We're nearly halfway through the year-long Province Ale Company project at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, and we're celebrating with a most peculiar brew.

Dorchester Ale, clocking in at 7.2% ABV and 60 IBUs, was "by many esteemed the best in England, when the materials were good, and the management judicious." Brewers Ragged Jordan (Ben Potts) and Nicolo Mastroianni (Sam Calagione) sourced the finest English Fuggles and East Kent Golding hops, along with traditional English Pale Ale malt and a true British cask yeast strain.

And of course, the management was extremely judicious. Contrary to the typical method of adding hops directly to the kettle, the hops were added to two teas – the first made the previous night and allowed to “digest” the evening, the second done just before mashing in using hops that were rubbed with coarse sea salt. The first tea was added as liquid only, while the entire briny mixture of the second was added in its entirety, hops and all. 

Fresh ginger root and ground cinnamon add a bright, spring-like spiciness to flavor and aroma of this antique ale. Bready and herbal in the nose, Dorchester Ale is malty up front with notes of alcohol heat and spice, with a subtle salty finish that builds as you sip.

We hope you enjoy this ale as much as Ragged and Nicolo enjoyed brewing it!

Thanks to Chef Joseph Arsenault (Dennis Marcoux), you can enjoy your Dorchester with smoked Beef Brisket basted with sweet onions, garlic and red sauce. It's served on brioche roll with field greens and slow-roasted onions.

And don't worry if you missed last month's beer. We held back a keg so members and newcomers can catch up and join the 12-month run of antique ales.

Both beers go on tap at noon Saturday.

If you're new to Province Ale Company, here's the story.

We're looking for about 100 adventurous beer lovers to join us on this journey. We're off to a great start, but there are still spaces left. Participants will experience the re-creation of 19th-century beer recipes discovered in the dusty shelves of a local library. Nicolo and his plucky head brewer, Ragged Jordan, will release one beer a month in 2013, and Chef Joseph Arsenault will re-create a period-appropriate food pairing to go with each beer.

For $30, investors will receive a handmade journal to record their thoughts, observations and experiences as each beer is released. The journals also will tell the story of Province Ale Co. and include Ragged's notes for homebrewers. At the end of the year, investors will receive their completed journal, as well as a turn-of-the-century Province Ale baseball cap and retro T-shirt. Also, anyone who can guess which two of the 12 recipes were invented by Nicolo and Ragged's modern-day alter-egos will enjoy a private dinner with the whole Province Ale team. Yup, all that for just $30!

Here's the fine print: Journal shares can be purchased only at the Rehoboth pub. This is a full-on analog project, so we want to see the whites of your eyes when you sign up. A new beer will be released at the pub on the third Saturday of each month. From noon to 4 p.m., Province Ale Co. investors have exclusive access. After that, they're fair game for any pub visitors. Our best guess is that each will last about a week, but we can't make any promises. To help investors stay up-to-date, the previous month's beer will also be available as each new batch is released. The antique brews will be $4 per 10-ounce pour, and food pairings will vary based on the recipe.

Sign up in person at the pub, and join the journey of Province Ale Co. – an analog project for the digital age.