decision-makers aren’t always around, so be prepared to follow up. Instagram tends to get a better response than email or Facebook; brewers don’t check email consistently unless they already know you. Stay open-minded: if a brewery says no, it doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea, it might just not be right for their business at that moment. The more lead time you can offer, the better. And just be yourself; bring genuine enthusiasm, and most breweries will at least talk it through with you.
Q: Let’s put the focus on you for a bit. What’s your go-to order when you visit a brewery?
Shannon: I usually start light to ease into a night of socializing; a lager or an ale, sometimes a pilsner depending on where I am. If there’s a seasonal option, I’ll grab that first, since you don’t know when it’ll come back around. In fall and winter, I’m a sucker for a Märzen or an Oktoberfest-style beer. My one pet peeve: breweries releasing fall beers in late July or August. I love summer beer and want to stretch it out as long as I can, even though I understand the distribution timelines behind it. Kölsch is a style I always come back to: crisp, light, approachable, you can have a few without it going to your head, but it’s not watery either. Märzen is probably my second favorite.
Q: Are there any styles you avoid, or that have changed your mind?
Shannon: I used to avoid IPAs entirely. My friend Joyce and I started going to Long Live Beer works about thirteen years ago, before they’d really refined their more approachable IPAs, and one wiped out my taste buds. I swore them off after that. Now, since I travel a lot for work, I make a point of leaving one flight slot open wherever I go and asking bartenders for an IPA that might change my mind. Most of the time, it works: I’ve noticed I gravitate toward Citra-hopped, hazy styles. Sours are still a hard no for me, though!
Q: Back to the club meet-ups; how do people find out about the next RIBC location?
Shannon: We meet the first and third Friday of every month, meeting places publicized via Instagram (@ribeerclub) and Facebook. There’s no formal registration, cost, no sign-up, no RSVP needed, and also no pressure to stay the whole night. If you’re already out with friends, you don’t have to fly solo; just show up. You don’t even have to follow us on social media!
This feature article first appeared in Yankee Brew News.